GRAMMYs

Daniel Johnston

Photo: Frank Mullen/WireImage

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Daniel Johnston, Influential Singer/Songwriter, Dies At 58

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The singer, songwriter and visual artist has inspired and influenced many great rock and alternative artists over the past three decades
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Sep 11, 2019 - 5:22 pm

Austin, Texas singer/songwriter and visual artist Daniel Johnston died of a heart attack on Sept. 10. He was 58 years old. 

A bigtime Beatles fan, Johnston began making homemade cassettes of his distinctive songs, gaining attention for his unique voice, elemental lyrics, undeniable pop instincts and gritty lo-fi recordings with accompanying hand-drawn artwork. He also fought a lifelong battle with mental illness and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Johnston attracted major label attention after many of the bands he influenced, such as Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and Nirvana, found success. Johnston was signed to Atlantic and released Fun in 1994.

A wide range of rock and alternative artists were influenced by Johnston's work. Most famously, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain wore a t-shirt of Johnston's 1993 album Hi, How Are You at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, but many artists have covered Johnston's songs, including Pearl Jam, Tom Waits, Lana Del Rey, Wilco, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, The Flaming Lips, TV on the Radio, Sufjan Stevens and Beach House.

In 2005, a documentary called The Devil and Daniel Johnston won Documentary Directing Award at Sundance. Johnston retired from touring in 2017, but just earlier this year, the city of Austin made his Jan. 22 birthday “Hi, How Are You?” Day, honororing his contributions to music and his Hi, How Are You? project, which raises awareness for mental health issues.

Fans and fellow music makers have taken to social media to pay tribute to the late Johnston, including Beck, Jack Antonoff and Judd Apatow. He is survived by his by his brother Dick Johnston and sisters Margy Johnston, Sally Reid and Cindy Brewer.

Dan Warner, GRAMMY- And Latin GRAMMY-Winning Guitarist, Passes Away

GRAMMYs

SoundCloud

Photo Illustration: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

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SoundCloud Unveils New Artist Marketing Tool Called Promote

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Premier-tier users of the digital service can now self-manage their own promotional efforts to boost plays and grow audience
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Nov 12, 2019 - 3:35 pm

SoundCloud artists who have upgrated to Premier, the platform's premium-tier membership, now have a new promotional tool in their tool belt. Today the digital service launced Promote, a self-service feature empowering creators to boost plays and lift their songs to the top of listeners' feeds and mobile pages.

With Promote, Premier users can set their own budget and adjust advanced targeting options to, as SoundCloud's website puts it, "Get your music in front of our global tastemaker community." The promotional tool also allows artists to interact with fans and build real-time connections on the platform.

This new feature comes as part of the existing Premier plan, where artists get free distribution to every major music service with fast, direct payouts as well as, "Earn industry-leading revenue share on SoundCloud and keep 100 percent of your payouts from other services."

In order for artists to qualify for Premier and access the new Promote tool, they must be age 18 or older, be posting original music and have no copyright strikes against them and a minimum of 1,000 monetizable track plays on SoundCloud.

For more information, visit SoundCloud's Premier page.

Grammys Newsletter

How New Artists Can Build A Following In 2019, According To SoundCloud

 

 

GRAMMYs

Kim Shattuck

Photo: Jim Dyson/Redferns/Getty Image

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Kim Shattuck, Singer/Songwriter & Co-Founder Of The Muffs, Dies At 56

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As a member of the Muffs, The Pandoras, The Coolies and Pixies, Shattuck was an influential figure in punk-rock and alternative music
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 3, 2019 - 10:58 am

Singer/songeriter and guitarist Kim Shattuck passed away Wednesday after a two-year battle with ALS disease (Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Over the past three decades, Shattuck made waves in the punk and indie rock scenes as co-founder of the Muffs and a member of the Pandoras, The Coolies and Pixies. Shattuck was 56.

"Besides being a brilliant songwriter, rocking guitarist and singer/screamer extrordinaire, Kim was a true force of nature," Roy McDonald & Ronnie Barnett of The Muffs said in a statement. "While battling ALS, Kim produced our last album, overseeing every part of the record from tracking to artwork. She was our best friend and playing her songs was an honor. Goodbye Kimba. We love you more than we could ever say." 

Heavily influenced by the Beatles, the Kinks and the Bangles' Sussanah Huff, Shattuck arrived on the L.A. punk scene as part of the Pandoras in the late '80s. She went on to fully realized her dreams and influences when she co-founded the Muffs, who released their self-titled debut in 1993, crafting powerful and catchy songs and delivering them with edge and earnesty that made her an underground indie icon. 

A prolific and unstoppable musical force, Shattuck also briefly joined Pixies, formed the supergroup The Beards, collaborated with White Flag, Bowling For Soup and NoFX, and even started a new group recenlty, The Coolies, who released a brand-new EP earlier this year called Uh Oh! It's... The Coolies.

The Muffs final album, No Holiday, is due out Oct. 18 on Omnivore Records. The label also issued a statement on Shattuck's remarkable life and tragic death. 

"All of us at Omnivore Recordings are devastated by the loss of our friend Kim Shattuck of The Muffs," the statement reads. "We’re thinking about all her friends and fans, especially her family and bandmates. Her creative fire will endure and inspire artists of tomorrow. We’re so grateful to have been in the audience and to have played a small part in getting more of her music out into the world." 

Legendary Opera Singer Jessye Norman Dies At 74

 

GRAMMYs

Sheila E. & Snoop Dogg

Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

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"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" To Air Oct. 16 On PBS

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The tribute concert will honor the Recording Academy's 2019 Special Merit Awards recipients, including Black Sabbath, Donny Hathaway, Dionne Warwick and more...
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Aug 27, 2019 - 10:01 am

Get ready! The fourth annual "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" in collaboration with PBS' "Great Performances" series is set to air on Oct. 18 on PBS. The all-star concert will honor the Academy's 2019 Special Merit Awards recipients, including Black Sabbath, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Billy Eckstine, Donny Hathaway, Julio Iglesias, Sam & Dave, and Dionne Warwick.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" To Air Oct. 18

Led by GRAMMY-nominated industry icon Greg Phillinganes as musical director and hosted by past GRAMMY nominee Sheila E, the celebration and tribute concert features rare performances by honorees and never-before-seen renditions of their classic songs by those they've inspired.  

The Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement recognizes musical artists that have made significant contributions to the recording field. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Black Sabbath, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Billy Eckstine, Donny Hathaway, Julio Iglesias, Sam & Dave, and Dionne Warwick. The Trustees Award honors areas outside of performance. Lou Adler, Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, and Johnny Mandel are Trustees Award honorees. The Technical GRAMMY Award recognizes people and companies who have made outstanding contributions of technical significance to the recording field. Saul Walker is this year's ​Technical GRAMMY Award recipient 

Also being honored is Jeffery Redding, this year's recipient of the Music Educator Award, which is presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum.

Performance List (honoree in bold)

Dionne Warwick
"Walk On By" (performed by Johnny Mathis)
"What The World Needs Now" (performed by Dionne Warwick)

Sam & Dave
Medley: "Hold On, I'm Comin'"/"Soul Man" (performed by Sam Moore and Garth Brooks)
"I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down" (performed by Sam Moore)

Lou Adler
"I Feel The Earth Move"/"It's Too Late" (performed by Jessie Mueller)

Julio Iglesias
"Caruso" (performed by Julio Iglesias)

Ashford & Simpson
Medley: "You're All I Need To Get By"/"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (performed by Valerie Simpson and Kenny Lattimore)

Johnny Mandel
"How Do You Keep The Music Playing" (performed by Patti Austin and Greg Phillinganes)
Medley: "The Shadow Of Your Smile"/"Suicide Is Painless" (performed by Patti Austin)

Black Sabbath
Medley: "War Pigs"/"Paranoid" (performed by Rival Sons)

Donny Hathaway
"A Song For You" (performed by Lalah Hathaway)
"Where Is The Love" (performed by Lalah Hathaway and Kenya Hathaway)

Billy Eckstine
"Everything I Have Is Yours" (performed by Gregory Porter)
"Dedicated To You" (performed by Gregory Porter and Patti Austin)

George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic
Medley: "One Nation Under A Groove"/"Mothership Connection"/"Flash Light" (performed by George Clinton, William "Bootsy" Collins, Sativa, Eddie M, Sheila E., and Snoop Dogg)

The concert will air at 9 p.m. on Oct. 18 (check your local listings) and will be available via pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app.

Black Sabbath, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic & More To Be Honored At GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends

GRAMMYs

Ken Ehrlich

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Ken Ehrlich Announced As Executive Producer For 62nd GRAMMYs, Ben Winston Named New Executive Producer For 63rd GRAMMYs

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Ehrlich to celebrate his milestone 40th GRAMMY Telecast On Music's Biggest Night, Jan. 26, 2020
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 17, 2019 - 6:30 am

The Recording Academy announced Ken Ehrlich, longtime producer/executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, will be the executive producer of the upcoming 62nd GRAMMY Awards, to be held on Jan. 26, 2020 in Los Angeles. The telecast will mark Ehrlich's milestone 40th anniversary of making Music's Biggest Night the must-see music awards show year after year. 

In his four decades as executive producer, Ehrlich has organized some of music's most iconic and memorable TV moments and, as the Los Angeles Times put it,  "redefined the way we experience live music on television." Since producing his first GRAMMY Awards show in 1980, he has become known for his signature touch: incredible and unexpected pairings such as Eminem and Elton John, Prince and Beyoncé, and Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and Joe Walsh.

"To have been a part of the growth of the GRAMMY Awards into the preeminent music awards show of our time has been one of the highlights of my professional life, and I'm grateful to the Recording Academy and to our partners at CBS for their support and for trusting my vision over the past four decades," said Ehrlich. "I have also been the happy recipient of having an incredible group of people who have worked on the show over the years, and of course the most amazing cadre of musical artists who bring their own creativity and brilliance to the GRAMMY stage year after year. I want to wish my successor Ben the best as he assumes the executive producer role. I am confident that his abilities in all aspects of production will both ensure the legacy of the GRAMMY Awards and also instill a new creative direction for the show."

"Ken's imprint on the GRAMMY Awards and the music industry are well-known and represent the kind of work and vision that legends are made of," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "Having worked closely with Ken for almost half of his tenure with the show, I have seen first-hand the vision, extraordinary musical knowledge, and passion he brings to every minute of the process, and the spectacular results and memorable GRAMMY Moments that have been delivered. It's an honor to celebrate his 40th anniversary with the GRAMMYs. I also recognize the wonderful opportunity ahead by bringing the immensely talented, innovative, and well-respected Ben Winston into the family, and we look forward to his enthusiastic and forward-thinking approach to presenting music on television."

The Academy also announced Emmy Award winner Ben Winston will become the sole executive producer for the 63rd GRAMMY Awards telecast in 2021. 

GRAMMYs

Ben Winston

"It's an absolute honor to be executive producer of the GRAMMYs for 2021," said Winston. "I feel excitement and nerves in equal measure on taking on this role, but mostly I feel immense gratitude to the Recording Academy for this wonderful opportunity. I also want to salute Ken, who has done an absolutely remarkable job over the last 40 years."

Winston is a multifaceted and award-winning producer, director, and writer with credits in television, movies, music videos, and commercials. A six-time Emmy Award winner and a 22-time nominee, he has produced a multitude of shows including "The Late Late Show with James Corden," co-created "Carpool Karaoke," and "Drop The Mic" and has produced many music specials for artists such as Bruno Mars, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber to name a few. Winston has also made his mark in the live envents space, as a producer of the Brits awards and Tony awards, in the documentary film world and as a music video director.

The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, and will be broadcast live on the CBS.

Dates Announced For 62nd GRAMMY Awards Process & GRAMMY Week 2020 Events