Keith Hancock at the 59th GRAMMY Awards
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Keith Hancock: Music Educator Award "Means The World To Me"

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The Southern California-based music teacher makes his case for the importance of music in schools and gives a shout-out to his mentors
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Oct 6, 2017 - 12:41 pm

It goes without saying: Keith Hancock, the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's 2017 Music Educator Award recipient, is a big believer in the benefits of music education.

And there is plenty of research to back him up. Indeed, a variety of studies point to music having a profound effect on children, from helping to raise IQs, increasing vocabulary and reading skills, and boosting reading and mathematics aptitude.

"Funding the arts is such a crucial part of the well-rounded child. Even Congress has come out and said that," said Hancock, who will be among the Academy's Special Merit Awards recipients honored during "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," airing on PBS on Oct. 13. "So it's our duty as public citizens to support public education and specifically music education. It really helps to feed the whole child. [For] some students, this is the way they connect to campus: being involved in a music program."

Hancock, who has taught choral music for more than 15 years at Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif, directs more than 250 students across various ensembles, in addition to overseeing the school's music production/audio engineering program. In paying music education forward and making a difference in his students' lives, Hancock is thankful for the tutelage he received from some of his own teachers.

"My university professor, Dr. William Hall from Chapman University, who was one of the leading choral conductors in the world, really mentored me musically and taught me how to teach music," says Hancock. "And my high school music educator, Carlita Hutton, from Brethren Christian high school, showed me really how to teach people."

Tune in to "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" on PBS on Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. on PBS. In addition to Hancock, honorees will include Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Sly Stone, Charley Pride and Shirley Caesar, and Trustees Award recipient Thom Bell. Artists scheduled to pay tribute to the honorees include Andra Day, Dwight Yoakam and Kirk Franklin.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends": Performers And Full Set List

 

Andra Day photographed at "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"
Interview

Andra Day Pays Tribute To Nina Simone With "Mississippi Goddam"

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Singer reveals the first Simone song that put her under a "spell" and why she chose an "incredible anthem" for her "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" tribute performance
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Oct 13, 2017 - 10:42 am

A true cultural touchstone, Nine Simone set a powerful example for a legion of artists who followed her. Armed with a hypnotic voice, prodigious piano talent and politically minded conviction, the High Priestess of Soul made her mark with powerful songs such as "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "To Be Young, Gifted And Black" and "See-Line Woman," among others.

GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Andra Day, a voice to be reckoned with in her own right, is one of the many artists who fell under Simone's "spell."

"First of all, it started with her voice. I first heard 'I Put A Spell On You,'" says Day. "When I first heard her voice kind of creep through the radio, it was such a different sound. And her note choice was different, her phrasing was different. Between her and Billie Holiday, that was my introduction into jazz music."

Day paid tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Simone on "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," the Recording Academy's PBS special saluting the 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients. When it came to picking a song to honor Simone, Day's choice of song was an easy one.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends": See Who's Performing

"'Mississippi Goddam' … that's a song I regularly do in my set," says Day. "The reason that I choose that song always is because it was a fight song for Nina. It ended up being an incredible anthem. She really rebelled against people who advised her against doing music like that. She was willing to say what was important at the time to the detriment of her own career. To me, that's the definition of an artist."

Tune in to "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" on Oct. 13 from 9–11 p.m. on PBS.

Russell Thompkins Jr.
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Thom Bell's "Major Influence" On The Stylistics

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Ahead of the "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" TV special, take a look at how producer/label exec Thom Bell impacted the Stylistics and the sound of the Stylistics and Philly soul
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Oct 9, 2017 - 12:12 pm

There would have been no classic sound of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s if it weren't for producer/record label executive Thom Bell.

This is something Russell Thompkins Jr. knows intimately as a member of the Philly soul group the Stylistics, for whom Bell co-wrote and produced several hits, including "I'm Stone In Love With You," "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" and "You Are Everything."

"He was the major influence of my career," says Thompkins. "When I first went in with Tommy, I think I was 19 or 20 years old. That's when I first started learning my craft. And from the things that I learned from doing the sessions with him, it's lasted me my whole career."

Now, Thompkins will have a chance to honor Bell, a 2017 Recording Academy Trustees Award recipient, for his contributions to the music industry during the Academy's "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" two-hour TV special in recognition of this year's class of Special Merit Awards recipients.

Thompkins will perform a rendition of "You Make Me Feel Brand New" in Bell's honor, one of the biggest songs Bell did with the Stylistics. But Thompkins' favorite Bell tune?

"My favorite song of Thom Bell's in 'Betcha By Golly Wow,'" says Thompkins. "It's the song in my show that I never get tired of performing. It's a wonderful song. I think out of the Stylistics' songs, it's the most recorded and done by other artists."

Tune in to "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" on PBS on Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. on PBS. In addition to Bell, honorees will include Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Sly Stone, Charley Pride and Shirley Caesar. Other artists scheduled to pay tribute to the honorees include Andra Day, Dwight Yoakam and Kirk Franklin.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends": Performers And Full Set List

2017 "Salute To Music Legends" performers
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Charley Pride, Shirley Caesar to perform on GRAMMY PBS special

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"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" taping will also feature the Velvet Underground's John Cale, jazz pianist Stanley Cowell and R&B singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jul 7, 2017 - 10:00 am
GRAMMY.com

Recording Academy 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients Shirley Caesar, Charley Pride and the Velvet Underground's John Cale have been added to the lineup for the "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" taping on July 11 at The Beacon Theatre in New York.

Jazz pianist Stanley Cowell and GRAMMY nominee Valerie Simpson have also been added to the performance lineup.

Previously announced performers include GRAMMY winners Dionne Warwick, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Newman, and Kirk Franklin, and GRAMMY nominees Charlie Wilson, Catherine Russell, and Andra Day. GRAMMY winner Paul Shaffer will serve as musical director.

Kirk Franklin to pay tribute to Shirley Caesar: What songs will he pick?

The tribute concert will honor 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, and the Velvet Underground, as well as Trustees Award recipients Thom Bell, Mo Ostin, and Ralph Peer. Also being recognized are Technical GRAMMY Award recipient Alan Dower Blumlein and Music Educator Award honoree Keith Hancock.

In addition to the tribute concert, celebrity guests will present recipients with their award statues and guests will enjoy never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to our cultural heritage.

Now in its second year, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will be produced in partnership with PBS' "Great Performances" series, and will air on the network later this year.

Last chance: Get your tickets for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"

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Dwight Yoakam, Andra Day to salute GRAMMY Legends in New York

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"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" taping to feature performances honoring Sly Stone, Nina Simone, Charley Pride, and other 2017 Recording Academy Special Merit Awards recipients
GRAMMYs
Jun 2, 2017 - 6:00 am
GRAMMY.com

GRAMMY winners Kirk Franklin, Randy Newman and Dwight Yoakam and GRAMMY nominee Andra Day will pay tribute to Sly Stone, Nina Simone and Charley Pride, among others, at "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," an awards ceremony and live tribute concert honoring The Recording Academy's 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients.

The event will tape on July 11 at The Beacon Theatre in New York, the host city of the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

Purchase tickets for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"

Led by GRAMMY-winner Paul Shaffer as musical director, the tribute concert will feature rare performances by honorees and never-seen renditions by artists they've inspired. Additional performers will be announced.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will recognize 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Shirley Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, Simone, Stone, and the Velvet Underground, as well as Trustees Award recipients Thom Bell, Mo Ostin and Ralph Peer. Also being recognized are Alan Dower Blumlein and Keith Hancock, the respective 2017 Technical GRAMMY Award and Music Educator Award recipients.

In addition to the tribute concert, special celebrity guests will present recipients their award statues and guests will enjoy never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to our cultural heritage.

Now in its second year, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will be produced in partnership with PBS' "Great Performances" series, and will air on the network later this year.

More GRAMMY legends: Buy A GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends book