Nancy Wilson_121418

Nancy Wilson

Photo: Steve Granitz/Getty Images

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Nancy Wilson, Legendary Vocalist And Jazz Icon, Dies At 81

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The three-time GRAMMY winner’s lasting influence touched several genres
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 14, 2018 - 11:09 am

Legendary vocalist, actor, and pillar of the jazz community Nancy Wilson died on Dec. 13 at her home in Pioneertown, Calif., after a long battle with illness. She was 81.

Nancy Wilson Wins Best Jazz Vocal Album

In her nearly six-decade career, Wilson touched many musical genres. Known for her unique vocal phrasing, sultry tone and prowess for turning songs into stories, her catalog weaved through jazz, R&B and pop. She worked with the likes of Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing and toured with Sarah Vaughan, Ruth Brown, Nat “King” Cole and more.

Born on Feb. 27, 1937 in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wilson arrived on the scene in 1961 with her debut single, “Guess Who I Saw Today.” Three years later, her breakout moment came with “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am,” which earned Wilson her first GRAMMY Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording for the 7th GRAMMY Awards. The song also climbed to No. 11 on Billboard’s Hot 100, giving Wilson the biggest chart hit of her career. 

Wilson went on to win two additional GRAMMYs in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category for her 2004 album R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) at the 47th GRAMMY Awards and the follow-up, 2006’s Turned To Blue at the 49th GRAMMY Awards, the title track of which came from a Maya Angelou poem.

From 1996 through 2005, Nancy Wilson hosted NPR’s “Jazz Profiles,” a documentary series profiling the legends and legacy of jazz.

“Nancy was a self-described "song stylist" whose refined vocals contributed to her success as a versatile artist who was able to create unique interpretations of songs that extended beyond the jazz genre, says Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. “Nancy's musical talent and sophisticated style will inspire audiences for years to come. She will be dearly missed, and our sincerest condolences go out to her loved ones at this difficult time.”

Wilson is survived by her three children and five grandchildren. In accordance with Wilson’s last wishes, a celebration of her life will be held in lieu of a funeral service. Details are forthcoming.

Wilson’s legacy lives on in the recordings she leaves behind for posterity as well as in the immeasurable influence she’s had on the countless artists who have followed the guidance of her light and the generations to come.

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GRAMMYs

Tony Allen

Photo: Chiaki Nozu/WireImage

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Tony Allen, Influential Nigerian Drummer & Co-Founder Of Afrobeat, Dies At 79

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"Without Tony Allen, there would be no afrobeat," Fela Kuti once said of the drummer and musical director of Kuti's influential band Africa '70
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
May 1, 2020 - 3:36 pm

Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, the man Brian Eno once described as "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived," died of a heart attack yesterday in Paris. He was 79 years old.

Allen is known as a co-founder of Afrobeat for his groundbreaking work with his musical compatriot Fela Kuti in the '60s and '70s as drummer and musical director for Kuti's group Africa '70. The musical style they created together combined West African fuji music with American jazz and funk for some powerfully rhythmic and original that continues to influence musicians in many genres today. 

"The epic Tony Allen, one of the greatest drummers to ever walk this earth has left us," Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea wrote in a tribute post. "What a wildman, with a massive, kind and free heart and the deepest one-of-a-kind groove. Fela Kuti did not invent afrobeat, Fela and Tony birthed it together."

The Nigerian drummer moved to Paris after Kuti died in 1997 and continued to perform and record in a variety of styles, working with French musician Doctor L and English musician Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz. Allen published his autobiography, Tony Allen: An Autobiography of the Master Drummer of Afrobeat, in 2013.

GRAMMY winner Angélique Kidjo mourned Allen on BBC's Newsday, saying, "What I want to remember from them is our musical conversation, our laughter, our joy. They are gone, but they are not gone for me."

Rest In Power to Tony Allen, The Godfather of Afrobeat Rhythms," wrote GRAMMY-nominated artist Jidenna. "Thank you for giving us the sound that would change our lives and our destiny as a people."

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GRAMMYs

Krzysztof Penderecki

Photo: Archie Kent/ullstein bild/Getty Images

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Remembering Avante-Garde Polish Composer/Conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, Known For 'The Exorcist' & 'The Shining'

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The GRAMMY-Winning Penderecki, who died on Sunday at age 86, was a master of dissonance in the classical world, but also influenced Radiohead and landed in many famous films
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Mar 30, 2020 - 5:18 pm

The music world lost a true giant on Sunday, as GRAMMY-winning composer conductor Krzysztof Penderecki died at the age of 86. Best known for the use of his works in such classic films as William Friedkin's The Exorcist, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island as well as David Lynch's "Twin Peaks," many heard Penderecki's signature dissonant compositions, developed early in his career, without knowing it. But he also went on to broaden his musical range, landing him in the top tier of composers and conductors of his time.

Born in Polland in 1933, Penderecki made a name for himself in his 20s with his atonal works such as his 1960 piece Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, an avant-garde piece for 52 strings which earned the young composer the UNESCO award, the first of many critical accolades he would earn. In 1968, he was the recipient of the Recording Academy Trustee's Award.

In 1972 he started his conducting career with the London Symphony Orchestra, recording at Abbey Road studios, and the Polish National Symphony Orchestra. He also accepted guest residencies in Germany in and, later, at Yale University in the '70s. He won his first career GRAMMY Award for 1987 for Best Contemporary Composition for Penderecki: Cello Concerto No. 2. He'd go on to win three additional GRAMMY Awards and earn a total of eight nominations in his career.

Penderecki's influence was far reaching in the music world. Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood tweeted, "Penderecki was the greatest - a fiercely creative composer, and a gentle, warm-hearted man. My condolences to his family, and to Poland on this huge loss to the musical world."

Greenwood, who names Penderecki as an inspiration for some of his own orchestral music, namely his score for the film There Will Be Blood, told NPR in 2012, "I saw him doing these very peculiar sounds, and it was all notated on paper. And yet an orchestra turned it into a strange, otherworldly collection of textures. And I loved it. And then when I saw it live, I really loved it. It was 100 times better than the recordings, and I've been obsessed ever since."

The Polish Ministry of Affairs announced his death on Sunday, though no cause of death was given. Penderecki is survived by his wife of more than five decades, Elzbieta, and by his son and two daughters.

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GRAMMYs

Yonrico Scott

Photo: Michael Buckner/WireImage

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Yonrico Scott, GRAMMY-Winning Drummer, Dies At 63

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Best known for his work with the Derek Trucks Band, Scott also played with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and many more during his illustrious career
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Sep 20, 2019 - 1:39 pm

GRAMMY-winning drummer, percussionist, visual artist and educator Yonrico Scott has died. Scott's record label, Blue Canoe Records, confirmed the sad news of his passing early Friday morning. He was 63 years old.

A prolific and accomplished musician and dedicated member of the music community, Scott was best known as the drummer for the Derek Trucks Band, with whom he won the GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Blues Album for 2009's Already Free.

Born in Detroit, Scott was drumming professionally by age 7 and studied under Motown drummer George Hamilton. During the course of his career as a highly sought-after studio and live drummer, Scott also played with a staggering amount of musical greats, including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Chuck Berry and many more. Scott also toured the world with Royal Southern Brotherhood and, as a band leader, released seveal albums of his own.

Scott was also active in the music community as a longtime member and supporter of the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter. He will be remembered for the music he made and the lives he touched.

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Peter Tork

Peter Tork

Photo: Paul Warner/Getty Images

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Peter Tork Of The Monkees Dies At 77

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Tork was known for his musicianship and comedic presence in the '60s television sensation group
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Feb 21, 2019 - 3:51 pm

Peter Tork, multi-insturmentalist and actor most famous for his work '60s television musical sensation the Monkees has died. He was 77.

“There are no words right now… heartbroken over the loss of my Monkee brother, Peter Tork,” bandmate Mickey Dolenz tweeted.

Prior to the explosion of popularity the Monkees experienced during their brief but impactful initial run from 1966 to 1971, Tork was part of New York's Greenwich Village folk scene in the early '60s.

“To be in Greenwich Village in the ’60s was pure joy; to be young was pure bliss,” Tork once told UK Music Reviews. “When I talk about having a well favored life, I went from Greenwich Village almost directly into The Monkees. … I had first heard about the Monkees in the early summer of 1965 from a good friend of mine, one Mr. Stephen Stills.”

After Stills introduced him to his future group, they went on to become a national craze on their way to earning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy and four GRAMMY nominations, two each for their enduring hits"Last Train To Clarksville" and "I'm A Believer." Tork was a man of many talents, playing several instruments in the band as well as contributing vocals and his unique and endearing brand of comedy.

"Peter Tork died this a.m.," wrote bandmate Michael Nesmith. "I am told he slipped away peacefully. Yet, as I write this my tears are awash, and my heart is broken. Even though I am clinging to the idea that we all continue, the pain that attends these passings has no cure. It’s going to be a rough day. I share with all Monkees fans this change, this 'loss,' even so. PT will be a part of me forever."

Dolenz, Nesmith, and Tork reunited for a U.S. tour in 2012, following their fellow Monkee Davy Jones' death. The shows marked their first live performances together in 15 years.

While no cause of death has been revealed, Tork was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer a decade ago. His legacy will live on in the music, fans and friends he made during his life.

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