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Millennial Girls have sessions on the web

Millennial Girls have sessions on the web

 

Photo: t.maz/Getty Images

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2020 In Review: How The Music Community Rose Up 2020-review-how-music-community-rose-amid-pandemic

2020 In Review: How The Music Community Rose Up Amid A Pandemic

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A look back at the music community's challenges and resilience amid one of the most difficult periods in recent memory
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Dec 29, 2020 - 12:39 pm

2020 has been like no other. Musicians, organizations and all parts of the music industry are facing a whole new, unprecedented reality that is changing the way the industry works. It’s been a tough year, to say the least. But despite the ongoing trials, the music community has found ways to remain resilient through it all.

GRAMMY.com looks back at how the industry's unity, perseverance and creativity helped the music community rise up and face the challenges head-on. 

GRAMMYs

Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

Unprecedented times call for an unprecedented response, Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, said in mid-March when the Recording Academy responded to the crisis by launching the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares have established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help people in the music industry affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and subsequent cancellation of multiple music events. From hotel and bar gigs to major music festivals, COVID-19 is deeply impacting live music events, and the creative community behind it all.

Administered through MusiCares, the COVID-19 Fund will be used to directly support those in the music community with the greatest need. To establish the fund, both the Recording Academy and MusiCares have contributed an initial donation of $1 million each, totaling $2 million.

GRAMMYs

Marching Six Feet Apart: How High School Marching Bands Are Coping With The Pandemic

Schools were left with a lot of unknowns this year. At one school in Colorado, teachers wondered what the new normal would mean for their band season, but most importantly, for their students. Emilee Lindner took GRAMMY.com readers into a high school to show how one community of teachers and students worked through it all.

Since you can't really conduct band from a laptop, teachers are getting creative. We're talking practice journals, music theory worksheets, listening assignments and music history readings. [James Shuman, band director at Rocky Hill High School in Connecticut,] even created a bracket for students to battle out which song from Star Wars is the best. Anything to keep the kids stimulated. But it's a struggle. Band has lost the essence of collaboration; instead, it’s mutated into individual study.

GRAMMYs

Recording Academy Board Members Cover John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery" To Benefit MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund

Many lives succumbed to COVID-19 this year, including GRAMMY-winning legend John Prine. To honor him and his legacy, the Recording Academy Board Members came together to cover his song, “Angel From Montgomery.” Revenues from the song went to MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund. 

"We started this project as a way to raise money for MusiCares. With John’s passing, we also wanted to raise awareness that this can strike anybody. It doesn't matter if you’re famous or not, a seasoned veteran, or perhaps just building your career. If we can help in some way, if we can help make sure that those in need have food, or rent, or something else to help keep [getting] them through," Recording Academy trustee Michael Romanowski said.

GRAMMYs

"Nothing Like This Has Ever Happened": How Orchestra Musicians Are Faring In The Pandemic

COVID-19 has caused lockdowns all over the country. Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), New York Philharmonic (NY Phil), and Los Angeles Phil spoke to GRAMMY.com about what it meant for them.

When the lockdown began, Stephen Williamson, principal clarinet player for CSO, was on his way to a concert when he learned the news. "I was [driving] to CSO for a performance of 'Rhapsody in Blue' when I got a call that the concert was canceled," he shares. CSO's Associate Concertmaster Stephanie Jeong, the youngest member of the orchestra ever to hold this prestigious title, was in Kansas City visiting her boyfriend when she learned of the Shelter in Place order going into effect in Chicago. "I ended up staying in Kansas City, and I’m still here."

What was hoped to be a temporary shutdown soon turned into a stay-at-home order with no end in sight, and the shattered economy that accompanied it was something many musicians didn’t anticipate in the United States. "In my almost-30-year tenure with the orchestra, nothing like this has ever happened," CSO bass player Robert Kassinger explains. "Maybe once every 10 years a concert had to be canceled because of weather conditions, sure, but nothing like this."

GRAMMYs

Independent Publicists Persist Through The Coronavirus Impact On The Music Industry

As the beginning of the pandemic caused the cancellation of several live shows and festivals and paused album releases, the publicists for artists like Jessie Reyez, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Lido Pimienta, Palehound and more talked about how they worked through the hard times for their clients.

Independent publicists and smaller PR agencies now face their own unique challenges. Many run on project-based work focused on touring and album campaigns. With artists now canceling tours and rethinking album releases, the music publicity sector now faces a potential, and significant, loss in income—if not now, then in the future. On top of that, there is no option of severance for many publicists if they lose their jobs or clients.

GRAMMYs

Bartees Strange, Anjimile & More On What It's Like To Release A Debut Album In A Pandemic

Some artists continued to release their projects, although it meant they couldn’t go through a traditional release cycle.

A variety of rising artists sit down to discuss the unusual and inopportune circumstances of releasing a debut record during COVID, and what it takes to make the best of an impossible situation.

GRAMMYs

The Pivot To Livestreams: VERZUZ  Was Born

To keep the show going, artists went full-on digital with intimate and all-out production performances, giving way to new forms of musical entertainment. Cue in VERZUZ, a full-on lyrical and production battle that pitted some of the greatest rappers and R&B artists head-to-head.

What originally started as a live song-for-song set at Hot 97's Summer Jam concert in 2018 between musical powerhouses Timbaland and Swizz Beatz has now found its way into countless quarantined homes. The recommence of Verzuz began and continues to serve as a celebration of Black musical pioneers: the DJs, songwriters, singers, rappers, producers, performers—and everybody in between.

The battles are selected by how sonically and entertaining both artists can be together. Kicking off in March, the growing phenom has showcased battles between Teddy Riley vs. Babyface, Boi-1da vs. Hit-Boy, The-Dream vs. Sean Garrett, Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott, Johntá Austin vs. Ne-Yo, Nelly vs. Ludacris, T-Pain vs. Lil Jon, Scott Storch vs. Mannie Fresh, DJ Premier vs. RZA, Ryan Tedder vs. Benny Blanco, 112 vs. Jagged Edge and Beenie Man vs. Bounty Killer.

GRAMMYs

Helping The Musical Community Through Music 

Whether it was raising money for venues across the country at the Save Our Stages virtual event or labels like Mexican Summer releasing projects benefitting artists or charities of their choice, artists and musical entities found ways to support their community. Streaming service Bandcamp, also among those leaders, waived fees for artists on their platform, showing support for independent creators.

Capturing Los Angeles' COVID-Closed Venues

With clubs closed until at least next year, photographer Farah Sosa documented L.A.'s shuttered venues—many of which may not reopen without federal support

How Bandcamp's Fee Waiver Days Are Supporting Musicians In The Pandemic

"It sounds simple, but we’ve always believed that the best way to support artists is to buy their music and merch directly," Bandcamp COO Josh Kim told GRAMMY.com. 

Bipartisan Package Brings New COVID Relief And More

In the waning days of the 116th Congress, a bipartisan package includes new COVID relief and more. 

After months of shifting negotiations and perpetuating stalemates, Congress reached a deal to provide the American public with additional COVID-19 relief. Congressional leadership, composed of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), announced an agreement on Sunday, December 20, to attach the relief to an end-of-year government spending bill to be voted on Monday, December 21, and signed into law by the president. 

Bootsy Collins, Carla Morrison, Rico Nasty & More: GRAMMY.com's Favorite Conversations Of 2020

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Ringo Starr performs at the 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock in 2019

Ringo Starr performs at the 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock in 2019

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

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Ringo Starr Announces Birthday Charity Concert ringo-starrs-80th-birthday-virtual-charity-concert-feature-paul-mccartney-sheryl-crow

Ringo Starr's 80th Birthday Virtual Charity Concert To Feature Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark, Jr., And More, Will Benefit MusiCares And Black Lives Matter

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Streaming on Starr's birthday (July 7), the show will feature "at-home performances and unearthed concert footage" from some of his best friends and closest collaborators
John Ochoa
MusiCares
Jul 1, 2020 - 10:19 am

This month, Ringo Starr is commemorating his 80th birthday with a little help from his friends. The former Beatles drummer and nine-time GRAMMY-winning artist is celebrating the big event by hosting Ringo's Big Birthday Show, a virtual charity concert featuring "a mix of at-home performances and unearthed concert footage," according to Rolling Stone, from some of his best friends and closest collaborators, including Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark, Jr., Sheila E., Ben Harper and others. 

Streaming on YouTube Tuesday (July 7), Starr's birthday, starting at 8 p.m. EST, the charity concert will benefit MusiCares, Black Lives Matter Global Network, The David Lynch Foundation and WaterAid.

The hour-long show, which will also include chats with the event's guests, will feature the debut of a new, guest-heavy version of "Give More Love," the title track to Starr's 2017 album, which will include Jackson Browne, Jeff Bridges, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson and others, Rolling Stone reports. Artists like Steve Earle, Peter Frampton and Judy Collins will also perform a series of tribute performances, which Starr will debut on his YouTube channel.

Starr's birthday has become an annual celebration of "peace and love" since 2008 when the legendary artist asked his fans to join him in Chicago and say or think the phrase at noon local time.  The "peace and love" celebrations have since spread to "more than 20 countries around the world and on social media, to 'create a wave of Peace & Love across the planet,'" Rolling Stone reports. For his birthday last July, Starr hosted a special "peace and love" celebration at the iconic Capitol Records building, The Beatles' longtime label home, in Los Angeles; the event featured performances from Ben Kyle, The Jacks and Sara Watkins. Starr is once again asking his fans and friends to say, think or share "peace and love" at noon local time on his birthday. 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Starr's annual birthday celebration is going digital in 2020. "This year is going to be a little different," he told Rolling Stone. "There's no big get-together, there's no brunch for 100. But we're putting this show together – an hour of music and chat. It's quite a big birthday."

Last November, Starr and his All-Starr Band announced a 2020 tour, which was later canceled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares.

Ed Helms (R) performs with Margo Price

Ed Helms (R) performs with Margo Price

Photo: Elli Lauren Photography

News
Ed Helms Talks New Show "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour" facing-lockdown-ed-helms-spreading-joys-americana-bluegrass-and-comedy-his-whiskey

Facing Lockdown, Ed Helms Is Spreading The Joys Of Americana, Bluegrass And Comedy With His "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour" Online Series

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With the help of special guests and beloved artists from the wider American roots community, the famed actor and established musician is combining his love of music, humor and humans to help raise funds for MusiCares and Direct Relief
John Ochoa
MusiCares
May 4, 2020 - 11:33 am

In mid-March, famed actor and comedian Ed Helms was busy working on his new TV show "Rutherford Falls," an upcoming comedy series, scheduled to debut on NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service, in which he was set to write, co-executive produce and star. The writing for the show had begun, and he and his team were on course to begin production around the third week of the month. Then on March 19, at the height of the early coronavirus pandemic scare, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a sweeping statewide stay-at-home order, essentially shutting down the state, including the Hollywood entertainment complex. Helms was stuck, but he wasn't down for the count.

Now quarantined inside his Los Angeles home with his wife and young child—"We're on toddler watch all the time," he says—Helms is keeping very busy while facing his own version of the "new normal" taking shape around the world. The writers' room for his new show has gone completely virtual since the California lockdown. His production company, Pacific Electric Picture Company, is juggling multiple projects in development. And all day long, he's taking phone calls and video Zoom meetings. Lots and lots of Zoom meetings. 

Still, even with a stacked schedule and a curious toddler eating up his time, Helms felt he needed to do his part to help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. So he did what he does best: He strapped on his guitar, turned on the camera and started singing and cracking jokes.

It's all part of "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour," Helms' newly launched limited web series benefiting MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund and Direct Relief. Launched April 22, the online variety show, streaming every Wednesday now through May 13, invites some of the leading and emerging artists from the wider American roots community to perform intimate shows directly from their homes. (Of course, the show also features hilarious cameos from some of Helms' comedy friends.)

The first two episodes featured big-name artists like Lee Ann Womack, Ben Harper, Yola and Billy Strings, among others, while future guests include Rosanne Cash, Langhorne Slim, Mandy Moore, Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi, Valerie June and more. 

Hosted each week by Helms, a vocal advocate of bluegrass and American roots music and culture and a master banjo player, "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour" is his way of bringing a smile to fellow fans and newcomers during these troubling times.

"I think that what makes the show really fun to watch is the really warm and benevolent energy of these musicians," Helms tells the Recording Academy. "They're just some of the most wonderful people. That is a big part of who we want to showcase, just because we want the show to feel good and to be a really positive experience for anyone."

Amy Reitnouer Jacobs echoes the sentiment. As the co-founder and executive director of The Bluegrass Situation, Helms' own bluegrass- and roots-centric music and lifestyle website and the show's presenting partner, she's worked with the comedy giant to build out the show's diverse lineup week after week. She likens the task of curating an eclectic artist roster to "a beautiful chess game." 

"At the beginning of this process, I was just so happy to be putting my creative energies into a good cause and over the moon to be raising money for these two amazing charities and supporting our artistic community at the same time," she tells the Recording Academy via email. "But over the past few weeks, I've also recognized how rapidly our industry is changing and how different everything is going to look over the next couple of months. It's clear that the way we present and intake live music is going to be one of the biggest paradigm shifts, long after shelter-in-place orders are lifted. So maybe in some small way, what we're starting here can continue to build in the hope of working toward a new, or at least temporary, norm."

The Recording Academy chatted with Ed Helms to discuss the benevolent vision behind "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour," his dream lineup for the show and the new creative challenges, and benefits, he's facing while working in quarantine.

How are you, man?

I am doing really pretty well, all things considered. I'm feeling pretty lucky that my family is healthy, and I'm staying pretty busy.

Speaking of your family, have you or your family been impacted directly by the COVID-19 pandemic?

Yes. I had a TV show about to start production. It's [now] completely on pause except for the writing. So now our writers' room has gone virtual, and that's been an adjustment, but thankfully a successful one. We're getting a lot of work done. My immediate family is all healthy, which I'm extraordinarily grateful for. But I have some very close friends dealing with some really tough situations and it's ... been a bit of a ... reality check or something.

In terms of "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour," how long did the show take to come together, from idea to actual series?

[Laughs] Really fast ... I think part of the emotional toll of this quarantine is a real feeling of impotence ... Amy [Reitnouer Jacobs, co-founder and executive director of The Bluegrass Situation] and I were talking about what we could do. [With] The Bluegrass Situation being a music entity, MusiCares felt like a really natural fit. I hosted their gala a couple of years ago. I'm a big fan of that organization. And then more directly on the medical front, Direct Relief was also just a no-brainer because they're doing incredible work [to make] sure frontline workers are properly protected and supplied.

But then the question was, "Well, how do we do it?" Well, let's just leverage our resources and our network and try to do something that'll get some attention and draw some viewership and then ask for money. And then from that conversation to actually putting it together—Amy started booking the music acts right away, and our first episode was up maybe two weeks later.

Things got really scary in the U.S. in mid-March, with the pandemic and shutdown starting to spread throughout the country last month. "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour" launched April 22. Was there a moment or event that truly sparked the show and pushed you to launch it and get involved?

The Bluegrass Situation is lucky to have a lot of relationships and access to great musicians, and we just wanted to do something. This just sort of gelled as the idea. But as soon as the lockdown happened, it was clear.

If you're looking for that inflection point, I think it would be really when all the news was flooding in about how overwhelmed Italy was and just what we were seeing around the world. So many countries and communities in so much pain and struggling just to deal with this thing, and a feeling that it was right around the corner for all of us here in the United States, and that there's just a need to try to help.

What do you and Amy look for when you're putting together these artist and guest lineups?

I think that what makes the show really fun to watch is the really warm and benevolent energy of these musicians. They're just some of the most wonderful people. That is a big part of who we want to showcase, just because we want the show to feel good and to be a really positive experience for anyone. So it's just people who are great, who also play great music, if I had to summarize it.

Read: Cosmic Americana Duo Mapache On 'From Liberty Street,' Honoring Neal Casal & (Briefly) Going Electric

Has it been difficult to get artists and guests to participate in the show?

Not at all. People are so eager to jump onboard and pitch in. Honestly, it's so moving to me [to see] the eagerness that people bring to it and just the enthusiasm. And people are putting a lot of time into these segments. They're shooting themselves in their homes and just getting really great recordings and great performances. I don't know if you've watched the last two episodes, but they just feel so personal and natural and intimate. I've been just incredibly moved by all the participation.

I wasn't sure how it would feel to watch people do a show like this, where people are just playing by themselves and shooting themselves in their homes and at a very lo-fi way. But when I watch the episodes, there's an immediacy there. There's an intimacy to these performances that I think is incredibly special and charming and endearing and uplifting. It's turned out better than I could have hoped. It's so, so fun to do, and I think it helps everyone feel invigorated to be part of a communal effort and a community that's trying to help.

https://twitter.com/edhelms/status/1250503240275292161

ANNOUNCING: #WhiskeySourHappyHour!! I'm hosting an online music variety show to raise money for @musicares and @directrelief. Tune in every Wednesday, starting 4/22 at 5p PDT / 8p EDT and DONATE! pic.twitter.com/zV5s8ik3AC

— Ed Helms (@edhelms) April 15, 2020

While the bluegrass and American roots music community may not be huge, it does seem tight-knit. Have you seen the bluegrass and roots community banding together during this crisis?

Yeah. Our show is just one example. I think there are so many performers out there that are raising money in all different kinds of ways and supporting each other. We don't pretend to be the definitive voice of Americana, roots—we're just proud to be part of a larger community.

I agree with you. [The community] doesn't have quite the scale of some other music genres, but I think it makes up for that in a really exciting and dynamic vibe internally.

Do you see yourself extending the show beyond the May 13 window? Is this something you would perhaps expand after the quarantine and pandemic?

Well, it's a little early to know. It's a lot of work, and I still have a lot of other projects churning in the background as an actor and producer. But I'll just say this: I love doing this. It has been incredibly fun and meaningful to me, so I think anything is possible.

Besides producing "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour," how are you spending your time in quarantine?

I have a two-and-a-half-year-old, so we're on toddler watch all the time. I have a TV show that's going to be on [NBCUniversal's streaming service] Peacock, and we were supposed to start production the week of the quarantine, so that has paused. But the writing of that TV series is still going full speed ahead. I'm in writing meetings multiple days a week, and those are very long meetings in the virtual writers' room.

Then my production company, Pacific Electric Picture Company, we just have a ton of projects in development and at various stages, and so that's a process of keeping up with scripts and giving notes and lots and lots of phone calls and Zoom meetings. So there's plenty going on, and it's been an adjustment and quite a rapid learning curve trying to figure out how to juggle all this.

But [it] seems to be going really well. Like I said, I couldn't be happier with how "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour" has turned out and the kind of production pipeline that we're still figuring out, but it seems to be dialing in. It's obviously a very simple production, but we just want to make it as good as we can. We're learning as we go [and] trying to have some fun, too.

Has the quarantine or the pandemic affected your creativity or how you approach your art and various projects?

I think working from home on all these things has been both a challenge and a little bit of an exciting stimulant for me, creatively. Whether it's writing a TV show or shooting these little interstitials for "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour," I'm so used to just being in a room with other people [and] collaborating on these things. That produces a certain kind of result that I'm very used to. But being by myself and really just having to crank a lot of this stuff out on my own, it's exhilarating.

A lot of times I wish I had someone to bounce some things off of in a more immediate way before I commit to them. [Laughs] But I don't, so you just have to power through. I think it's an exciting challenge. I do firmly believe that necessity is the mother of invention, and this new paradigm is forcing everyone to be innovative and creative in new ways. It's a terrible situation, but there are some interesting and beautiful things emerging out of it.

Who would be your dream guest(s) to book on "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour"?

I mean, we have a dream lineup. I'm just so overjoyed with everyone that we've got. It's funny because I immediately go to bands. I think of bands like Del McCoury or The Infamous Stringdusters or Steep Canyon Rangers or so many more. But bands can't perform together right now.

So we're kind of having to readjust how we approach booking ... And not every artist wants to perform without their band, or if they're a part of a band. There's nothing that's not happening that I wish were happening on these shows. I think we have unbelievable lineups, and I'm super proud of how it's all coming together. That's a nonanswer for you. [Laughs]

The Rebellious Brilliance Of Lucinda Williams

GRAMMYs

Roy Rogers 

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Roy Rogers To Perform Rare Solo Acoustic Show roy-rogers-perform-rare-solo-acoustic-show-be-livestreamed-benefit-musicares

Roy Rogers To Perform Rare Solo Acoustic Show To Be Livestreamed In Benefit For MusiCares

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The carefully curated performance will feature vintage guitars from the great slide guitarist's private collection
MusiCares
Sep 14, 2020 - 1:43 pm

Roy Rogers, the eight-time GRAMMY-nominee and one of the preeminent slide guitarists in the world, will livestream a special performance on Sept. 20 to bring awareness to the crisis music venues and performance spaces face in the country. According to a recent survey, 90 percent of music venues, clubs and festivals could close due to the pandemic.

https://www.facebook.com/thecenterforthearts/posts/10164082859930463

"Rogers’ will bring with him an array of vintage guitars rarely seen from his private collection as well as songs and...

Posted by The Center for the Arts on Sunday, September 13, 2020

Rogers’ show at The Center for the Arts Grass Valley will livestream on Sept. 20. at 8 p.m. EST/ 5 p.m. PST on Facebook Live. Donations will be accepted and will benefit the MusiCares Foundation.

“That’s not a slide on Roy Rogers’ pinky, it’s a time machine. With it, Rogers transports you to the Mississippi Deltas past and future,” says Guitar Player. The San Francisco Chronicle also call Rogers, "one of the greatest slide guitar players anywhere."

The carefully curated performance will feature vintage guitars from his private collection, according to a statement. The guitarrist will share stories from throughout his career during the performance.  

Fans can watch the livestream here. 

Avicii Birthday Tribute For Mental Health Awareness Takes Over SiriusXM's BPM Channel

 

Toots Hibbert of Toots And The Maytals performs in London in 1983

Toots Hibbert of Toots And The Maytals performs in London in 1983

Photo: David Corio/Redferns

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Toots Hibbert, Reggae Pioneer, Dies At 77 toots-hibbert-dead-toots-and-maytals

Toots Hibbert, GRAMMY-Winning Reggae Pioneer And Founder Of Toots And The Maytals, Dies At 77

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Considered to be "one of the fathers of reggae music," a genre he helped globalize, Hibbert was the first known artist to use the word "reggae" on a record
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Sep 12, 2020 - 1:23 pm

Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, who pioneered and helped globalize the reggae genre via his iconic, GRAMMY-winning band Toots And The Maytals, died Friday (Sept. 11) evening. He was 77. 

While no cause of death has been revealed, Hibbert was hospitalized in an intensive care unit in his native Jamaica in August after showing symptoms of the coronavirus. While he was awaiting results from a coronavirus test, he was placed in a medically induced coma in early September. "Toots is fighting for his life and his family is asking for prayers," Claude Mills, Hibbert's publicist, told Jamaican daily newspaper The Gleaner.

Toots And The Maytals confirmed the news of Hibbert's passing in a post shared on the band's official social media accounts Friday night, writing, "It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that Frederick Nathaniel 'Toots' Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.

"The family and his management team would like to thank the medical teams and professionals for their care and diligence, and ask that you respect their privacy during their time of grief," the post continues.

https://twitter.com/tootsmaytals/status/1304670520605106176

It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica... pic.twitter.com/zOb6yRpJ7n

— Toots & The Maytals (@tootsmaytals) September 12, 2020

Born Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert in 1942 in May Pen, Jamaica, he is considered "one of the fathers of reggae music" and is the first known artist to use the word "reggae" on a record, The New York Times writes, as heard on his band's, then known as The Maytals, 1968 song, "Do The Reggay."

Recognized as one of the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone, Hibbert is known for his powerful, soulful vocal style, which gained him comparisons to soul greats like Otis Redding and Ray Charles. Hibbert is also known for infusing elements of soul music, gospel, R&B, rock 'n' roll and Jamaican mento into Toots And The Maytals' reggae, rocksteady and ska sounds, Rolling Stone writes. 

Hibbert formed his band, originally known simply as The Maytals, in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1962 alongside Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" Matthias; the group changed its name to Toots And The Maytals in 1972. 

After becoming a big draw within Jamaica's then-nascent ska scene, the group released its debut album, The Sensational Maytals, in 1965. One year later, they won the first-ever Jamaican Independence Festival Popular Song Competition with their song "Bam Bam," which inspired Sister Nancy's 1982 dancehall classic of the same name; the group would go on to win the national song competition in 1969 and 1972, according to Rolling Stone.

In 1967, Hibbert served a nine-month prison term after he was arrested for possession of marijuana; he alleges he was set up by corrupt authorities or music rivals, according to Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. Inspired by the experience, Hibbert wrote the song "54-46 Was My Number," which became one of his group's biggest songs and their first major hit outside Jamaica, Rolling Stone reports. 

The group crossed over into international markets with their third album Funky Kingston, which released in Jamaica and the U.K. in 1972; an alternate version of the album, released in the U.S. in 1975, charted stateside on the Billboard 200 and was voted as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone.

Toots And The Maytals would go on to receive five total GRAMMY nominations in the reggae field, including a GRAMMY win for Best Reggae Album in 2005 for their 2004 album, True Love. Hibbert, who also recorded and performed as a solo artist, received four GRAMMY nominations, including one win for True Love.

On Aug. 28, just three days before Hibbert was first hospitalized, Toots And The Maytals released Got To Be Tough, his first studio album in a decade and the first LP he produced himself; it now marks the final Toots And The Maytals album. 

Last month, GRAMMY Museum Founding Executive Director Bob Santelli interviewed Hibbert about Got To Be Tough as part of the organization's Programs At Home series.

Hibbert is survived by his wife of 39 years, Miss D, and his seven of eight children, according to the Toots And The Maytals Twitter account. 

"Care For The Culture" Livestream Panel Offers New Solutions For Wellness + Community in Rap, R&B and Reggae

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