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GRAMMYs

Prince

Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

News
Remembering Prince prince-dies-57

Prince dies at 57

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Seven-time GRAMMY-winning R&B titan dies at 57
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

Prince's GRAMMY memories

Seven-time GRAMMY-winning pop music icon Prince died April 21. He was 57. A cause of death has not yet been announced. He had cancelled or postponed recent shows due to flu-like symptoms. Last week, Prince's plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Illinois when he fell ill on the flight.

The artist born Prince Rogers Nelson, who was later known worldwide by just his first name and then by only a symbol, became one of the giants of pop music in the '80s by tying together the prevailing strands of R&B, funk, pop, and rock into a singular sound that made him among a handful of artists who shaped the music of that decade. He became a cottage industry, not only selling millions of his own albums, but also starring in a film vehicle, Purple Rain — whose soundtrack ruled the airwaves in 1984 — and also writing Top 10 hits for artists as diverse as Chaka Kahn, the Bangles and Sinead O'Connor. He continued to chart hits through the '90s, and released his most recent album, HITnRUN: Phase Two, in 2015.

Prince charted five No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits: "When Doves Cry" (1984), "Let's Go Crazy" (1984), "Kiss" (1986), "Batdance" (from Batman, 1989), and "Cream" (1991).

He evolved musically with every album, managing to find new avenues of musical expression even as he remained among the most popular artists on the planet. He also evolved behind the scenes, eventually having a falling out with his label over creative differences that led him to record his final Warner Bros. albums not under his name, but rather a "love" symbol. He would ultimately re-sign with Warner Bros. for 2014's PlectrumElectrum.

Prince earned seven GRAMMY Awards and 37 nominations over his career. Among his wins were two for Purple Rain, Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or Television Special, as well as for Best Rhythm & Blues Song for Khan's "I Feel For You," all of which were for 1984. "Kiss" won Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for 1986. Both Purple Rain and Sign 'O' The Times were nominated for Album Of The Year. The 1982 album 1999 and Purple Rain were inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008 and 2011, respectively. He also won the Music (Original Song Score) Oscar in 1984 for Purple Rain and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

"Today, we remember and celebrate Prince as one of the most uniquely gifted artists of all time," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "He redefined and forever changed our musical landscape."

Fans holding up phones at a concert

Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

Feature
Should mobile phones be banned from concerts? adele-alicia-keys-jack-white-phone-use-concerts

Adele, Alicia Keys, Jack White on phone use at concerts

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With pending technology that would disable smartphone usage at concerts, what side of the fence do you sit on?
Roy Trakin
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

As Adele ascends to the stage in the middle of Staples Center in Los Angeles for the first of her eight sold-out summer shows, she has them at "Hello." And by "them," I mean the hundreds of mobile devices being held aloft to capture her grand entrance, fit for a queen in her glittering black gown.

"I'll probably never watch it again," admitted a young fan pointing and shooting next to me, "but I will post it on Instagram and Snapchat just to say, 'I was there.'"

Another smartphone-yielding fan, who was taking selfies before the concert, casually insists she'd rather experience the show live than watch it on her screen. But by concert's end, she still raises her device aloft to capture the climactic, show-stopping "Rolling In The Deep."

Though Adele made headlines for admonishing a fan for filming at an earlier stop on her current tour, by the time she reached Los Angeles she was shamelessly mugging for those in the front row, jokingly pleading with her trademarked cackle, "I know you're taking a picture, but I'm talking to you in real life."

Yes, performance video has come a long way since Elvis Presley was filmed from the waist up, teenage girls screamed for the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and MTV put a man on the moon.

These days, thanks to mobile devices boasting high-quality video and still cameras, every concert offers a chance for fans to digitally capture their favorite stars and share the footage instantly on social media. Artists performing seem helpless in the wake of a sea of upraised phones, which, depending on the observer, are either a profound nuisance to the concert-going experience or an inevitable outcome of our oversharing age.

Like everything else in our virtual universe, holding up an iPhone or Android at a concert is a way of putting an artificial distance between the observer and the observed, an intermediation that seemingly goes against the very spirit of the longed-for spontaneity of the rock and roll, EDM, pop, or hip-hop experience.

"It's here to stay," says William Morris Endeavor executive Marc Geiger, regarding devices being used by fans at concerts. "It's a very necessary annoyance, but also serves as both marketing and promotion. Everyone wants to share the content on social media to show that they were there. It's a bit like the new T-shirt."

Indeed, several companies have materialized to edit fan-filmed footage into a visual wiki. The Beastie Boys were among the first to turn crowdsourced video into product with their 2006 concert film, Awesome; I F***in' Shot That, in which they handed out camcorders to 50 audience members at a sold-out Madison Square Garden show and combined the footage into a documentary, which showed at the Sundance Film Festival and South by Southwest before being released on DVD.

Outlisten emerged in 2012, asking users to upload footage from the show to a central location, where they could sync it to a high-quality audio track recorded directly from the soundboard, enabling the band, rather than the record label, to own — and sell — the results. The company is apparently now inactive, but other similar applications such as CrowdSync, FanFootage and Vidrack have since popped up to fill the void.

On the other side of the coin, Silicon Valley-based Yondr creates "phone-free" zones at concerts and other entertainment events. In these spaces, phones are sealed in a lockable pouch that stays with the user inside the phone-free zone. The phone unlocks once you leave the zone, so it is in reach in case of an emergency. Alicia Keys is one artist who has tapped Yondr in a bid to keep her concerts distraction-free.

Even for a grizzled rock and roll veteran like Loverboy guitarist Paul Dean, creating the "distraction" of taking smartphone video at a concert is hard to resist.

"There's no way to stop it," says Dean. "Imagine a free show on the beach, with 300,000 fans and their iPhones. Second, I do it all the time. I may even watch it once or twice after. Though usually, I go, 'What was I thinking? This sounds terrible.'"

In fact, the best use of mobile devices at Adele's Aug. 5 show didn't involve recording at all, but occurred when she asked everyone to hold up their phone, forming a glittering backdrop to her rendition of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love."

Meanwhile, just as fans consider it their constitutional right to shoot artists in concert, Apple is reportedly working on a patent to block the use of iPhones at concerts. The technology involves an infrared signal being sent from the stage, which would effectively disable devices from being able to film. If implemented, such technology would radically alter the modern concert-going experience and dry the well of fan-filmed video and photos on social media.

Artist manager Ian Montone opposes the attempt to combat the practice: "I don't like any technology that restricts freedom of choice, even if it's behavior I find largely obnoxious."

While Montone notes his client Jack White "politely" asks his audience to refrain from recording him in concert, and though he himself finds the practice "annoying and distracting to others," he does see the preservation side of the argument.

"Every show now seems to be well-documented and living on YouTube, which is interesting from a historical perspective," he says.

Other artists have their own deterrents in place. Prince, who was a noted internet disrupter, placed a notice of "Purple Rules" before a surprise show at New York's City Winery in August 2013, informing the audience that photography, videos and phones would be prohibited. Prince's security physically removed phones from fans trying to record, ushering them out of the theater if they didn't comply.

She & Him's Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward have posted a sign outside venues where they perform, announcing, "At the request of Matt and Zooey, we ask that people not use their cell phones to take pictures and video, but instead enjoy the show they have put together in 3-D." The duo even went so far as to have security guards shine flashlights in the eyes of concertgoers who didn't comply.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have posted their own plea at venues: "Please do not watch the show through a screen on your smart device/camera. Put that s*** away as a courtesy to the person behind you and to Nick [Zinner], Karen [O] and Brian [Chase]."

London-based punk rockers the Savages have implored fans to "silence your phones," insisting, "our goal is to discover better ways of living and experiencing music. We believe that the use of phones to film and take pictures during a gig prevents all of us from totally immersing ourselves. Let's make this evening special."

The now-defunct Black Crowes, largely celebrated as a people's band, refused to allow cameras into their shows, though, like the Grateful Dead or Phish, still actively encouraged people to record audio.

Even the affable Flight Of The Conchords, during their July 27 comeback gig at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, gently admonished their fans: "We say the same thing to you as we do to our sexual partners. Please stop filming." Though that message still didn't prevent their classic reunion with manager Murray and super fan Mel from appearing on an Instagram feed.

And that's one of the problems with the potential banning of smartphones in concert: the chance a historical moment will pass us by, and won't be captured for posterity.

Not all performers are opposed to being filmed by their audience, however. Matthew Iwanusa, frontman for Brooklyn-based indie-rock band Caveman, says, "I'm not totally against it, to be honest. If you're playing on a lower stage and someone in the front row is shoving a phone in your face, I guess that could be annoying, but … I think fans being able to post live pictures and videos helps the bands out a lot."

Iwanusa even admits to occasionally filming other bands performing. "It's nice to have good memories of good shows. Or good memories of bad shows."

(Roy Trakin is currently a senior news editor at All Access, a past contributor to a number of legendary rock magazines [remember those?] and a die-hard Cantonese Chinese food fanatic [love crispy noodles, duck sauce and hot mustard].)

Bruce Swedien

Bruce Swedien

Photo: John Parra/WireImage

News
Remembering Master Engineer Bruce Swedien bruce-swedien-obituary-thriller

Remembering The Musical Genius Of Master Engineer Bruce Swedien

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GRAMMY.com looks back on the career of Swedien, a five-time GRAMMY-winning engineer who shaped iconic albums from Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
Rob LeDonne
GRAMMYs
Dec 8, 2020 - 5:11 pm

When Bruce Swedien was mixing the Michael Jackson tour de force "Billie Jean," he and the pop star were agonizing over the most granular details of the recording. "I adored Michael, he was the greatest," Swedien once recalled. "He'd say, 'Bruce, that was perfect but let's try one more.' This was mix 80, [but] I said no problem." 

By the time Swedien and Jackson were on the 91st mix of the track, the song's producer and frequent Swedien collaborator, Quincy Jones, walked in the studio and implored the two to go back and listen to their initial cuts. "So we played [the second mix we worked on] and it blew it all away. I mean that was the most badass mix and that's what [was released]. Mix two."

It's a story that not only exemplifies Swedien's attention to detail, but also his innate natural talent that earned him legendary status among the titans of the music industry. 

"He was without question the best engineer in the business," Jones wrote in an Instagram post upon learning of Swedien's death last month (Nov. 16). "For more than 70 years I wouldn't even think about going into a recording session unless I knew Bruce was behind the board." 

This combination of respect and pedigree earned Swedien 12 career GRAMMY nominations, including five GRAMMY wins for engineering for his work on Thriller, Bad and Dangerous, all for Jackson. He also earned two additional engineering GRAMMYs for his work on Jones' albums, Q's Jook Joint and Back On The Block.

"Bruce Swedien's masterful work behind the board helped create iconic music with renowned artists," Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, said of the celerated engineer in a statement. "His imaginative approach helped shape the sound of pop music, and he was one of the most revered engineers in our industry. We have lost a remarkable talent, but I'm thankful for the music Bruce gave us."

Hailing from Minnesota, Swedien was born to classically trained musician parents; he became enamored with music after his father gave him a rudimentary disc recorder. By 21, Swedien was an engineer for RCA Victor. After honing his craft with jazz icons like Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton, he released his first musical firework from his generation-spanning discography in 1962 with "Big Girls Don't Cry," the seminal Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons hit. With its high falsetto and kinetic drumming, it rocketed to No. 1 and earned the group its first GRAMMY nomination. At the time, Swedien, then 28, was working in-house at Universal Music in Chicago. He later fondly remembered the appearance of "four scruffy-looking guys from New Jersey who headed straight to the vocal booth. It was a great session."

In addition to a zigzagging career, which saw the prolific engineer collaborating with everyone from jazz greats like Ellington and Sarah Vaughn, rock gods like Mick Jagger, divas like Barbara Streisand and contemporary stars like Jennifer Lopez, it was his creative partnership, and close friendship, with Quincy Jones that would define Swedien's career. First meeting in the late-'70s while collaborating on the music for the classic film, The Wiz, the two also crafted hits for the likes of George Benson, including his own GRAMMY-winning song, "Give Me The Night," as well as the gargantuan charity single, "We Are The World." 

But it was the dream team of Swedien, Jones, Michael Jackson and songwriter Rod Temperton that helped change the face of pop and turn the former Jackson 5 member into a bonafide superstar. 

For The Record: Michael Jackson

"[Along with Temperton], we reached heights that we could have never imagined & made history together," Jones, on Instagram, recalled of the partnership, which resulted in Thriller, the best-selling album in music history. "I have always said it's no accident that more than four decades later no matter where I go in the world, in every club, like clockwork at the witching hour you hear 'Billie Jean,' 'Beat It,' 'Wanna Be Starting Something,' and 'Thriller.' That was the sonic genius of Bruce Swedien and to this day I can hear artists trying to replicate him."

In tangent with his ace ear, Swedien was also deft in the technology of production, helping revolutionize new techniques of engineering and evolving the craft. While working on Thriller, he developed a technique to record the tracks in analogue first in pairs, subsequently creating stereophonic recordings. "Digital recording was available and we were all quite impressed with its clarity," he said in 2018. "But if you start the music in digital you can never go back to analogue and it won't sound as good."

His thirst for innovation also forced him to think outside the box, like building a special drum platform and a cover for the bass drum, complete with an integral piece of wood to give the percussion on "Billie Jean" a distinctive sound. When recording Jackson's vocals, he had the pop star stand a few inches from the microphone, then step back even farther for another cut, then another, with Jackson physically moving his mouth along the microphone; once layered, they all created a unique depth. "Here's what I think it really boils down to," Swedien once explained, offering valuable insight into a master at work. "The importance of any musical sound lies not in any inherent acoustical value, but what it signifies in the soul of the listener." 

His friend Quincy Jones summed up Swedien's loss on both a personal and creative level. "I am absolutely devastated to learn the news that we lost my dear brother-in-arms," he wrote in the Instagram post. "I'm going to miss your presence every single day 'Svensk', but I will cherish every moment we shared together laughin', lovin', livin', & givin'."

Michael Jackson's "Thriller": For The Record

GRAMMYs

Ronald Bell

Photo courtesy of Tia Sinclair Bell

News
Kool & The Gang's Ronald Bell Dies At 68 ronald-khalis-bell-co-founder-soul-funk-greats-kool-gang-dies-68

Ronald "Khalis" Bell, Co-Founder Of Soul-Funk Greats Kool & The Gang, Dies At 68

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Khalis wrote and produced a number of the '70s band's famous tracks, such as “Celebration,” “Cherish,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Summer Madness” and “Open Sesame” 
GRAMMYs
Sep 9, 2020 - 3:33 pm

Ronald "Khalis" Bell, co-founder of soul-funk greats Kool & The Gang, died the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 9, according to his label publicist, Sujata Murthy. He was 68.

Kool & The Gang won the Album of the Year GRAMMY Award in 1979 at the 21st GRAMMY Awards for their inclusion on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

They were nominated two other times—at the 17th GRAMMY Awards for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for their album Light Of Worlds and again at the 28th GRAMMY Awards for Best Inspirational Performance for "You Are The One."

Formed in 1964, Kool & The Gang came together when Khalis and his brother, Robert "Kool" Bell, teamed up with their neighborhood friends Spike Mickens, Dennis Thomas, Ricky Westfield, George Brown and Charles Smith. Originally calling themselves the Jazziacs, together they forged a moving mix of jazz, soul and funk. They'd try out a number of different names—The New Dimensions, The Soul Town Band, Kool & the Flames—before settling on Kool & The Gang. 

Khalis, who was self-taught, wrote and produced a number of the band's famous tracks, such as “Celebration,” “Cherish,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Summer Madness” and “Open Sesame.” 

They are also one of the most sampled artists of all time; the horns from their 1973 funky jam "Jungle Boogie" horns can be heard on over a hundred other songs, including rap classics like Luniz's "I Got 5 On It" and the Beastie Boys' "Hey Ladies."

In addition to songwriting and producing for Kool & the Gang, Khalis was heavily involved in developing new acts, having produced The Fugees' (then called Tranzlator Crew) 1994 debut record, Blunted On Reality. 

2019 marked the band's official 50th anniversary. "It's a blessing to be around for 50 years; some groups can't make it for 50 days. We did 50 years, that's an accomplishment," founding member Robert "Kool" Bell said at the GRAMMY Museum last year. 

Kool & The Gang On 50 Years, The Joy Of "Celebration" & Songwriters Hall Of Fame

Prince

Prince

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

News
Prince Estate Releases Timely "Baltimore" Video prince-estate-releases-baltimore-video-handwritten-note-against-intolerance-honor

Prince Estate Releases "Baltimore" Video & Handwritten Note Against Intolerance To Honor Freddie Gray & George Floyd

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On what would have been Prince's birthday, his estate unveils the lyric video for the 2015 song addressing Gray's death in police custody
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 8, 2020 - 12:48 pm

The Prince estate released a powerful lyric video for the late GRAMMY winners' 2015 song, "Baltimore," on Sunday. The video arrives on what would have been Prince's birthday and amidst nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of the George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25.

Prince recorded "Baltimore" on April 30, 2015, at Paisley Park Studios after Baltimore's Freddie Gray died at age 25 of a severe spinal chord injury while in police custody earlier that month. “With everything going on there this week, I had a lot I needed to get out,” Prince said at the time. 

"Baltimore" addresses Gray by name, along with Michael Brown, who was fatally shot at age 28 by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo. on Aug. 9, 2014, with the lyrics,“Does anybody hear us pray?/For Michael Brown or Freddie Gray/ Peace is more than the absence of war.”

“The system is broken. It’s going to take the young people to fix it this time. We need new ideas, new life...” -Prince

The estate also posted a handwritten note by Prince where he speaks out against intolerance. It reads, “Nothing more ugly in the whole wide world than intolerance [between] black, white, red, yellow, boy or girl. Intolerance.”

https://twitter.com/prince/status/1269495956720046080

Prince dedicated his life to speaking out against injustice, advocating for black excellence, and spreading the message of "Love 4 One Another." In this note that he kept in his personal archives, he wrote a message that still resonates today. #Prince #Love4OneAnother pic.twitter.com/thTv9cukBV

— Prince (@prince) June 7, 2020

The Justice Department made the announcement in 2017 that the six arresting police officers would face no federal charges in Gray's death. The four Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's death have all been charged. 

Want To Support Protesters And Black Lives Matter Groups? Here’s How

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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.