Dr. Dre circa 1993

Dr. Dre

Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

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Flashback To 1993: A Good Year In Music Or The Best Year In Music?

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Revisit the highlights of a year that gave us classic after classic at a pivotal time in music, culture and the industry
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Nov 13, 2018 - 5:57 pm

Looking back from 25 years later, a case is being made for 1993 as a remarkable year in music. There are so many ways to look at it, but NPR's World Cafe is definitely a fan, recently posing the question, "Was 1993 the greatest year in music?" While the world may never agree, it's certainly worth exploring...

Early in the year, looking back at 1992, the Record Of The Year at the 35th GRAMMY Awards went to Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven." At the 36th GRAMMY Awards for 1993, Record Of The Year went to Whitney Houston for "I Will Always Love You" from the soundtrack to The Bodyguard. Much of the music from that year is still dearly loved.

It was also the year Wu-Tang Clan debuted with Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). It was the year of Bjork's Debut, after the break-up of her group, The Sugarcubes. Her Best Music Video-Short Form nomination for "Human Behavior" at the 36th GRAMMY Awards was her first of 14 career-total nominations to date.

Noteworthy first-time GRAMMY winners for 1993 include Toni Braxton and Dr. Dre. The soundtrack to the movie Boomerang produced "Another Sad Love Song" winning Best R&B Performance, Female for Braxton, who also won Best New Artist. The ultimate cruising anthem "Let Me Ride" from The Chronic gave Dr. Dre his first GRAMMY win for Best Rap Solo Performance. Toni Braxton has won a total of seven GRAMMY Awards to date and Dr. Dre has won six.

NPR went ahead to round up a great many more classics and choice little-known tracks.. For example, more 1993 artists that were just beginning to come into GRAMMY focus were Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan. It is amazing to explore one year in music with such a lasting impact on today and so many tracks that one can close one's eyes and remember hearing so many meaningful times.

Whitney Houston Exhibit Opens At Newark's GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston

Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage

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Trailer Teases Whitney Houston Documentary's Debut At Cannes

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Directed by Kevin McDonald, 'Whitney' promises unprecedented footage of the sensational GRAMMY winner
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
May 16, 2018 - 3:22 pm

Anticipation for the documentary Whitney has reached a fever pitch, especially because cooperation by Whitney Houston's estate promises to make the film the "definitive look" at her legacy. On May 16 audiences at the Cannes Film Festival in the French Riviera got to see the doc for the first time. Now, the general public has gotten a taste in the form of a trailer.

Hitting theaters on July 6, the documentary culls exclusive archival footage as well as interviews to round out the story, including Bobby Brown, The Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner, Clive Davis, and members of Houston's family.

"I had final cut of the film and would not have made it without that contractual security," Whitney director Kevin McDonald told the Cannes Festival. "I admire the family for being open-minded enough to allow me to make the film I wanted."

The filmmaker's previous music documentaries have focused on Mick Jagger and Bob Marley. As the reviews begin to come in from the French Riviera, McDonald said he judges his works by a single criterion. "I'm bored by 'icons,'" said McDonald. "I always think that the criterion for judging a film about an artist is the question: 'Do you appreciate their art more after watching my film?' If the answer is yes, then I have succeeded."

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre

Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

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David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Dr. Dre Recordings Added To GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

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Recordings from Johnny Cash, Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Nirvana, and Aerosmith also added to the Hall, now in its 45th year
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jan 16, 2018 - 6:30 am

Each year the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame celebrates a class of outstanding recordings at least 25 years old that exhibit qualitative or historical significance. To continue its ongoing commitment to preserving and celebrating timeless recordings, the Recording Academy has announced the class of 2018 recordings added to the Hall.

  

Recordings honored include Whitney Houston's unforgettable 1992 cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You"; Dr. Dre's groundbreaking 1992 debut rap album, The Chronic; Public Enemy's 1989 hip-hop classic, "Fight The Power"; Aerosmith's 1973 power ballad, "Dream On"; Nirvana's influential 1991 LP, Nevermind; and David Bowie's 1969 time-traveling track "Space Odyssey."

Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic': 25 Years Later

Queen's fourth studio album, A Night At The Opera (1972), the Rolling Stones' chart-topping "Paint It Black" (1966), Johnny Cash's seminal Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (1968), Linda Ronstadt's fifth studio album, Heart Like A Wheel (1974), Motown group the Four Tops' single "I Can't Help Myself" (1965), and Gladys Knight & The Pips' classic "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (1967) each made the list.

Also earning a spot in the 2018 class is Jimi Hendrix's album Band Of Gypsys (1970), Sam Cooke's classic single "Bring It On Home To Me" (1962), Parliament's infectious track "Flash Light" (1978), Andy Williams' smooth interpretation of "Moon River" (1962), Billy Paul's ballad "Me And Mrs. Jones" (1972), and Leon Russell's iconic "A Song For You" (1970).

Representing jazz, the King Cole Trio's 1946 song "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons," Billie Holiday's 1937 version of "My Man" and Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five's 1927 track "Savoy Blues" have been inducted.

South African trumpeter/singer Hugh Masekela's track "Grazing In The Grass" (1968), Thomas Alva Edison's original recording of "Mary Had A Little Lamb" (1878), Delta blues singer Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right" (1949), and English musician Mike Oldfield's debut album, Tubular Bells, (1973) round out this year's Hall honorees.

Each year recordings are reviewed by a special member committee comprised of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts, with final approval by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. With these 25 new titles, the Hall, now in its 45th year, currently totals 1,063 recordings and is on display at GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live.

"The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame strives to embody the changing climate of music throughout these past decades, always acknowledging the diversity of musical expression for which the Academy has become known," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "Iconic and inspiring, these recordings are an integral part of our musical, social and cultural history, and we are proud to have added them to our growing catalog."

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 28. The telecast will be broadcast live on CBS at 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT. 

61st GRAMMY Awards
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Poll: Who Do You Think Voters Will Choose For Best Alternative Album?

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Arctic Monkeys, Beck, Björk, David Byrne, and St. Vincent are the nominees. Who would you vote for?
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jan 2, 2019 - 5:16 pm

The 61st GRAMMY Award nominees for Best Alternative Music Album represent a group of artists pushing the limits of genre into something different and albums that take those artists' sound into new realms.

Polls

Who Do You Think Voters Will Choose For Best Alternative Album?

The Arctic Monkeys' Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino dives into a sci-fi fantasy world outside of earth, executed with frontman Alex Turner's suave voice. Beck, who over the years has mastered the ability to mix and match hip-hop, folk, and other unlikely combinations, delivers Colors, his13th studio album. St. Vincent blazes her own trail forward in Masseduction, in which lyrics project personal feels and thoughts about herself as an artist and a lover, while Björk's follow up to Vulnicura—which documented her break-up feels from her long-time partner—, Utopia, is a comeback filled with new ways of looking at romance and a promise to break traumatic cycles. David Byrne creates a different kind of utopia with the socially and politically analytical American Utopia, seen as his first true solo album in 14 years.

Who do you think GRAMMY voters will choose for Best Alternative album at 61st GRAMMY Awards? Vote here and catch the show on CBS Feb. 10 to see if voters chose your favorite pick.

2019 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominations List

 

Wu-Tang Clan

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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NYC Council Approves Wu-Tang Clan And Notorious B.I.G. Street Names

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NYC is honoring rap history by voting to rename two streets after the iconic rappers
Phillip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 28, 2018 - 2:05 pm

Notorious B.I.G. and the Wu-Tang Clan are steps closer to becoming a permanent part of New York City, their hometown and one of the birthplaces of hip-hop.

The New York City council has unanimously voted to have a Booklyn street become Christopher Wallace Way (after Biggie) and a Staten Island street become Wu-Tang Clan District. The measures are still pending Mayor Bill de Blasio's signature.

"As soon as you put a name on a street sign, you say something about the public importance of that individual," University of Tenn. Geography Professor Derek Alderman told NPR. "Hip-hop deserves that respect."

Brooklyn Community Board 2 first approved the re-naming petition 33-1 in November.

NYC resident LeRoy McCarthy, who led the naming initiatives for both streets, thinks naming a street after Biggie symbolizes something greater than the rapper. "It symbolizes a culture. It symbolizes a borough. It symbolizes a people, and hip-hop is worldwide,” he told Rolling Stone.

The council also voted to name a street after Woody Guthrie in Coney Island, where the iconic folk singer lived in the 1940s.

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The block expected to become Christopher Wallace Way is on St. James Place between Fulton Street and Gates Avenue where B.I.G. actually grew up. Wu-Tang Clan District will be centered on the intersection of Vanderbilt Avenue and Targee Street, the location of Sobel Court Park, according to Rolling Stone.

The news of the council passing the measures came shortly after Chuck D was announced as chairman of the celebrity board for the Universal Hip-Hop Museum to open in Brooklyn in 2022. 

Universal Hip-Hop Museum Names Chuck D Celebrity Board Chair