(Since its inception in 1973, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame has enshrined nearly 1,000 recordings across all genres. The Making Of … series presents firsthand accounts of the creative process behind some of the essential recordings of the 20th century. You can read more Making Of … accounts, and in-depth insight into the recordings and artists represented in the Hall, in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition book.)

I'm Sorry
Brenda Lee
Decca (1960)
Single
Inducted 1999

(As told to Tammy La Gorce)

["I'm Sorry"] was really the first big ballad we had done. Prior to that we had done "Sweet Nothin's" and I had a hit with that, and we had also done “Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," and that became a hit, but it really hadn't done anything [on the charts] up to that point.

"I'm Sorry" was one of the first songs to come out of Nashville using strings. It was originally an eight-bar song, and we were trying to figure out how to get it to be a 16-bar song, because that's usually what songs are; at eight bars it would have been too short. In any event, I was a big fan [of the Ink Spots] because of my producer, Owen Bradley. And they used to recite words in their songs. So I said, "Why not do a recitation [to lengthen the song]?" And so that's where the recitation in "I'm Sorry" came from.

So when "I'm Sorry" came out and became such a huge hit, that made "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" start selling. Then that became a huge, huge hit.

I didn't write "I'm Sorry." The [writers were] Ronnie Self, who wrote "Sweet Nothin's," [and Dub Albritton]. We had no formal arrangements or anything. We all met at the studio, and we had the crème de la crème — the Anita Kerr Singers, [saxophonist] Boots Randolph and [pianist] Floyd Cramer. We all sat down and decided, "I think this should go here [and] this would sound pretty there." It was all just us thinking together because back then we didn't have any arrangements.

We did it in two takes. I was going on 16 years old. I look back on that now, and it seems pretty amazing. But you know, I had been singing since I was 3 years old, so my love of singing was always there. But I never expected to have a big old record like that. I didn't really have an agenda for my talent. I just wanted to be able to sing. That I had those hits was the icing on the cake.

I knew the song was great when I first heard it. We all did. We all felt there was something very, very special about the song.

Now, oh my Lord, every show I do I include "I'm Sorry." If I didn't my audience would be upset. Because it's just like with anybody — they come to hear the songs that got them acquainted with the artist in the first place. And that song has withstood the test of time. But you know, with Owen Bradley, who was just a genius with the team, and Anita Kerr and all the rest, all you needed was the song and the singer. Everything else was there for you, ready to go.

(Tammy La Gorce is a freelance writer whose work appears regularly in The New York Times.)

The Recording Academy has announced 10 recordings to be newly inducted to the distinguished GRAMMY Hall Of Fame as part of its 2024 inductee class and in celebration of its 50th anniversary this year. This year's GRAMMY Hall of Fame additions, the first inductions since 2021, include four albums and six singles that exhibit qualitative or historical significance and are at least 25 years old. The inducted recordings, which will be added to the iconic catalog residing at the GRAMMY Museum, will be honored at GRAMMY Museum's inaugural GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala and concert, presented by City National Bank, taking place Tuesday, May 21, at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles. Tickets for and performers at the Gala will be announced at a later date. 

The 2024 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inducted recordings range from Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction. Others include recordings by De La Soul, Buena Vista Social Club, Donna Summer, Charley Pride, Wanda Jackson, Kid Ory's Creole Orchestra, the Doobie Brothers, and William Bell. Eligible recipients will receive an official certificate from the Recording Academy. With these 10 newly inducted titles, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame currently totals 1,152 inducted recordings.

See below for a full list of the 2024 recordings inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, and see the full list of all past GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inducted recordings.

Full list of 2024 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inducted Recordings:

3 FEET HIGH AND RISING
De La Soul
Tommy Boy (1989)
(Album)
Inducted: 2024

APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION
Guns N' Roses
Geffen (1987)
(Album)
Inducted: 2024

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
Buena Vista Social Club
World Circuit/Nonesuch (1997)
(Album)
Inducted: 2024

“I FEEL LOVE”
Donna Summer
Casablanca (1977)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

“KISS AN ANGEL GOOD MORNIN'“
Charley Pride
RCA Victor (1971)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

“LET'S HAVE A PARTY”
Wanda Jackson
Capitol (1960)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL
Lauryn Hill
Ruffhouse/Columbia (1998)
(Album)
Inducted: 2024

“ORY'S CREOLE TROMBONE”
Kid Ory's Creole Orchestra (As Spike's Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra)
Nordskog (1922)
(Single)
2024

“WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES”
The Doobie Brothers
Warner Bros. (1978)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

“YOU DON'T MISS YOUR WATER”
William Bell
Stax (1961)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

"We're proud to unveil the diverse mix of recordings entering the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in its 50th year," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. "The music showcased here has played a pivotal role in shaping our cultural landscape, and it's a true honor to recognize these albums and recordings, along with the profound influence each has had on music and beyond."

"The artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers who composed this year's inducted recordings are a reflection of the sheer talent and hard work that goes into creating such seminal music," GRAMMY Museum President/CEO Michael Sticka said in a statement. "It's a privilege to be able to welcome these new additions into our distinguished catalog and celebrate the recordings at our inaugural gala on May 21."

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973. The inducted recordings are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees.

This year, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala will be the first of what will become an annual event and includes a red carpet and VIP reception on the newly opened Ray Charles Terrace at the GRAMMY Museum, followed by a one-of-a-kind concert at the NOVO Theater in downtown Los Angeles. 

The inaugural gala and concert is produced by longtime executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, Ken Ehrlich, along with Chantel Sausedo and Ron Basile and will feature musical direction by globally renowned producer and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to halloffame@grammymuseum.org.

Explore the history of the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

Following a two-year hiatus, the GRAMMY Museum and Recording Academy are reinstating the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame on its 50th anniversary. The momentous event will be celebrated with an inaugural gala and concert on Tuesday, May 21, at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles; tickets and performers for the event will be announced at a later date. As part of the return, 10 recordings, including four albums and six singles, will be newly inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame later this year.

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. There are currently 1,152 inducted recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. View the full list GRAMMY Hall Of Fame past inductees.

This year, the GRAMMY Museum’s GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala will be the first of what will become an annual event, and includes a red carpet and VIP reception on the newly opened Ray Charles Terrace at the GRAMMY Museum, followed by a one-of-a-kind concert at the NOVO Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

The inaugural gala and concert is produced by longtime executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, Ken Ehrlich, along with Chantel Sausedo and Ron Basile and will feature musical direction by globally renowned producer and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to halloffame@grammymuseum.org.

Keep watching this space for more exciting news about the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame!

2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Winners & Nominees List

It may only have been October, but the atmosphere in Nashville's Quonset Hut Studio on the 19th of that month, way back in 1958, was downright festive.

"We had a Christmas tree up and Christmas lights," recalls four-time GRAMMY nominee Brenda Lee 65 years later, of what would be a fortuitous recording session. "The lights were turned down low. It was wonderful."

Little did she know that one of three songs Lee would cut that day would go onto become an indelible Christmas classic. One of the most instantly-recognizable hits in the holiday music canon, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" has only grown in popularity since its initial release.

Most recently, it vaulted to No. 1 status on the Billboard Hot 100 for the very first time, a record for the longest gap between a song's initial release and hitting No. 1. The milestone also minted Lee as the oldest recording artist to ever top the charts.

"It's honestly still surreal to me whenever I hear it on the radio," Lee told GRAMMY.com mere hours after the jolly news was announced. "It's hard to believe. Of all the songs, I could have never thought that I would have a Christmas standard. But I do, and I'm grateful."

Lee may have been only 13 years-old when she recorded the track, but she  was already a veteran singer by the time she hit her preteen years. After belting out songs weekly in church with a voice respectively husky and sweet, she quickly became a regional success and soon inked a deal with Decca Records.

"When it comes to my label, Decca, I don't have the words," Lee says. "They are the best. And the reason they are the best is that, to this day they don't forget who helped build the label. I'm a part of that, and I'm proud to be a part of that."

Along the way, she joined forces with Owen Bradley, a dynamo producer known for his stable of female singers.

"He was such a songman," says Lee of the country music legend who is considered a chief architect of the Nashville rockabilly sound. "I don't know how he did it, but on his roster he had Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells and me; all the girls." Not that there was any competition: "I don't know how he traveled that road without us having a catfight," she adds, "but we didn't, and we all did well."

Another legendary force who took a liking to Lee was Johnny Marks, the songwriting giant behind classics like "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas." "One of the reasons I got 'Rockin'' was that Johnny said, "I want her to sing it. And if she won't do it, send it back to me.'"

Marks and Lee formed a friendship which would last for the rest of his life. "I used to talk to Johnny just about every day. He was precious. He'd get on the phone and here was his opening line from when I was 13 on was, 'Hi Brenda, it's Johnny! Just wanted to let you know there's not a lot of us older folks left!' I'm like, How old does he think I am?'"

For the "Rockin'" session, Bradley set up a session with a murderer's row of session players, also known as Nashville's A-Team. Among them was the seven-time GRAMMY nominee Floyd Cramer on piano (he'd later top the charts as a solo act with the melancholy piano tune "Last Date") and Hank Garland on the guitar (who can also be heard on the Bobby Helms classic "Jingle Bell Rock" as well as a bevy of Elvis records). Meanwhile, it was Boots Randolph, of "Yakety Sax" fame who ripped through on the song's iconic saxophone solo.

"They were the best of the best, and were like all my big brothers," remembers Lee. "With those guys, nothing was ever written. Whatever they played came from their heart, and that's what you hear in those records. We kept in touch and saw each other over the years, but most of them are not here with us anymore."

Bradley also recruited the Anita Kerr Singers for the back-up vocals which listeners hear right away crooning those carol-esque "Ahhs.". Headed by the three-time GRAMMY-winner Anita Kerr, the vocalists were staples on many of Bradley's productions including notable recordings for Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson and Perry Como.

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was recorded live, on the spot. "Back then that was the way you did it," Lee says of the method, which amounted to a high-wire act. "I recorded that way until I retired. I never wanted to come in and overdub afterwards. I wanted everybody there." Along with "Rockin'," Lee also recorded the southern Christmas classic "Papa Noel" which boasts mile-a-minute lyrics about a New Orleans-style holiday.

Released the Monday before Thanksgiving in 1958, "Rockin'" was by no means a smash during its initial release; in fact, it barely made a blip. The song  didn't gain popular recognition until the early '60s, as Lee's non-seasonal discography began to grow — including songs like "I'm Sorry" and "Break It To Me Gently" and "Sweet Nothin's."

Lee vividly remembers the moment when the song solidified itself as a Christmas classic. "Somebody called me on the phone: 'Brenda, have you seen that new movie Home Alone?' she said. "I said, 'No, I have not.' They said, 'Your song is all over it.' And I said, ''What song?' And they said 'Rockin!' Well, that was the start of it."

In recent years everyone from Kacey Musgraves and Camila Cabelo to Justin Bieber have released their own rollicking covers. But it's Lee's version that has lasted the test of time. 2023 has not only seen "Rockin'" finally hit No. 1, but this year also saw Lee shoot her first-ever music video for the track.

"What can I say? I want to thank everybody out there who's as big a part of that song as I am," Lee marvels. "It's a testament to good family, good fans, good DJs, good publicist and the list goes on and on. Whenever anybody thinks it's just them, they're gonna look around the corner one day and they're not gonna have a career. You can't get heard if you're not played."

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Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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