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GRAMMYs

Eddie Van Halen in 1979

Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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Celebrating Guitar Legend Eddie Van Halen celebrating-eddie-van-halen-grammy-winning-guitar-legend

Celebrating Eddie Van Halen, A GRAMMY-Winning Guitar Legend

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From popularizing the "tapping" guitar technique to ushering rock 'n roll into the big-hair, big-riff '80s, Van Halen's lead guitarist left a lasting legacy on the genre that continues to inspire
Rob LeDonne
GRAMMYs
Oct 6, 2020 - 3:36 pm

"The power just engulfs you. You just feel it, it makes you vibrate."

That's how Eddie Van Halen, who passed away today after a battle with throat cancer, described the guitar in a 2015 interview about the instrument that not only defined his life but elevated rock 'n roll as an art form. It should come as no surprise that Van Halen—both Eddie as a person and the moniker of his gargantuanly successful band—grew into a musical prodigy and stayed that way throughout the rest of his life.

The son of immigrants from The Netherlands, Eddie grew up in a musical family—his father was a talented musician, playing the clarinet and piano. It’s the latter instrument that Eddie would first learn to play once the family immigrated to Pasadena, Calif. in the 1960s, the roots of a life he would later refer to as a true American dream. Later falling in love with the guitar and growing up emulating the likes of Eric Clapton, Eddie easily met his idol’s popularity and talent in the intervening years, becoming the mainstream face of the guitar and helping cultivate the perception of a rock God.

"During his legendary career, GRAMMY Award winner Eddie Van Halen contributed to some of the world’s most iconic music," says Harvey Mason Jr, the Interim President of The Recording Academy, of Eddie, who was nominated three times and won one GRAMMY. "His explosive guitar playing and approach to the musical process solidified him as an undeniable force in his field and forever established his place as a true guitar hero."

How else can one explain the Eddie and his bandmates' (including his brother Alex, bassist Michael Anthony and frontman David Lee Roth, with whom Eddie had a famously complex relationship) career, which kicked off with an explosive 1978 eponymous debut that included instant classics "Runnin' With the Devil," "Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love," the stunning instrumental "Eruption" and an inspired cover that bridged the innocent riffs of the '60s and the powerful intensity of the '70s with "You Really Got Me"? It’s an album that announces itself with the distinct sound of sirens in the distance, perhaps an appropriate introduction considering the collection, which was essentially a record of the band’s popular yet scant club setlist at the time. Because of its sheer inventive force, it's still regarded as one of the best musical introductions ever, with Guitar World calling it one of the greatest guitar albums of all time, while Rolling Stone ranked it on the list of best debuts in music history.

In short order, Van Halen became one of the most popular acts in the world (the RIAA would subsequently rank them the 20th best-selling artist in the United States), spawning countless imitators and helping culture usher in the big-hair 1980s by creating pop-rich rock confections that hinged on ultra-catchy riffs. Of those, none is more iconic than "Panama," one of the ultimate songs of the genre, guaranteed to give listeners a jolt within its first memorable seconds and tearing along like a muscle car (even the revving sounds of Eddie's 1972 Lamborghini Miura’s engine can be heard on the track). It’s a similar unique and energetic fun that runs through Van Halen’s towering discography, whether it's the early David Lee Roth years or the Sammy Hagar era, including the kinetic and pulsating "Hot For Teacher," the infectious dance floor anthem "Dance The Night Away," or their only Pop No. 1 hit, "Jump," an originally rejected Eddie-penned track that showcases him trading the guitar for an '80s-era synth, giving a sound to a generation. The effort earned the band a GRAMMY nomination in 1984 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group, eventually winning in 1991 for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal for their ninth album, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.

It’s also passion for the craft that consistently shone through and gave Eddie an array of impacts on the genre. Take for example his iconic solo for Michael Jackson’s indelible "Beat It," its guitar riff as important to the song as Jackson's falsetto. The unusual collaboration was the result of a call from producer Quincy Jones, and, as if it were a scene from a movie, a monitor speaker in the studio managed to catch fire during his recording. Eddie even contributed his talents to the record for free—and it went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Outside of the creative innovation he brought to the guitar, Eddie also contributed a number of physical tweaks to the instrument, popularizing the "tapping" solo technique and even patenting a suporting device that frees up the guitar player's hands. As for the instrument itself, it should be no surprise that Eddie's Frankenstein 2 currently sits in the National Museum of American History. He also passed on the musical bug to his son Wolfgang, who Eddie regularly championed and later became a member of Van Halen itself.

"The world is lucky to have witnessed Eddie’s genius as a guitarist,” sums up Mason Jr. of Eddie’s impact. “We know he will influence and shape rock music indefinitely."

GRAMMYs

Rupert Neve

Photo: Gary Miller/WireImage.com

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Remembering Rupert Neve remembering-rupert-neve

Remembering Rupert Neve, A Pioneer Who Set The Standard In Audio

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Across an eight-decade career, the brilliant and inquisitive Neve spearheaded several legendary companies and designed cutting-edge equipment, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Technical GRAMMY Award in the process
Morgan Enos
Recording Academy
Feb 19, 2021 - 1:02 pm

As a child in the 1930s, Rupert Neve loved building and repairing radios. What he could never have imagined was that he'd continue on until he was 94—nor that his contributions would be felt into 2030 and beyond.

If Neve's sole contribution to the music industry was inventing the Neve 8028 console, on which luminaries from Fleetwood Mac to Nirvana to The Who recorded classic albums, his place in the pantheon would be assured. But across an eight-decade career, Neve did much more than that.

The audio wizard spearheaded mixing consoles' move from vacuum tubes to transistors, which facilitated the capacious sound of The Beatles' Abbey Road and numerous other classics. And across the decades, he participated in a litany of audio electronics projects and mentored younger engineers.

Sadly, Neve passed away on February 12 in Wimberley, Texas, due to non-COVID pneumonia and heart failure. He was 94.

"It's all about his transformers," singer/songwriter Billy Crockett told The New York Times in response to the news. "They provide something intangible that makes the mix fit together. So when people get poetic about analog, it's how the sound comes through the transformers."

Neve was born in Newton Abbot, England, in 1926, and grew up in Argentina. As a teenager, he volunteered to serve in World War II, working on the communications side for the British military.

His early career trajectory took him from Refiffusion and Ferguson Radio to his first business, CQ Audio. In 1961, he and his wife, Evelyn, founded Neve Electronics. Three years later, he designed his first transistor-based equalizer, then built his first transistor-based mixing console for Philips Records. In 1975, the couple sold the Neve Companies. A decade later, they established Focusrite Ltd. under the name ARN Consultants, who worked on a variety of cutting-edge projects.

In 1997, Neve's accomplishments were recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Technical GRAMMY Award. In 2005, he established Rubert Neve Designs. And in 2019, he returned to the high-fidelity audio market with Fidelice. Neve is survived by his wife, five children, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Rupert Neve Is Still Making (Sound) Waves

Van Halen in 1978

Van Halen in 1978

Photo: Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images

News
Poll: What's Your Favorite Van Halen Song? poll-whats-your-favorite-van-halen-song

Poll: What's Your Favorite Van Halen Song?

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In memory of Eddie Van Halen, we want to know what Van Halen song always keeps you rocking
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Oct 8, 2020 - 11:31 am

Get your air guitars and big hair ready, because it's time to put on some Van Halen tunes and turn up the volume! In the spirit of the GRAMMY-winning Los Angeles band that kept rock alive and well for decades and in memory of their late guitarist and co-founder Eddie Van Halen, our latest poll is here to rock you up.

Vote below to let us know which Van Halen classic is your favorite.

Polls

What's Your Favorite Van Halen Song?

R.I.P.: Celebrating Eddie Van Halen, A GRAMMY-Winning Guitar Legend

'This Is Spinal Tap' Band Reunite To Benefit Democrats In Pennsylvania

Trini Lopez in London in 1965

Trini Lopez in London in 1965

Photo: Stanley Bielecki/ASP/Getty Images

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Trini Lopez Has Died From COVID-19 At 83 trini-lopez-who-revitalized-american-mexican-folk-classics-has-died-covid-19-83

Trini Lopez, Who Revitalized American & Mexican Folk Classics, Has Died From COVID-19 At 83

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The GRAMMY-nominated singer/guitarist's biggest global hits were lively covers of folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary's "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree"
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 12, 2020 - 3:18 pm

GRAMMY-nominated singer, guitarist and actor Trini Lopez, whose lively blend of American and Mexican folk songs with rockabilly flair earned him worldwide fame in the '60s, has died at 83. The Mexican-American artist died from COVID-19 at a hospital in Rancho Mirage, Calif. yesterday, Aug. 11.

Beginning with his 1963 debut studio album, Trini Lopez At PJ's, Lopez found success bringing new life—and a raucous, danceable beat and vocal delivery—to other artists' songs, including folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary's hits "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree." Both songs would be his biggest, with his versions out-charting theirs both on the Billboard Hot 100 and international charts.

Back at the 6th GRAMMY Awards in 1964, following his epic breakout year, Lopez was nominated for Best New Artist.

If I Had A Hammer: From Aretha Franklin To Public Enemy, Here's How Artists Have Amplified Social Justice Movements Through Music

His rocked-up rendition of "I Had a Hammer," released in 1963 on his live debut album, hit No. 3 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 in 36 countries. The song was originally written by political activist/folk icon Pete Seeger and Lee Hays and recorded as a protest song by their band The Weavers in 1950, reemerging as a GRAMMY-winning No. 10 hit from Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962, the year prior to Lopez's breakout success with the classic song.

Popular '60s West Hollywood star-studded venue P.J.'s, where the Dallas-born singer recorded his first two albums (which also put the club on the map outside of Los Angeles), was where he got his big break, from none other than Frank Sinatra. After catching a few of his shows, the Rat Pack leader signed him to his Reprise label.

"I remember reading in the trades that Frank Sinatra frequented P.J.’s a lot so I moved over there so I could meet him," Lopez said. "I was hired for three weeks and I stayed a year and a half. I played four or five shows every single night and I never repeated a song. I just kept waiting to meet Frank Sinatra, and within a month he came with an entourage and to my surprise he offered me an eight-year record contract on his label. I put P.J.'s on the map with my live albums since they were recorded for Sinatra's record company."

Read: Sin-atra City: The story of Frank Sinatra and Las Vegas

A self-proclaimed "proud" Mexican-American born to immigrant parents in Dallas in 1937, Lopez also performed and recorded many songs in Spanish at a time when artists, including himself, were asked by labels to hide or Whitewash their Latin identity. Trini Lopez At PJ's included a rendition of traditional Mexican folk song "Cielito Lindo" and in 1964, he released The Latin Album, filled with of Spanish language classics. His father, Trinidad Lopez II, was a ranchera singer who made his living as manual laborer.

As The Guardian notes, "in the mid-'60s he was releasing as many as five albums a year, though that slowed in the late '70s. While he continued performing, he released very little music until 2000, when he began recording again and released a further six albums." His final album, released in 2011 and titled Into the Future, was a nod to Sinatra, featuring songs from his catalog.

Save Our Venues: Capturing Los Angeles' COVID-Closed Venues

At the peak of his musical fame in the '60s and '70s, he also found moderate success in film and TV, with roles in films The Dirty Dozen (1967) and Antonio (1973) and a variety show special on NBC in 1969, "The Trini Lopez Show."

A talented guitar player—he started playing at age 11—Gibson Guitars had him design two instruments in 1964, which remain highly sought after to this day. Dave Grohl and Noel Gallagher are both fans of the vintage models. Grohl paid tribute to Lopez on Twitter today, underscoring that he's used his on every Foo Fighters album ever recorded.

https://twitter.com/foofighters/status/1293331650982510592

Today the world sadly lost yet another legend, Trini Lopez. Trini not only left a beautiful musical legacy of his own, but also unknowingly helped shape the sound of the Foo Fighters from day one. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/9KRJXDXeWK

— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 11, 2020

His electric live performances and hit records made him an in-demand artist in the Las Vegas circuit, as well as around the globe, including one jaunt he found most memorable—stealing the show as the Beatles' opener in Paris in 1964.

"I used to steal the show from them every night!" he said in a 2014 interview. "The French newspapers would say, 'Bravo, Trini Lopez! Who are the Beatles?'"

Ivan Barias On Silence As Complicity, Holding Major Labels Accountable & How To Be A Non-Black Latinx Ally

GRAMMYs

Peter Green in 1969

Photo by George Wilkes/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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Remembering Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green remembering-fleetwood-mac-co-founder-peter-green

Remembering Fleetwood Mac Co-Founder Peter Green

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The blues-rock guitarist was only in the band for three years, but they would have failed to launch without his talents
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Jul 25, 2020 - 7:46 pm

Prior to their biggest hits, many bands in the classic rock pantheon could have easily ended when their founders departed or died. If Pink Floyd hung up their spurs after Syd Barrett faded into the ether, they would remain a great psychedelic band. If AC/DC never rebounded from Bon Scott’s "death by misadventure"—hey, we’d still have Highway to Hell. Now picture Fleetwood Mac splitting up 50 years ago when Peter Green stepped away. No "Dreams," no "Little Lies," no (gasp!) “Landslide.”

Go ahead and process this nightmare scenario, but then think of all the treasures we’d have anyway: the engrossing ambient jam "Albatross," the witchy "Black Magic Woman," the introspective "Man of the World." the stinging "Oh Well." All of which were written by—you guessed it. Out of those, only "Oh Well" broke the Hot 100, and it’s not like this version of Fleetwood Mac would become a household name like the Stevie Nicks- and Lindsey Buckingham-led lineup did. Regardless: legacy secured.

After 1969's Then Play On, Green left the band in 1970 in the midst of schizophrenia and drug mania, afflictions he never fully emerged from. Sadly, Green died in his sleep on July 25 at his home on Canvey Island in Essex, as announced by his legal team and reported by the New York Times. He was 73. "Stu Sutcliffe, Brian Jones, Peter Green…" fellow English rock great Robyn Hitchcock tweeted in 2018. "Notice how many mega acts have a founding ghost?"

Peter Green was born into a Jewish family as Peter Greenbaum in 1946. By age 15, he had dropped the "-baum" and picked up the blues, obsessing over giants like Muddy Waters and B.B. King. (The King of the Blues Guitar later lauded Green as "the only one who gave me the cold sweats.") After backing up Peter Barden in his band Peter B’s Looners—that’s the keyboardist who went on to form the prog-rock band Camel—Green did what Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and a mess of other guitar greats did and joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.

In fact, the so-called "Green God" was Clapton’s replacement; imagine filling those shoes. When Decca Records’ Mike Vernon strolled into the studio to find an unfamiliar amplifier, "Where’s Eric Clapton?" he asked Mayall. "Don’t worry, we got someone better," the guitarist responded. "This is ridiculous. You’ve got someone better? Than Eric Clapton?" the incredulous producer demanded of him. "He might not be better now, but you wait," Mayall responded. "In a couple of years, he’s going to be the best."

When Aynsley Dunbar left Mayall’s drum seat, he was replaced by Mick Fleetwood—thereby, along with bassist John McVie, making three future Mac members in the Bluesbreakers. In 1967, for Green’s birthday, Mayall gave him an hour of free studio time. So he brought in Fleetwood and McVie and recorded four songs. One of them, an instrumental, was called "Fleetwood Mac," which Green named after his "favorite rhythm section."

That year, Fleetwood was fired from the Bluesbreakers for overdrinking; Green departed soon after. Vernon helped him assemble a new band with a second guitarist, which had a mouthful of a title: "Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac Featuring Jeremy Spencer." Thankfully, they sloughed off the last three words and released their fiery debut self-titled album in 1968, which featured standards like Robert Johnson’s "Hellhound on My Trail" and bluesy originals by Green and Spencer.

The next links in the chain of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac were two killer singles: 1968’s "Black Magic Woman," which Santana later made a hit, and the same year’s "Albatross." The latter is a thing of unearthly beauty—a yawning ambient jam suitable for waking up with the sun. Where most early Fleetwood Mac feels at odds with the band’s later sound, "Albatross" foreshadows their future as dream-pop progenitors. "Playing fast is something I used to do with John when things weren’t going very well," Green later said. "But it isn’t any good. I like to play slowly and feel every note."

Lastly, Green gave Fleetwood Mac Then Play On, their first front-to-back terrific LP. Several of its songs, like "Closing My Eyes," "Rattlesnake Shake" and "Before the Beginning," were Green’s; others were contributed by Danny Kirwan, their new guitarist who would remain in the band for a period that spanned 1970’s Kiln House and 1972’s Bare Trees. Before Green peaced out, he dropped "Oh Well," a blues burner that went on to launch ships from the Black Crowes to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

Green sadly deteriorated soon after; he took profuse amounts of LSD, wore robes and a crucifix, and thoughtlessly gave away his money. After an infamous acid party in Munich, he never really came down. Fleetwood, for his part, believed a cult got him. "They called them the German Jet Set," he said in the 2009 documentary Man of the World. "They captured Peter completely, and pulled him away." After his final song with Fleetwood Mac, "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)," which he wrote after a hallucinatory nightmare in which a green dog barked at him, he was out.

Despite releasing a handful of solo albums and enjoying a brief resurgence in the 1990s with his new band the Splinter Group, Fleetwood Mac eclipsed Green tenfold in the commercial sphere. And most of us know their story from there—the million-selling hits, the interband trysts, and the famously experimental Tusk.

But don’t think of this Fleetwood Mac as a nonstarter version of a more famous band it shared a name with. Without the "Green God" to form them out of dust, one may as well kiss Rumours and the rest goodbye.

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.