Nancy Wilson_121418

Nancy Wilson

Photo: Steve Granitz/Getty Images

News

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

Facebook Twitter Email
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.

Dec 14, 2018 – 11:09 am

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.

Dolly Parton Honors Her Late Brother Floyd’s Life

Peter Tork

Peter Tork

Photo: Paul Warner/Getty Images

News

Peter Tork Of The Monkees Dies At 77

Facebook Twitter Email
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.

Billie Holliday Documentary In The Works

James Ingram

James Ingram

Photo: Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic

News

James Ingram, Soulful R&B Singer And Hit Songwriter, Dies At 66

Facebook Twitter Email
Ingram was known for his chart-topping hits, extensive soundtrack work, and co-writing achievements with some of music's biggest stars
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 29, 2019 - 4:52 pm

Two-time GRAMMY winner and 14-time nominee James Ingram, who enjoyed great success through the 1980s and '90s, has died. He was 66 years old.  

A chart-topping R&B singer and songwriter, Ingram landed his first No. 1 hit in 1982 with "Baby, Come To Me," a duet with Patti Austin. He earned two GRAMMY Awards later in that same decade, winning Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for "One Hundred Ways" and Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for "Yah Mo B There," a duet with Michael McDonald. Ingram also returned to the top of the charts in 1990 with his hit "I Don't Have The Heart."

Jun 3, 2015 – 12:32 pm

James Ingram Wins Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male

As a songwriter, he collected several hits with an impressive roster of artists including Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters, among others. He notably co-wrote Jackson's "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" with Quincy Jones and worked with Jackson and Jones on the "We Are The World" all-star charity video and single.

He was also well-known for his soundtrack work, including a duet with Linda Ronstadt on "Somewhere Out There" for the 1986 animated film An American Trail, which earned the song's writers, James Horner and Cynthia Weil, the GRAMMY for Song Of the Year.

 

Ingram also scored Oscar nominations for Best Original Song twice for his theme songs from Beethoven's 2nd and Junior. In 2008, Ingram released what would be his final album, Stand (In The Light), which was co-produced by Jones.

"Ingram's rich voice and masterful songwriting has made a lasting impact on the music industry," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "Our thoughts go out to his loved ones during this difficult time."

French Composer Michel Legrand Dies At 86

Vic Damone

Vic Damone

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

News

Vic Damone, Famous Crooner Hailed by Sinatra, Dies at 89

Facebook Twitter Email
The smooth-voiced singer enjoyed success on the stage, the big screen, television, and the charts during his career
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Feb 12, 2018 - 3:20 pm

The man Frank Sinatra described as having the "best pipes in the business," singer and entertainer Vic Damone passed away on Feb. 11 in Miami Beach, Fla. Damone was 89.

After winning a talent contest in 1947 at age 19, the baritone-voiced and magnetically  charismatic Damone released several singles on Mercury Records before landing his first big hits in 1949 with "Again," followed by "You're Breaking My Heart," and launched into the 1950s with the Top 5 hit, "My Heart Cries For You."

Damone was not only a successful recording artist in his heyday, he was also a heartthrob of the silver screen, signing a film contract in the early '50s that would lead to two movie appearances before he was drafted into the military, serving through 1953. Mercury continued to release Damone's music during his tour of duty and the singles such as "Here In My Heart" and "April In Portugal" continued to break into the Top 10 on the charts.

Once back from his service, Damone appeared on television and in several films. In 1956, he released what would become one of his signature songs, the Lerner & Lowe-penned "On The Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady, which jumped to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart.

After moving to RCA in the late 1960s, Damone continued to release some of his most heartfelt and successful recordings, while also enjoying success as both a TV personality and a touring artist. In all, Damone recorded over 2,000 songs, and in 1997 was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and also given the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award.

Damone gave his final performance in 2011 at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach, Fla. He is survived by two sisters, three daughters, and six grandchildren. Damone's  lasting contributions to American entertainment and his impact on  pop music will survive long after his death.

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

Lovebug Starski

Lovebug Starski

Photo: Johnny Nunez/Getty Images

News

Lovebug Starski, Hip-Hop Pioneer DJ and Rapper, Dies at 57

Facebook Twitter Email
The innovative Bronx rapper/DJ who helped coin the phrase "hip-hop" in the late '70s during the infancy of the genre and the movement has passed away
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Feb 9, 2018 - 1:33 pm

DJ and rapper Lovebug Starski, the man often credited for coining the phrase "hip-hop," died on Feb. 8 of a heart attack at his home in Las Vegas at age 57.

One of the cornerstones of a genre and a movement, Kevin "Lovebug Starski" Smith emerged from the Bronx in the late '70s as a double-threat DJ and rapper, and developed his own brand of party-rocking, performing with his partner DJ Hollywood at clubs and parties throughout New York City.

As part of the scene that fostered turntablist innovators such as DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash, Starski's name became synonymous with the influential hip-hop club Disco Fever. It was during this era when he helped coined the phrase that would grow into a worldwide culture.

"That was one of my rhymes when I would get stuck for words and I used to go 'hip, hop, the hip, the hip, hip the hopping' [laughs]" Starski told Amoeba. "You know it was just a nursery rhyme: nursery rhymes that coincided with the music."

The phrase was co-opted by Sugarhill Gang for their genre-defining single "Rapper's Delight" in 1979, a recording many consider as the first in modern hip-hop. Sylvia Robinson, who ran Sugar Hill Records at the time, initially pursued Starski, but he was tied up in another recording contract.

Releasing singles such as "Gangster Rock" and "Dancin' Party People," under the name Little Starsky, he established his signature catchphrase-heavy style, laying claim to now-ubiquitous pharases like, "make money money, make money money money," and "throw your hands in the air and wave them like you just don't care."

Starski continued to DJ and perform throughout the '80s and '90s, and was immortalized by Notorious B.I.G. in "Juicy," the first single off the late rapper's 1994 debut album, Ready To Die. Biggie raps, " "Peace to Ron G, Brucie B, Kid Capri, Funkmaster Flex, Lovebug Starski," paying his respects to Starski as one of hip-hop's — and New York's — most legendary DJs after delivering the rhetorical setup line, " "Who ever thought that hip-hop would take it this far?"

Hip-hop's biggest names, from DJ Premier to Just Blaze, LL Cool J to Chuck D, have taken to social media to pay tribute to Starski. Considering the incalculable and ever-growing influence of hip-hop culture on both music and the world, Starski's contributions live on in ways that are only beginning to manifest.

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