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.

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.

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Vic Damone

Vic Damone

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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

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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.

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Lovebug Starski

Lovebug Starski

Photo: Johnny Nunez/Getty Images

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

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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.

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Daryl Dragon

Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille

Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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Daryl Dragon Of Captain & Tennille Fame Dies At 76

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The GRAMMY-winning keyboardist began his career with the Beach Boys and enjoyed chart-topping success as one half of the pop duo Captain & Tennille
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 2, 2019 - 3:32 pm

Daryl Dragon, best known as "Captain" of the successful pop duo Captain & Tennille, died of renal failure on Jan. 2 at a hospice in Prescott, Ariz. Toni Tennille, his former wife and partner musical, was by his side. Dragon was 76 years old.

Jun 8, 2015 – 11:24 am

Captain & Tennille Win Record Of The Year

Dragon was born in Los Angeles on Aug. 27, 1942, into a musical family. His father was an Academy Award-winning composer and conductor, and his mother was singer who worked with Bing Crosby and sang on many recordings. Dragon was a classically trained pianist and got his start as keyboard player for the Beach Boys in late '60s and early '70s. The band's singer/songwriter and co-founder, Mike Lowe, gave Dragon the nickname of "Captain" because of the sailor's hat he liked to wear on stage.

In 1971, Dragon met Tennille, who also joined the Beach Boys. The two developed a deeper romantic and musical relationship on tour and began to perform together as a duo. They signed with A&M Records in 1974 after landing a hit with "The Way I Want To Touch You." Later that year, their recording of the Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield-written "Love Will Keep Us Together" hit No. 1 and went on to won the GRAMMY for Record Of The Year for the 18th GRAMMY Awards.

The duo followed up with hits such as "Muskrat Love," "Shop Around, and the No. 1 "Do That To Me One More Time," which was written by Tennille. Dragon and Tennille were married from 1975 to 2014 and remained friends up until Dragon's death.

"He was a brilliant musician with many friends who loved him greatly. I was at my most creative in my life, when I was with him," Tennille said.

"Daryl Dragon was an accomplished producer and pianist best known for creating several chart-topping songs in the 1970s as a member of Captain & Tennille with his wife, singer Toni Tennille," Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said in a statement. "He was a two-time GRAMMY® winner, earning awards as artist and producer in the Record Of The Year category for the duo's 'Love Will Keep Us Together' at the 18th GRAMMY Awards. Prior to his Captain & Tennille success, Daryl performed as a backup musician for the Beach Boys. He will be missed by family, friends, and fans."

Dragon is survived by his older brother, Doug, and two nieces, Kelly Arbout and Renee Henn. At Dragon's request, no services are scheduled.

Norman Gimbel, GRAMMY-winning Lyricist, Dies at 91

Norman Gimbel

Norman Gimbel

Photo: Allen Berezovsky/WireImage

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Norman Gimbel, GRAMMY-winning Lyricist, Dies At 91

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From the English lyrics for "The Girl From Ipanema" to the timeless hit "Killing Me Softly With His Song," Gimbel crafted some of music's most memorable lyrics
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 2, 2019 - 12:32 pm

One of the greatest lyricists to ever set words to melody, Norman Gimbel, has died. Gimbel penned a wide-ranging catalog of hits, including the classic "Killing Me Softly With His Song," which earned Gimbel a GRAMMY Award for Song Of The Year at the 16th GRAMMY Awards. He was 91 years old.

May 14, 2015 – 8:58 am

"Killing Me Softly With His Song" Wins Song Of The Year

Born to two Jewish immigrants from Austria in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 16, 1927, Gimbel studied English at Baruch College and Columbia University and launched his career in music working in music publishing. He landed his first hit in 1953 as a co-writer of "Ricochet," which climbed to No. 2 on the charts thanks to a recording by Teresa Brewer.

After moving to Los Angeles, Gimbel linked up with his most frequent collaborator, Charles Fox, and began to make his mark in the world of television and film. The duo wrote themes for "Laverne and Shirley," "Happy Days," "Wonder Woman," and more. On the other coast, he also wrote lyrics for several Broadway musical.

Gimbel's early work included songs recorded by Dean Martin, Andy Williams, and Jim Croce, and he composed the English lyrics for the well-known bossa nova classic "The Girl From Ipanema." He earned his first GRAMMY nomination for "I Will Wait For You (Theme From The Umbrellas of Cherbourg)," which was nominated for Song Of The Year for the 8th GRAMMY Awards.

His GRAMMY win came eight years later after he and Fox collaborated with Lori Lieberman on "Killing Me Softly With His Song." Roberta Flack had a hit with her version and the song earned Gimbel and his writing partners Song Of The Year honors. More than two decades later, the Fugees recorded a version of the song, which earned them the GRAMMY for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for the 39th GRAMMY Awards.

“Norman had the extraordinary ability with his lyrics to capture the human condition with never an excessive word to describe a feeling or an action,” Fox said.

In 1979, Gimbel won an Oscar for "It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae, and he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1984.

"Gimbel was a brilliant lyricist highly regarded by the music, film, television, and theater industries," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "The entertainment industry has lost an incomparable lyricist, and our thoughts go out to his loved ones during this difficult time."

Gimbel died at his home in Montecito, Calif on Dec. 19. His son Tony, a managing partner of his father's music publishing company, confirmed the great lyricist's death. His memory lives on in the hearts he's touched and the words he crafted throughout his illustrious career.

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