Skip to main content
 
  • Recording Academy
  • GRAMMYs
  • Membership
  • Advocacy
  • MusiCares
  • GRAMMY Museum
  • Latin GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
  • Advocacy
  • Membership
  • GRAMMYs
  • Governance
  • Jobs
  • Press Room
  • Events
  • Login
  • MusiCares
  • GRAMMY Museum
  • Latin GRAMMYs
  • More
    • MusiCares
    • GRAMMY Museum
    • Latin GRAMMYs

The GRAMMYs

  • Awards
  • News
  • Videos
  • Music Genres
  • Recording Academy
  • More
    • Awards
    • News
    • Videos
    • Music Genres
    • Recording Academy

Latin GRAMMYs

MusiCares

  • About
  • Get Help
  • Give
  • News
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Person of the Year
  • More
    • About
    • Get Help
    • Give
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
    • Person of the Year

Advocacy

  • About
  • News
  • Issues & Policy
  • Act
  • Recording Academy
  • More
    • About
    • News
    • Issues & Policy
    • Act
    • Recording Academy

Membership

  • Join
  • Events
  • PRODUCERS & ENGINEERS WING
  • GRAMMY U
  • GOVERNANCE
  • More
    • Join
    • Events
    • PRODUCERS & ENGINEERS WING
    • GRAMMY U
    • GOVERNANCE
Log In Join
  • SUBSCRIBE

  • Search
See All Results
Modal Open
Subscribe Now

Subscribe to Newsletters

Be the first to find out about GRAMMY nominees, winners, important news, and events. Privacy Policy
GRAMMY Museum
Membership

Join us on Social

  • Recording Academy
    • The Recording Academy: Facebook
    • The Recording Academy: Twitter
    • The Recording Academy: Instagram
    • The Recording Academy: YouTube
  • GRAMMYs
    • GRAMMYs: Facebook
    • GRAMMYs: Twitter
    • GRAMMYs: Instagram
    • GRAMMYs: YouTube
  • Latin GRAMMYs
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Facebook
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Twitter
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Instagram
    • Latin GRAMMYs: YouTube
  • GRAMMY Museum
    • GRAMMY Museum: Facebook
    • GRAMMY Museum: Twitter
    • GRAMMY Museum: Instagram
    • GRAMMY Museum: YouTube
  • MusiCares
    • MusiCares: Facebook
    • MusiCares: Twitter
    • MusiCares: Instagram
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy: Facebook
    • Advocacy: Twitter
  • Membership
    • Membership: Facebook
    • Membership: Twitter
    • Membership: Instagram
    • Membership: Youtube
Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald

Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald

News
Watch Kenny Loggins And Michael McDonald Win A GRA grammy-rewind-kenny-loggins-and-michael-mcdonald-win-grammy

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Kenny Loggins And Michael McDonald Take Home A GRAMMY For "What A Fool Believes"

Facebook Twitter Email
The hairy pair bemusedly accepts a GRAMMY for Song Of The Year in 1980 for their future yacht-rock classic
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Feb 12, 2021 - 12:08 pm

With The Doobie Brothers’ "What A Fool Believes," writers Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald crafted a slice of smooth, unassuming soft-rock magic. While the tune may be a classic today, Loggins and McDonald had no way of knowing that—and they accepted the honor with a twinge of bafflement. (They also took home Record Of The Year for the same song.)

"I completely didn’t expect this," the lanky Loggins says in the clip. "I expected to be shaking Bill Champlin’s hand after this." Watch the GRAMMY Rewind video below.

Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch The Roots And Erykah Badu Gleefully Win Their First GRAMMY in 2000

GRAMMYs

Rupert Neve

Photo: Gary Miller/WireImage.com

News
Remembering Rupert Neve remembering-rupert-neve

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

Facebook Twitter Email
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

Bob Dylan & Jack Nicholson

Bob Dylan (L), Jack Nicholson (R)

News
Bob Dylan's Lifetime Achievement Award grammy-rewind-bob-dylan-grammy-lifetime-achievement-award-1991

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Bob Dylan Accept His GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award In 1991

Facebook Twitter Email
At the 33rd GRAMMYs Awards show, alongside presenter Jack Nicholson, a bemused Dylan responds to the honor by cryptically paraphrasing a Biblical psalm
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Feb 19, 2021 - 10:45 am

Bob Dylan has a long history of accepting awards in an offbeat fashion, but his acceptance of the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991 has to be his most inscrutable—and memorable. 

As a starstruck Jack Nicholson introduces him, a purple-suited, fedoraed Dylan anxiously undulates in place; when he receives the honor, he stares at it for several seconds, thought after incredulous thought flashing across his visage.

Bob Dylan's Lifetime Achievement Award

"Well, um, all right—yeah," he finally allows. "Well, my daddy, he didn't leave me too much, you know? He was a very simple man and he didn't leave me a lot. But what he did tell me was this. He did say, 'Son…' He said..." (An awkward silence, a few scattered giggles.) "He said so many things, you know?" (Uproarious laughter.)

The yuks don't last long. "He said, you know, it's possible to become so defiled in this world that your own mother and father will abandon you," Dylan deadpans. "And if that happens, God will always believe in your own ability to mend your own ways. Thank you!" 

What did that paraphrase of Psalm 27:10 mean in the context of the GRAMMYs? Bob knows. Watch the classically weird and profound Dylan moment above and check out more GRAMMY Rewinds here.

GRAMMY Rewind: 25th Annual GRAMMY Awards

H.E.R.

H.E.R.

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/The Recording Academy

 
 
News
GRAMMY In The Schools Fest Announced: H.E.R., More grammy-museum-announces-grammy-schools-fest

GRAMMY Museum Announces GRAMMY In The Schools Fest: H.E.R., HAIM, Charlie Puth And More Confirmed

Facebook Twitter Email
An official GRAMMY Week event, the four-day virtual GRAMMY In The Schools Fest, taking place Monday, March 8, through Thursday, March 11, 2021, celebrates music and music education
Morgan Enos
GRAMMY Museum
Feb 9, 2021 - 6:00 am

As the world is forced to rethink learning in the COVID era, it’s more important than ever to establish music as a cornerstone of a well-rounded education. To that end, the GRAMMY Museum is leading the charge. During GRAMMY Week this year, the Museum will kick off GRAMMY In The Schools Fest (GITS Fest), a four-day virtual festival running Monday, March 8, through Thursday, March 11​.

GITS Fest, previously GRAMMY In The Schools Live!, will feature GRAMMY winner and current nominee Derek "MixedByAli" Ali; current GRAMMY nominees HAIM; GRAMMY winner and current nominee H.E.R.; previous GRAMMY nominee Hunter Hayes; GRAMMY winner and current nominee Michael League of Snarky Puppy; GRAMMY winner and current nominee Manny Marroquin; GRAMMY winner and current nominee PJ Morton; previous GRAMMY nominee Charlie Puth; and Michael Sticka, President of the GRAMMY Museum.

Featuring performances by students and professionals along with engaging, educational panels by artists, educators and other music professionals, GITS Fest will truly localize the GRAMMY Week experience in cities and schools nationwide. Woven throughout the virtual festival will be lessons and other valuable information provided by top practitioners across the broad spectrum of music, music education and its connection to other school subject areas. Lesson plans and study guides will be made available free of charge to all teachers around the country who register their students to participate.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLEw6sHBzM0

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GRAMMY Museum (@grammymuseum)

GITS Fest, presented by MusicPower, incorporates elements of various GRAMMY Museum education programs, including GRAMMY Camp, GRAMMY Career Day and the Music Educator Award. These programs also receive support from Ford Motor Company Fund as part of Ford’s commitment to music education.

The festival will be free to the public for those who register in advance here.

Below, check out the full GRAMMY In the Schools Fest schedule (all times listed are in PST):

Monday, March 8 — Thursday, March 11​, 2021

Monday, March 8

  • 2:00 p.m. – School Feature, Westfield Academy & Central School (NY): Creating a diverse music program and collaborating with other academic subjects to enhance it.
  • 3:00 p.m. – Hot Takes on Real World Scenarios: Career Tips in Music and Beyond with GRAMMY Camp Faculty Members.
  • 4:00 p.m. – Young Professionals in Music: Insights from emerging artists, songwriters, and musicians ft. GRAMMY In The Schools program alumni.
  • 5:00 p.m. – Music Careers in Preservation and Research: Experts discuss careers available in these areas.
  • 6:00 p.m. – Afternoon with HAIM: Insights on being a music professional ft. GRAMMY Nominee HAIM.

Tuesday, March 9

  • 2:00 p.m. – School Feature, University of Central Florida (FL): Socially distanced choral rehearsal techniques.
  • 3:00 p.m. – Afternoon with PJ Morton: Insights on being a music professional featuring GRAMMY winner PJ Morton.
  • 4:00 p.m. – Using Music to Teach Other Subjects
  • 5:00 p.m. – Afternoon with Hunter Hayes: Insights on being a music professional featuring GRAMMY nominee Hunter Hayes.
  • 6:00 p.m. – Business & Performance Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® Panel: Tips on attaining success artistically and otherwise.

Wednesday, March 10

  • 2:00 p.m. – Afternoon with H.E.R.: Insights on being a music professional featuring GRAMMY winner H.E.R.
  • 3:00 p.m. – Afternoon with Michael League (Snarky Puppy): Insights on being a music professional featuring GRAMMY winner Michael League of Snarky Puppy.
  • 4:00 p.m. – The Art of Tech, Performance & Business: Career tips in music and beyond with GRAMMY Camp faculty members.
  • 5:00 p.m. – Afternoon with TBA Artist: Insights on being a music professional.
  • 6:00 p.m. – Young Professionals in Music: Musicians on the road featuring GRAMMY In The Schools program alumni.

Thursday, March 11​

  • 2:00 p.m. – Inside Look: Audio Recording: Explore elements of producing recorded music with multi-GRAMMY winner Derek “MixedByAli” Ali.
  • 3:00 p.m. – Women in the Business of Music: Insights on being a music professional working at a record label with women from Fearless Records.
  • 4:00 p.m. – School Feature, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (CA): Preparing for a school performance on the GRAMMY telecast while maintaining a rigorous academic schedule.
  • 5:00 p.m. – School Feature, Maplewood Middle School (LA): Skills learned in music that are effective in other subjects.
  • 6:00 p.m. – The Art and Science of Recording, Songwriting & Performing: Insights on being a music professional with multi-GRAMMY winner Manny Marroquin and multi-GRAMMY nominee Charlie Puth.

GRAMMY Museum Announces "Live From The Vault" Digital Series In Partnership With Iron Mountain

Grammys Newsletter

Subscribe Now

GRAMMYs Newsletter

Be the first to find out about winners, nominees, and more from Music's Biggest Night.
Good vibrations cover
News
Inside The Socially Distanced "Good Vibrations" viral-beach-boys-cover-heal-grieving-world-almost-didnt-happen

Why This Viral Beach Boys Cover, Meant To Heal A Grieving World, Almost Didn’t Happen

Facebook Twitter Email
Last summer, almost 30 musicians banded together from home to record a cover of the Beach Boys' 1967 classic, "Good Vibrations." After widespread COVID-related deaths and global protests hit, the group wondered if it would ever see the light of day
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Feb 5, 2021 - 7:33 am

The saxophonist, flutist, and keyboardist Sarah Johnson Melkeraaen's father was her number-one fan. A lover of soul artists like George Clinton, Lou Rawls and The Temptations, Julius Johnson danced at any opportunity—at the supermarket, after bowling a strike, or in response to good news of any type. Sometimes, his dancing made his daughter feel shy, but today, she misses it more than anything. Granted, Johnson wasn't particularly a Beach Boys fan. But when Melkeraaen—who records and performs as Lady Albatross—took part in a massive cover of America’s Band, it ended up a testament to his goofy, music-loving spirit.

In a YouTube cover of the exuberant "Good Vibrations” recorded last June, created to give a world in lockdown a much-needed lift, she played flute alongside almost 30 other musicians in virtual collaboration. Released this year after a months-long delay, the cover grew so popular that it caught the attention of Brian Wilson himself.

But because Johnson died of COVID-19 the month of its making, he's not around to cut a rug in response.

"In my mind, I'm picturing being able to tell him, and he definitely would have had an ear-to-ear, massive grin," Lady Albatross, who came onto the project by word-of-mouth, tells GRAMMY.com from her home in Odda, Norway. “He would have given me a really big hug and told me how proud he was."

Making The Cover

"Good Vibrations," which a 24-year-old Wilson concocted as the centerpiece to 1967's aborted Beach Boys album Smile, is only the latest tune that organizers Doc Crotzer and Matthew Smith have tackled. In the confusing, suffocating early weeks of lockdown, they cast out a net to record a quarantine-friendly cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'." "We thought maybe a few other people might be interested in doing it with us but didn't expect too many people," Smith tells GRAMMY.com. 

Through a network of friends recommending friends, like in Lady Albatross's and Jones' case, they followed up the Petty tune with a pitch-perfect rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run."

"By then," Crotzer says, "more people had seen the video and reached out to us, so we were able to grow our Social Distance Session Band, which added to the fun and challenge. 'Good Vibrations' came out of trying to answer 'How do we top "Born to Run'" with our group?'"

To help manifest their sun-kissed dream, Crotzer and Smith contacted Anders Fehon and Edwin Herder of Beach Boys musical replicators The Fendertones. Then, they recorded a scratch track for the instrumentalists, and Crotzer sang rough takes of each vocal part to place the singers properly in the harmony stack.

Sarah Johnson Melkeraaen and Julius Johnson

Sarah Johnson Melkeraaen and her father, Julius Johnson.

Two of those singers were MInhee Jones, a London-based alternative pop artist, and her friend, Celeigh Chapman, a country singer originally from Bakersfield, California. The recording process helped Chapman exhume the song from TV ads and oldies stations and examine it anew.

"For us, it was cool to pull apart the layers because [most of us] appreciate it in a passing way or understand that it's revolutionary for the time," she tells GRAMMY.com. "But then, to pull it apart and learn a specific part and see all those parts stack up, I think, gave us a whole other level of appreciation for them doing that at that time, considering where the technology is now and where it was then. When you look underneath the hood, there's a whole other level of, "Oh, this is actually why this is so omnipresent in our culture and has been able to sustain generations of fans and musicians."

Stitching together nearly 30 socially-distanced takes wasn't easy, but Crotzer and Smith found ways to circumvent potential hiccups. "For the instrumental part of the track, we let people do their own thing a bit more," Smith says, "but everyone was still playing to a guide track so that everything would stay in sync when we got the tracks back."

Near the end, the number of tracks so overwhelmed his laptop that he had to buy a better computer. "Fortunately, we had an awesome editor named Chase Johnson cutting it," Crotzer says. "He made it look easy and seamless."

Hitting A Roadblock 

The month they recorded the cover, the George Floyd protests hit. "Good Vibrations" wouldn't come out in June as planned. 

While the musicians never explicitly mentioned current events over the email chain, Chapman says there was an unspoken agreement that the timing wasn't right. In the midst of global racial upheaval, releasing a happy-go-lucky cover may have come across as blithe or tone-deaf. The following months brought mostly silence. "I remember sending an email asking, 'When is this coming out?''" Lady Albatross remembers. 

Watch this amazing video from Social Distance Settings of "Good Vibrations" featuring Minhee Jones and Jesse Hernandez, and musicians around the world. Their goal for this performance is to make everyone SMiLE. Hope you enjoy it! https://t.co/QwmGbLWGQS

— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) January 26, 2021

In the months leading to his death, Lady Albatross's father became inward and uncommunicative; she's not certain he even knew about the "Good Vibrations" cover. Lady Albatross was already saddened her father would never hear it, but after a while, it seemed like nobody would. As the months stretched out between George Floyd's killing and the fractious 2020 election, the "blossom world" Wilson sang of seemed more out-of-reach than ever.

Jones felt wary of a world seemingly drained of the Beach Boys' promise. "I was pretty down around that time because it was so polarized," she tells GRAMMY.com. "You saw some disappointing ideals coming out of people. Just a lot of ignorance, I guess. It didn't seem like the right time to put out anything too light." 

Going Viral

On the heels of the inauguration and with vaccinations starting to roll out, it finally felt right to drop "Good Vibrations" on YouTube in the spirit of healing and brighter days ahead.

"I remember when I got the email from Doc and Matt saying, 'It's up! It's finally here! It's done!'" Jones says with a grin over Zoom. "It was right after the inauguration. I think they posted it on Facebook just like that: 'This could not have come at a better time. So many good vibrations. A weight has been lifted.' I thought the inauguration was amazing. We were all watching it around the world. I was over here with my glass of champagne in London. I thought the timing of that was spot-on." 

Almost immediately, the video was met with global excitations—and Brian Wilson's. "Watch this amazing video from Social Distance Settings of 'Good Vibrations' featuring Minhee Jones and Jesse Hernandez, and musicians around the world," he tweeted. "Their goal for this performance is to make everyone SMiLE." At press time, the video was on the cusp of 50,000 views.

Overall, the response has bowled over Crotzer and Smith, who had merely organized the video for the fun, fun, fun of it.

"I couldn't believe it when Brian Wilson shared our cover on his social media," Crotzer tells GRAMMY.com. "The first rock 'n' roll music I heard as a kid was written by him and got me into music in the first place. Waking up to see that Brian liked it was an incredible way to start a day. Just absolutely surreal.”

A No. 1 hit in its day, "Good Vibrations" was sparked by Wilson's curiosity about the human emotions that dogs pick up on. Had the crew had released their cover back in June, it might have clashed with the will of the universe. But because they released it in a long-awaited moment of political optimism, "Good Vibrations" acted as a beacon of light through the gloom—and elicited a hard-won smile from thousands of viewers. 

And Lady Albatross, who sticks out in the virtual crowd in her hand-crocheted octopus hat, says her old man would be right there with them.

"He would have given me a really big hug and a kiss on the forehead," she says, envisioning his response to the Brian Wilson-approved video. And, of course, "He would have done a little happy dance."

Dave Mason On Recording With Rock Royalty & Why He Reimagined His Debut Solo Album, 'Alone Together

Grammys Newsletter

Subscribe Now

GRAMMYs Newsletter

Be the first to find out about winners, nominees, and more from Music's Biggest Night.
Top
Logo
  • Recording Academy
    • About
    • Governance
    • Press Room
    • Jobs
    • Events
  • GRAMMYs
    • Awards
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
    • Store
    • FAQ
  • Latin GRAMMYs
    • Awards
    • News
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Cultural Foundation
    • Members
    • Press
  • GRAMMY Museum
    • COLLECTION:live
    • Explore
    • Exhibits
    • Education
    • Support
    • Programs
    • Donate
  • MusiCares
    • About
    • Get Help
    • Give
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
  • Advocacy
    • About
    • News
    • Learn
    • Act
  • Membership
    • Chapters
    • Producers & Engineers Wing
    • GRAMMY U
    • Join
Logo

© 2021 - Recording Academy. All rights reserved.

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Copyright Notice
  • Contact Us

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.