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Fantastic Negrito 

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Where Do You Keep Your GRAMMY: Fantastic Negrito

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The lively blues singer, who got his name thanks to the Mexican community he grew up around, shows the Recording Academy exactly where he keeps his two cherished golden gramophones
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Sep 25, 2019 - 4:39 pm

Fantastic Negrito's road to GRAMMY gold began after rethinking some of the life choices he was making on the streets of Oakland, Calif.

"Kids my age, they were all selling drugs and a lot of people that I knew were getting killed in the streets and I just thought, man, there's gotta be a better way to make money," he told the Recording Academy. 

Fast forward to 2017, Negrito earned his first win for 2016's The Last Days Of Oakland in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category. In 2019, Negrito scored his second award in the same category for 2018's Please Don't Be Dead. 

Where Fantastic Negrito Keeps His GRAMMY

The awards meant a lot to him: "It's inspiration and it is validation, especially for people that are outside of the box, 'cause I've been outside of the box my entire life," he said. "I've always felt like I was watching everybody else celebrate. It's been the story of my life and for the GRAMMYs to honor that is huge."

In the latest episode of Where Do You Keep Your GRAMMY?, the lively blues singer, who got his name thanks to the Mexican community he grew up around, shows the Recording Academy exactly where he keeps his two cherished golden gramophones: his bank. While the physical awards may not be in his home, its the legacy they carry Negrito seems to be most grateful for.

"It's an incredible legacy and when I'm gone, they'll still say two-time GRAMMY winner," he said. 

Where Do You Keep Your GRAMMY: Brenda Lee

Fantastic Negrito at Hardly Strictly 2019

Fantastic Negrito at Hardly Strictly 2019

Photo: Ken Friedman

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Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Will "Let The Music Play On" With Virtual 2020 Festival Featuring New & Archival Shows

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Since the beloved, free music festival will not be able to take place in its home of Golden Gate Park this year, they will be hosting an epic online event Oct. 2–4
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 27, 2020 - 1:51 pm

Today, July 27, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass unveiled their plans for a virtual 20th anniversary celebration, along with the (unsurprising) news that the festival would not be able to take place in person this year. From Oct. 2-4, when the fest would've taken place this year, Let The Music Play On will keep the spirit of Hardly Strictly alive with music and memories from the best in American Roots music and beyond.

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Held during the first weekend of October in San Francisco's lush Golden Gate Park, the free three-day event draws in over 750,000 people for the best in bluegrass, folk, soul, alternative music and more. As the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has derailed festival and live events of all sizes, many have gotten creative with livestream concerts, archival shows, fan engagement and more.

With Let The Music Play On, Hardly Strictly is combining all of those, with a three-day event featuring new performances, archival sets from the vault and curated memories from fans. Past attendees are encouraged to submit their favorite event memories in the form of words, photos and videos to memories@hardlystrictlybluegrass.org for possible inclusion in the online event because "the HSB community is what gives the festival life."

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"The October broadcast will feature new performances from the expansive range of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass artists that include first-time performers to legends of American Roots music, along with archival footage from the festival's past two decades and memories from fans, performers, and staff and priceless gems from the festival's rich history," the press email explains.

Related: Fantastic Negrito On How His New Album, 'Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?', Is A Timely Commentary On American Society

GRAMMY winners Booker T. Jones, Mavis Staples, Fantastic Negrito, John Prine, Asleep At The Wheel and Emmylou Harris, Latin GRAMMY winners/GRAMMY nominees Flor De Toloache, GRAMMY nominee Chris Isaak, Grateful Dead hero Bob Weir and rising Nashville star Adia Victoria, along with many more class acts, have performed at Hardly Strictly over the years.

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"The festival…was founded by [late finance executive and philanthropist] Warren Hellman [in 2001] on ten pillars: community, joy, creativity, collaboration, freedom, peace, love, respect, gratitude, and spirituality. It was Hellman's gift to the City of San Francisco, offering a free outdoor festival in the historic Golden Gate Park that is a celebration of American roots music," the email notes. 

"While we know we can't replace the feeling of being together physically, the safety of our attendees, artists, volunteers, and staff are our highest priority and our team has been hard at work creating a vibrant broadcast in line with what attendees have come to expect from HSB: community, discovery, and the all-time best in roots music," festival advisor Mick Hellman (and Warren Hellman's son), added. "We're excited to share parts of HSB that aren't feasible in a festival environment such as screening archival footage, sharing memories, and shining a spotlight on our non-profit partners."

The fest also announced the Hardly Strictly Music Relief Fund: Bay Area, a $1.5 million COVID-19 relief initiative for local San Francisco Bay Area musicians and venues. American Roots artists based in the Bay can apply for the one-time grants of up to $2,000, while local venues "with a track record of presenting and supporting roots music" are eligible to be considered for $200,000 grants.

More info on the Oct. online event, including the lineup, will be announced later at hardlystrictlybluegrass.com.

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Megadeth

Megadeth

Photo: Danny Clinch

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Where Does Megadeth's David Ellefson Keep His GRAMMY?

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One of metal's low frequency pioneers lets us into his Arizona home to share where his golden statue rests
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 30, 2019 - 10:00 am

Few bands can boast the longevity, impact and relevance in metal that thrash gods Megadeth. In early 2017, their hard work was rewarded with the GRAMMY for Best Metal Performance at the 59th GRAMMY Awards for "Dystopia," the title track from their 15th studio album.

Where Does David Ellefson Keep His GRAMMY?

"We've never written songs to win GRAMMYs, or any awards quite honestly," Megadeth bassist and co-founder David Ellefson tells the Recording Academy during a recent visit to his Arizona home to see where he keeps his GRAMMY. "We just write songs. And it seems like if we like them, our fans like them."

While this might have been Megadeth's first GRAMMY win, it was far from their first nomination. Ellefson and his band had been nominated an impressive 12 times throughout their career, earning their first nomination back in 1990 for their influential thrash masterpiece Rust In Peace.

For Ellefson, even if the goal isn't to win any awards, there is still a sense of conquering that comes from creating what you know to be your best work.

"I think with Dystopia there was this moment where [we said], 'if they don't like this we're out of ideas.' Because every record you make, you're essentially creating your next future," says Ellefson. "And I don't care who you are and how great of a record you feel you've made, when you first put it on for somebody to hear it, there's always this moment of like, 'oh god, I hope they like this.' We certainly have had that with every album, and I think with Dystopia, we held our heads high… It seems to have done the trick to get us to the winner's circle."

Where Does Halestorm's Lzzy Hale Keep Her GRAMMY?

Halestorm

Halestorm

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Where Does Halestorm's Lzzy Hale Keep Her GRAMMY?

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"To be nominated and win the GRAMMY and then now be nominated again is just absolutely mind-blowing. Pretty sure it's the definition of living the dream," Hale said
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jan 23, 2019 - 10:31 am

When Halestorm's name appeared as one of the bands nominated for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance at the 55th GRAMMY Awards, the band was prepared to take a loss.

"We'd kinda said to ourselves, look, this is a crazy fluke, somehow the Academy figured out who we are and we got nominated—this is crazy, but guys … we're not gonna win," Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale recalls. "Let’s just have the best time that we can possibly have."

Where Does Lzzy Hale Keep Her GRAMMY?

And when their name was announced as the category winner, the band's achievement came as an even greater surprise.

Now, in the latest installment of Where Do You Keep Your GRAMMY, Hale lets the Recording Academy into her home and in on where she keeps the golden gramophone she never expected to win.

"There's a difference between believing that you have the capability to get there and then things actually happening," Hale said of the band’s win.

For Halestorm, who are up for Best Rock Performance at the 61st GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10,  the journey to their first nomination back in 2012 was more than just about music—it was a celebration of their friendship.

"The fact that we've been a band for 21 years, we've had tunnel vision since we were 13 and10 years old… And to remain best friends for over 15 years and to be able to be nominated and win the GRAMMY and then now be nominated again is just absolutely mind-blowing. Pretty sure it's the definition of living the dream," Hale said.

Where Do Warryn And Erica Campbell Keep Their GRAMMYs?

Gina Chavez

Gina Chavez

Photo: Erika Goldring/WireImage

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Texas Chapter Members Who Took The Stage At ACL Fest 2021

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Austin’s famed music festival rebounded from shutdown with two sold-out weekends and showcased some of the best music Texas has to offer
Jess Pickett
GRAMMYs
Oct 22, 2021 - 1:47 pm

After being forced to cancel in 2020 due to restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic, Austin City Limits Music Festival returned to its namesake for two sold out weekends at the top of October. C3 Presents put forth a stellar lineup of over 90 musical acts — but with a special emphasis this year on local and statewide pride. 

Eleven Recording Academy Texas Chapter members took to the eight stages, including GRAMMY winners Asleep at the Wheel, Erykah Badu and George Strait. Austin’s own David Ramirez, Missio and Riders Against the Storm also performed. Here are five other memorable performances from Texas artists:

Black Pumas

62nd GRAMMYs Best New Artist Nominee Black Pumas riveted crowds with their soulful performance of tracks off their 2019 debut self-titled album. The psychedelic R&B duo consists of guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada and singer/songwriter Eric Burton. The duo is so beloved by locals that Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared May 7th to be Black Pumas Day earlier this year. On top of a lively set with a five-piece backing band, Burton surprised fans with a beautiful solo rendition of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which he used to perform regularly during his busking days down on Sixth Street before making it big.

Gina Chavez

Latin GRAMMY-nominated pop artist Gina Chavez gave a high-energy bilingual performance of fan favorites from her Up.Rooted album, as well as songs from her first fully Spanish EP, La Que Manda.

“It felt incredible to headline the BMI stage at ACL this year!” she said in a backstage interview. “[Project Runway’s] Brittany Allen custom fit me with the kind of epic pink pants that change lives, and my band basically left the stage in flames! We showed out for my hometown! And I love that the height of our set was a chingona version of ‘La Que Manda’ and a brand-new remix of fan-favorite ‘Siete-D,’ both Spanish-language songs that truly stretch the idea of what Latin music sounds like in Texas.”

Megan Thee Stallion

Houston’s pride and joy, Bey and Jay’s protégé and three-time GRAMMY-winning rap sensation Megan Thee Stallionmore than made up for no-showing her ACL 2019 slot with her twerktastic 2021 performance on the Honda stage. “Without Texas, there would be no Megan Thee Stallion,” she said of her beloved home state at the top of her Friday night set. After making a gaggle of fans’ dreams come true by inviting them up on stage to break it down alongside her, the cherry on the cake came when none other than Miley Cyrus crashed the stage to get in on the booty action.

Superfonicos

Superfonicos

Superfonicos at ACL Fest 2021. Photo: Greg Noire

The always entertaining Afro-Colombian funk band Superfonicos balance their ecstatic music with politics of peace and unity — a perfect combination for a festival like ACL. The eight-piece ensemble brought the groove back to Zilker Park for their sophomore ACL performance. The band excited onlookers during their set with an announcement that they’re working on a follow-up to their 2018 debut EP, Suelta. Doubling up on the excitement, they noted that they’re working with Black Pumas guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada at his South Austin studio, Electric Deluxe Recorders.

Zach Person

Bluesy indie rocker and slide guitar aficionado Zach Person impressed festival-goers with a captivating first ACL Fest performance. Stripped down to a simple guitar-drums duo with collaborative partner Jake Wyble, Person performed heartfelt versions of songs from his 2021 debut self-titled album.

“Performing at ACL has always been a dream of mine since I first moved to the city in 2017,” he said after his set. “The history surrounding the fest and the list of artists that have travelled to perform it are astounding. To now become a part of that legacy is an incredible honor.”

This article is presented in conjunction with the Recording Academy's Texas Chapter, which celebrates Texan music and artists; delivers unique programming and opportunities to active members, industry professionals of all trades, and the next generation throughout the state; and enriches the music community through outreach and advocacy.

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