Joe Osborn

Joe Osborn

Photo: Greg Campbell/WireImage

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Wrecking Crew Bassist Joe Osborn Dies At 81

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A session bassist on so many hits we've all heard and loved leaves an uncanny musical legacy
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 17, 2018 - 4:09 pm

Outstanding Los Angeles session bass player Joe Osborn died on Dec. 14 of pancreatic cancer. A member of the legendary Wrecking Crew group until he left L.A. for Nashville in 1974, Osborn performed on countless classic recordings during his career, including the Partridge Family, Simon & Garfunkel and fellow Wrecking Crew member, Glen Campbell. Osborn was 81 years old.

Osborn was born on Aug. 28, 1937 in Mound, Louisiana. His biography at The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame describes the struggles Osborn went through "to cut back on his workload." He finally succeeded, moving back to Shreveport in 1988, occasionally flying to big cities for sessions but mostly recording at home on an old-fashioned four-track deck. Osborn and one of his four-tracks made the first professional recording of the GRAMMY-winning Carpenters siblings in 1966.

Los Angeles session drummer Hal Blaine, another member of the Wrecking Crew  and recipient of the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, is often credited with having named the "clique" of "first call" session musicians that both he and Osborn belonged to as "The Wrecking Crew" based on accusations their embrace of rock was going to wreck commercial music. Osborn was a key component of the group's success, and made critical contributions to GRAMMY-winning recordings including Campbell's  "Gentle On My Mind" and the big winner at the 10th GRAMMY Awards, "Up, Up And Away" by the 5th Dimension.

A few years later at the 13th GRAMMY Awards, the Simon And Garfunkel single "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which showcased Osborn on bass, won four GRAMMY awards and its album of the same name took Album Of The Year. At the 15th GRAMMY Awards, Helen Reddy won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for "I Am Woman," another classic track of Osborn's.

Those are just a taste of Osborn's extensive body of work that most American music lovers' ears know well, whether or not they recognize the names of the studio musicians who helped create such classic hits.

In a Dec. 15 Facebook post on Osborn's passing, Denny Tedesco, the director of the 2008 documentary The Wrecking Crew!, wrote, "Even though he was a quiet man, I could see the sparkle in his eyes when he saw the love of his fans. I called him a gentle bear." Denny's dad Tommy was another member of the clique as a guitarist.

"My favorite line from Joe," Denny related. "He was asked why he kept the same strings on his bass for 17 years. His answer, 'No one told me I was supposed to change them.' He will truly be missed but not forgotten."

Herb Alpert To Honor Hal Blaine On "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"

Hal Blaine

Hal Blaine

Photo: Newsmakers/Getty Images

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Wrecking Crew Drummer Hal Blaine Has Died At 90

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Millions heard his percussion through the decades on countless hits, such as Record Of The Year winners "Mrs. Robinson" and "Up, Up And Away"
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 12, 2019 - 1:15 pm

Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine, the man who brought the beat to the "Wall of Sound" and a staggering array of hits and classics, is confirmed to have died on March 11, 2019. 

A recipient of the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, Blaine provided some of music's coolest grooves and with his fellow A-list, Los Angeles session musicians, helped define rock and pop music's top sounds through the late '60s and beyond.

Herb Alpert To Honor Hal Blaine

"Hal Blaine was a legendary session drummer whose contributions as a member of the Wrecking Crew helped propel countless hits to the top of the Billboard charts in the '60s and '70s," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "He contributed to tens of thousands of songs throughout his career, including the Beach Boys' 'Caroline, No' and Simon & Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.' We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fellow music creators."

The Record Of The Year winners between 1965 and 1970 all had Blaine on drums. Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" closed that streak at the 13th GRAMMY Awards, two years after their ROTY win for "Mrs. Robinson" at the 11th GRAMMY Awards. Another twofer was the 5th Dimension, winning ROTY at the 10th GRAMMY Awards for 1967's "Up, Up And Away" and again at the 12th GRAMMY Awards for "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)," a song medley from the musical Hair.

Blaine's Record Of The Year streak began at the 8th GRAMMY Awards with Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass' win for 1965's "A Taste Of Honey." The follow-up was "Strangers In The Night" by Frank Sinatra at the 9th GRAMMY Awards. the sounds of both these songs as well as Blaine's too-many-to-mention other recordings became part of the musical cultural fabric of the era. 

Wrecking Crew Bassist Joe Osborn Dies At 81

GRAMMYs
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Tune In Tonight On PBS: "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"

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Special performances and all-star appearances make tonight's broadcast one to watch
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Oct 5, 2018 - 4:57 pm

Each year the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards honor the music community's finest. Tonight on PBS, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" presents musical moments and heritage not to be missed.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" On PBS Oct. 5

Lifetime Achievement Award recipients for 2018 honored tonight are the Wrecking Crew's Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, the Meters, Queen, and Tina Turner. Master of ceremonies Yolanda Adams and Micky Dolenz will honor Diamond. Trisha Yearwood will perform a duet with Harris. Sheléa will be honoring Turner, Sammy Hagar for Queen, and Herb Alpert honoring Wrecking Crew drummer Blaine. Ledisi is performing a medley in honor of Jordan.

The Trustees Award recognizes those whose leadership may be outside performance and this year's honorees are Bill Graham, Sire Records co-founder Seymour Stein, and the 24-time GRAMMY winner, composer and conductor John Williams. Composer Gustavo Dudamel and violinist  Anne Akiko Meyers will honor Williams.

Technical GRAMMY Award recipients this year are Tony Agnello and Richard Factor, whose company Eventide made an enormous contribution to the craft. This year's recipient of the Music Educator Award is Melissa Salguero.

Check your local listings for the PBS station near you, tonight at 9p.m. "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will later be available at PBS Great Performances online. This is an array of legends honoring legends who represent the finest in music excellence.

900 Music Creators Invited To Join Recording Academy As Voting Members

Geoff Emerick

Geoff Emerick

Photo: Rory Doyle/Getty Images

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Geoff Emerick, Master Beatles Engineer, Dies At 72

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The man whose craft and creativity is embodied in a legacy of masterpieces that show his technical excellence has passed
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Oct 3, 2018 - 4:53 pm

On Oct. 2, recording engineer Geoff Emerick died of a heart attack at the age of 72. His three GRAMMY wins in the category Best Engineered Recording — Non-Classical give a small sense of the enormous contribution he made in the studio, on iconic albums nonetheless: Abbey Road, Band On The Run and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He also received the Recording Academy's Technical GRAMMY Award honor in 2003.

Geoff Emerick Accepts His Technical GRAMMY Award

"Geoff Emerick was a universally respected producer and engineer who brought creative boldness and innovation to countless recordings throughout his legendary career," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "The Recording Academy is eternally grateful for Emerick's support of our Producers & Engineers Wing and his time spent serving on the Advisory Council. Our creative community has lost one of its greats. He will be deeply missed but remembered as one of our industry's true visionaries."

Emerick's 2006 memoir Here, There And Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles describes how in 1962, at the age of 15,  he first went to work as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios. When it was time to record music for a little-known band called the Beatles, it was the beginning of a journey which the whole world eventually shared. Ultimately becoming the band's chief engineer, Emerick remained the expert behind decades of sonic masterpieces.

He went on to  engineer Paul McCartney's later work as well as for a litany of other greats, including America, Jeff Beck, Johnny Cash, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello, Art Garfunkel, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Mott the Hoople, Supertramp, Ultravox, Dweezil Zappa and many more. Notably one of the primary responsibilities of great engineers is to shield their artists from the effort required to achieve recording excellence, so in addition to his own creativity, it was Emerick's gift to make it easier for creators to deliver their best. The world is eternally grateful for his contributions to music.

Celebrating The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's' 50th Anniversary

 

Clarence Fountain

Clarence Fountain

Photo: J. Shearer/WireImage.com

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Blind Boys Of Alabama Leader Clarence Fountain Dies At 88

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The GRAMMY-winning co-founder of the legendary gospel group leaves behind a rich musical legacy
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Jun 4, 2018 - 11:53 am

On June 3 founding member Clarence Fountain of the GRAMMY-winning gospel group Blind Boys Of Alabama died following a brief hospitalization in Baton Rouge, La. He was 88 years old.

Fountain got his start singing with peers at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Deaf and Blind in Talladega under the name Happy Land Jubilee Singers. When they landed a billing in 1948 with the Jackson Harmoneers that was promoted as a show with the Five Blind Boys Of Alabama and the Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi, the new name stuck.

The group continued touring and recording, and their signature gospel sound caught the ears of many musical giants of the day, including Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, who wanted to bring the Boys over to pop and rock styles. Fountain, however, knew his path was gospel music.

"I was in the studio with Sam Cooke when he signed his contract," Fountain remembered. "The man offered me one just like he did Sam, but I turned it down because that isn't what I told the Lord I wanted to do. … When you promise God something, you don't go back on that."

Sticking to his gospel roots paid off for Fountain and the Blind Boys. They earned their first GRAMMY nomination at the 14th GRAMMY Awards for Best Soul Gospel Performance for their album The Five Blind Boys Of Alabama. They went on to win five career GRAMMYs and amass 10 nominations.

Notably, beginning at the 44th GRAMMY Awards with their Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album win for 2001's Spirit Of The Century, the group won the category four years in a row through the 47th GRAMMY Awards when There Will Be A Light, recorded with Ben Harper, took the category. The group received the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

Fountain's most recent GRAMMY nomination was at the 60th GRAMMY Awards for "Let My Mother Live" from the group's 2017 album, Almost Home, nominated for Best American Roots Performance. Though Fountain's diabetic condition prevented him from touring with the group beginning in 2007, he still contributed vocals to the album.

Thanks to his long career making the gospel music that fueled his creative soul, Fountain leaves a legacy that will inspire generations of musicians yet to come.

"My theory is do something good in the end and that will close out your longevity," Fountain is quoted at the band's website. "After that, you can go on home and sit down."

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