(To commemorate the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame's 40th Anniversary in 2013, GRAMMY.com has launched GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations. The ongoing series will feature conversations with various individuals who will identify GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that have influenced them and helped shape their careers.)

There aren't many artists whose musical dots connect Elvis Presley, Andrés Segovia and "Space Oddity" astronaut Chris Hadfield, particularly among classical guitarists. But those are key points highlighted as Sharon Isbin draws the rather complex, colorful picture of her wide-ranging musical accomplishments and the evolution of her tastes and sensibilities, not to mention astonishing skills behind them.

Presley and model rocketry both led to her dedication to guitar, if indirectly, which, in turn, led to a guitar she endorsed and her album, American Landscapes, accompanying Hadfield in a space shuttle rendezvous with Russian cosmonauts in 1995.

"Chris Hadfield was going to be launched in the space shuttle [Atlantis]," says Isbin. "He'd discovered a travel guitar I endorsed and offered to take one up as a gift to a Russian cosmonaut on the space station. What about the synchronicity of that?"

Synchronicity figures in many of her connections, from being a student under Segovia, to collaborating with Joan Baez, to recording with a wide range of guitar stars (Steve Vai and Heart's Nancy Wilson, among them) on her latest album, 2011's Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions. It's all about her continuing journey.

The two-time GRAMMY winner has given much thought to these connections lately. Sharon Isbin: Troubadour, a documentary about her life and art, has just been completed, and it's yielded certain patterns and unexpected epiphanies, which are clearly reflected in her choices of GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations recordings.

Music Of Albéniz & Granados
Andrés Segovia
Decca (1944)
Album
Inducted 1998

"I first met [Segovia] when I was 14. My father is a scientist and would commute a couple of times a month to Washington, D.C., from Minneapolis where we lived. Doing so, he discovered a guitar shop where the owner, Mr. Papas, was a colleague and friend of Andrés Segovia. My father would fly me up. I started with having a lesson with Mr. Papas. He offered, after giving me a few lessons, to introduce me to Segovia when he came to D.C.

"One thing that stuck with me and stayed in my memory was to be a few inches away from [Segovia], the beautiful gemlike tone he had in his right hand, and to experience that so close was something that became a model for me that I always held as an ideal sound that I wanted to create. Like melting butter. This beautiful sound you could bathe in.

"He is best known for Spanish music, which is featured on this 1944 album. This music is really something [that] brought out the essence of the compositions. Even though they were written for piano, he made it sound like guitar music, because both of these composers were inspired by Spanish flamenco [guitar]. And they tried to bring that to the piano, but here it found its home."

"Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
Elvis Presley
RCA Victor (1960)
Single
Inducted 2007

"Why did I pick the guitar? When I was 9 years old, our family took a sabbatical year to live in Italy. My older brother said he wanted guitar lessons. My parents managed to find a teacher who had studied with Segovia who was touring through Europe and coming twice a week to Varese, where we were living. Aldo, the teacher, lived in Milan and would commute. My parents brought my brother to the interview and as soon as he realized it was classical, he said, 'No! What I wanted to do was be the next Elvis Presley!' He never took a lesson and I offered to take his place. I had played piano [for] a couple of years, but gave it up at 8. So I said I would volunteer for this.

"Later when I became a teenager and then [a] college student, I really fell in love with Elvis Presley's music. Magical! His voice [had] a tone with similar features to Segovia. This song — the end of each line is like a kiss, so beautiful and sensuous. I relate to that, the tactile feeling of touching the strings. If it hadn't been for Elvis Presley, I wouldn't have started guitar."

Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes
Artur Rubinstein
RCA Red Seal (1965)
Album
Inducted 2004

"When I was about 14, we were back living in Minneapolis and I had a chance to hear Artur Rubinstein do a solo recital of all Chopin. That was mesmerizing. To me, he is the ideal Chopin interpreter. I have listened to this CD so many times it's amazing it still plays. The lyricism of his playing, the sensuality of it, the way he phrases, the sense of rubato — all of that became a model for me on guitar, even though I don't play Chopin."

Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
Verve (1964)
Album
Inducted 1999

"I was very fortunate also to meet Laurindo Almeida in the 1980s, one of the great Brazilian guitarists who brought bossa nova to North America. We ended up having a trio called Guitarjam, and in that process he introduced me to Brazilian music. To have a mentor like [him] and learn the in-between beat and perform and record with him for five years was a joy as well. During that time I met Tom Jobim [composer/guitarist Antonio Carlos Jobim], and worked in collaboration with him as well as another Brazilian guitarist, Carlos Barbosa-Lima. We recorded an album with him and opened one of Jobim's concerts in New York. And Jobim plays on this album, a perfectly ideal example of Brazilian bossa nova. You can hear Jobim playing and the beautiful voice of Gilberto.

"This is the album that introduced Astrud Gilberto in 'The Girl From Ipanema,' so it's historic as well as being a great representation of bossa nova to this day. And Stan Getz, being a great sax player, little did I know that I would soon be collaborating with Paul Winter, another great aficionado of his. We formed a trio with percussionist Thiago de Mello, performed together for many years and made an album, Journey To The Amazon. That was the first year [1998] The Recording Academy [awarded] the [Best Classical Crossover Album] category and we received a nomination."

Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Vanguard (1960)
Album
Inducted 2011

"When I was a kid and volunteered to take lessons, it was because I was familiar with folk music and loved it. And when I was in college I was over the moon about Joan Baez. I can't tell you how moved I was by her music. It would always make me cry, somehow [I was] deeply touched by the quality of emotion she brought to it and loved the songs as well. Little did I imagine I would meet her, let alone play with her. What happened was I had collaborated with the British composer John Duarte on 'Appalachian Dreams,' a wonderful work inspired by music from the mountains, on my first GRAMMY-winning album, Dreams Of A World, in 1999. He said, 'I'd like to write you another work.' I said, 'How about something inspired by the songs Joan Baez made famous in the early part of her career?'

"I tracked her down and asked if it was OK to have a piece called 'The Joan Baez Suite.' She gave it her blessing. We premiered it in San Francisco. She was away but sent her mother for her, and she gave it thumbs up. She heard a tape and loved it. And she offered to sing on it when we recorded. We recorded out at Skywalker Sound and added it to the album. She sings 'Wayfaring Stranger' and 'Go 'Way From My Window,' on the album Journey To The New World [released in 2009, which also] won a GRAMMY. When she came to New York to hear it, she pulled up a chair and said, 'Why don't you play for me?' She pulled up a chair a few inches from me. I began to play Segovia's 'Asturias' and opened my eyes and saw she had tears streaming down her face. It was a piece her father had played for her, Segovia's recording. It was remarkable that the woman who put me in tears was now having this moment.

"This particular album of Joan's, from 1960, was my favorite. [It's] a perfect example of her music."

(Two-time GRAMMY-winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin is currently performing dates on the Guitar Passions tour with Stanley Jordan and Romero Lubambo. The tour takes its name from her 2011 album, Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions, which features duets with Jordan, Lubambo, Heart's Nancy Wilson, and Steve Vai. Isbin is the subject of a one-hour documentary, Sharon Isbin: Troubadour, which will debut later this year.)

(Steve Hochman has been covering the music world since 1985. He can be heard regularly discussing new music releases on KPCC-FM's "Take Two" and the KQED-FM-produced show "The California Report," and he is also a regular contributor to the former station's arts blog "Without A Net." For 25 years he was a mainstay of the pop music team at the Los Angeles Times and his work has appeared in many other publications.)

The Recording Academy has announced 10 recordings to be newly inducted to the distinguished GRAMMY Hall Of Fame as part of its 2024 inductee class and in celebration of its 50th anniversary this year. This year's GRAMMY Hall of Fame additions, the first inductions since 2021, include four albums and six singles that exhibit qualitative or historical significance and are at least 25 years old. The inducted recordings, which will be added to the iconic catalog residing at the GRAMMY Museum, will be honored at GRAMMY Museum's inaugural GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala and concert, presented by City National Bank, taking place Tuesday, May 21, at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles. Tickets for and performers at the Gala will be announced at a later date. 

The 2024 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inducted recordings range from Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction. Others include recordings by De La Soul, Buena Vista Social Club, Donna Summer, Charley Pride, Wanda Jackson, Kid Ory's Creole Orchestra, the Doobie Brothers, and William Bell. Eligible recipients will receive an official certificate from the Recording Academy. With these 10 newly inducted titles, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame currently totals 1,152 inducted recordings.

See below for a full list of the 2024 recordings inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, and see the full list of all past GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inducted recordings.

Full list of 2024 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inducted Recordings:

3 FEET HIGH AND RISING
De La Soul
Tommy Boy (1989)
(Album)
Inducted: 2024

APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION
Guns N' Roses
Geffen (1987)
(Album)
Inducted: 2024

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
Buena Vista Social Club
World Circuit/Nonesuch (1997)
(Album)
Inducted: 2024

“I FEEL LOVE”
Donna Summer
Casablanca (1977)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

“KISS AN ANGEL GOOD MORNIN'“
Charley Pride
RCA Victor (1971)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

“LET'S HAVE A PARTY”
Wanda Jackson
Capitol (1960)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL
Lauryn Hill
Ruffhouse/Columbia (1998)
(Album)
Inducted: 2024

“ORY'S CREOLE TROMBONE”
Kid Ory's Creole Orchestra (As Spike's Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra)
Nordskog (1922)
(Single)
2024

“WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES”
The Doobie Brothers
Warner Bros. (1978)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

“YOU DON'T MISS YOUR WATER”
William Bell
Stax (1961)
(Single)
Inducted: 2024

"We're proud to unveil the diverse mix of recordings entering the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in its 50th year," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. "The music showcased here has played a pivotal role in shaping our cultural landscape, and it's a true honor to recognize these albums and recordings, along with the profound influence each has had on music and beyond."

"The artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers who composed this year's inducted recordings are a reflection of the sheer talent and hard work that goes into creating such seminal music," GRAMMY Museum President/CEO Michael Sticka said in a statement. "It's a privilege to be able to welcome these new additions into our distinguished catalog and celebrate the recordings at our inaugural gala on May 21."

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973. The inducted recordings are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees.

This year, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala will be the first of what will become an annual event and includes a red carpet and VIP reception on the newly opened Ray Charles Terrace at the GRAMMY Museum, followed by a one-of-a-kind concert at the NOVO Theater in downtown Los Angeles. 

The inaugural gala and concert is produced by longtime executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, Ken Ehrlich, along with Chantel Sausedo and Ron Basile and will feature musical direction by globally renowned producer and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to halloffame@grammymuseum.org.

Explore the history of the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

Following a two-year hiatus, the GRAMMY Museum and Recording Academy are reinstating the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame on its 50th anniversary. The momentous event will be celebrated with an inaugural gala and concert on Tuesday, May 21, at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles; tickets and performers for the event will be announced at a later date. As part of the return, 10 recordings, including four albums and six singles, will be newly inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame later this year.

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. There are currently 1,152 inducted recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. View the full list GRAMMY Hall Of Fame past inductees.

This year, the GRAMMY Museum’s GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala will be the first of what will become an annual event, and includes a red carpet and VIP reception on the newly opened Ray Charles Terrace at the GRAMMY Museum, followed by a one-of-a-kind concert at the NOVO Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

The inaugural gala and concert is produced by longtime executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, Ken Ehrlich, along with Chantel Sausedo and Ron Basile and will feature musical direction by globally renowned producer and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to halloffame@grammymuseum.org.

Keep watching this space for more exciting news about the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame!

2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Winners & Nominees List

It's the most wonderful time of year! With every holiday season comes a new outpouring of festive music, and this year is no different.

From pop and R&B to K-pop and country, artists from all genres revel in the season as they pen new, original Christmas songs and reinterpret well-loved classics. This year, GRAMMY winners like Brandy and Samara Joy deliver full-length albums, while rising stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Mimi Webb and Coco Jones add their own contributions like shiny new baubles on a sparkling Christmas tree. 

Below, GRAMMY.com rounded up 14 new holiday releases worth checking out, from Alanis Morissette's first Christmas EP to new projects by Aly & AJ and Gavin DeGraw, and even a posthumous duet between Elvis Presley and Kane Brown. 

aespa, "Jingle Bell Rock"

Need some K-pop for your holiday playlist? Look no further than aespa's take on "Jingle Bell Rock." The girl group takes Bobby Helms' 1957 hit to the metaverse by giving it a slinky edge punctuated by handclaps, toy piano and glitchy undertones. Members GISELLE and NINGNING even add their own laid-back rap verse to the proceedings, casually tossing off lyrics like, "Ring, ring, ring, jingle bell rock/ Play like a spell/ I won't tell, jingle bell talk" partway through the track.

Aly & AJ, Lonesome Dove

Lonesome Dove isn't Aly & AJ's first Christmas project — that would be their excellent 2006 LP Acoustic Hearts of Winter — but the siblings have come a long way from the Disney days of their last holiday record. Just look at "Greatest Time of Year," which they've plucked from the Acoustic Hearts track list and transformed from into a delicate slowburner perfect to be sung by the fireside. Then there's the pitch-perfect cover of "Sisters," which proves the only way to improve upon Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen's eternally iconic number from 1954's White Christmas is for it to be recorded by, you know, actual sisters.

Brandy, Christmas With Brandy

Considering she's been called the "Vocal Bible" since she rose to stardom in the '90s, a Christmas album makes all the sense in the world for Brandy. On Christmas with Brandy, the R&B sensation — and star of Netflix's new holiday flick Best. Christmas. Ever. — eschews the scriptural in favor of the romantic ("Christmas Party For Two"), the hopeful ("Someday at Christmas") and the celebratory ("Christmas Gift" with daughter Sy'Rai) — all with her trademark gossamer runs and riffs in full, glistening effect.

Kane Brown and Elvis Presley, "Blue Christmas"

Fresh off his performance in NBC's "Christmas at Graceland" special, Kane Brown turns his live version of "Blue Christmas" into a full-blown duet with Elvis Presley himself. The King famously released his iconic version of the holiday classic in 1957 — as well as a live version more than a decade later — and Brown wisely sticks to Presley's tried-and-true formula on their duet by trading verses, while letting Elvis' iconic voice shine.

Sabrina Carpenter, Fruitcake

Sabrina Carpenter created a recipe for a holiday hit last year thanks to "A Nonsense Christmas," a cheeky seasonal remake of her top 10 pop hit "Nonsense." This year, she doubles the recipe on Fruitcake, a delectable slice of Christmas goodness that's equal parts sweet and sour.

On the winking "Buy Me Presents," the pop chanteuse demands the undivided attention of her lover while "Cindy Lou Who" turns the sweetest character in Dr. Seuss' oeuvre into a man-stealing Jolene of Christmas nightmares. "Is It New Year's Yet" revels in an irresistible spirit of pessimism that'll have all of Carpenter's fans saying "Bah humbug!" with glee.

Gavin DeGraw, A Classic Christmas

Eighteen months since Gavin DeGraw's last album, 2022's understated Face the River, the crooner turns up the yuletide cheer — with all the trimming and trappings — for his first holiday record. Each song on the six-track EP stays true to the title, as strings, sleigh bells and tradition combine with DeGraw's soulful timbre on standards like "The Most Wonderful Time of Year," "Silent Night" and "White Christmas."

Kirk Franklin, "Joy To The World"

Kirk Franklin cooked up an extra-special gift for his Spotify Singles Holiday rendition of "Joy to the World." Enlisting a buoyant backing choir, the 19-time GRAMMY winner adds a thoughtful spoken word element over the music, telling listeners everywhere, "This year I offer you the gift of unity. The gift of harmony. Bring us together like never before this holiday season. Find room in your heart. Listen. Can you hear it?"

Coco Jones, "A Timeless Christmas"

Determined to make 2023 a year to remember, Coco Jones follows her five 2024 GRAMMY nominations — including one for Best New Artist — with "A Timeless Christmas." On the original song, the R&B breakout aims to unwrap a holiday filled with family, joy and love as she intones, "Cherish the moment with the people that surround you/ Live in the moment today/ Let's have a timeless Christmas/ Let's just come together in harmony as one forever."

Samara Joy, A Joyful Holiday

Just months after releasing Linger Awhile Longer — the deluxe edition of her 2022 studio album — Samara Joy returns with A Joyful Holiday, a festive EP filled with jazzy originals and standards alike. The 2023 Best New Artist GRAMMY winner taps jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner on "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me" and turns on the feels on opener "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." But perhaps the most special moment of the record happens when three generations of her family join her for a gospel-fueled take on "O Holy Night," filled with stunning harmonies.

Ingrid Michaelson, "This Christmas"

Ingrid Michaelson has supplied plenty of cozy and nostalgic Christmas tunes ever since releasing her 2018 album Songs of the Season, but she doubles down on the warm fireside sounds with her new single "This Christmas." Though it shares a title with the beloved Donny Hathaway track, Michaelson's original song finds beauty in the stillness and small details of the season — from the wonder in a child's eyes as snow falls swirls to the ground to family gathered around the piano.

Alanis Morissette, Last Christmas

After gifting fans a string of holiday singles over the past few years, Alanis Morissette has finally compiled the songs into a full Christmas-themed project. The four-track EP Last Christmas contains three of the alt pioneer’s past releases: 2020’s rousing and poignant “Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and pandemic-era take on “What Child Is This” as well as last year’s “Little Drummer Boy.” However, she saved a shiny new toy for last in the form of a surprisingly peppy cover of Wham!’s modern classic “Last Christmas.”

Jon Pardi, Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi

It's a full-blown Christmas Pardi, ahem, party on Jon Pardi's fifth album, the aptly-titled Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi. The recent Grand Ole Opry inductee appoints Rudolph a designated driver on "Beer For Santa," is unfazed by a ferocious blizzard thanks to "400 Horsepower Sleigh" and sheds his ugly Christmas sweater to celebrates the holiday on the beach with "Merry Christmas From The Keys." But he's also unafraid to put a country spin on the likes of Mariah Carey's timeless smash "All I Want for Christmas Is You," and holiday classics like "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" and "Please Come Home For Christmas."

Meghan Trainor, "Jingle Bells"

Meghan Trainor has delivered Christmas goodies in the past (2020's A Very Trainor Christmas, last year's "Kid on Christmas" with Pentatonix), but this year she teamed up with Amazon Music for an exclusive rendition of "Jingle Bells." There's only a 30-second preview available without Amazon Music, but in the event you're not a subscriber, check out Trainor's other holiday offering of the season: her duet with Jimmy Fallon titled "Wrap Me Up."

Mimi Webb, "Back Home For Christmas"

In the wake of her debut studio album, Amelia, Mimi Webb tackles her first original holiday track in the form of "Back Home For Christmas." The lovelorn single is filled with church bells and yearning galore as the rising pop starlet wails, "Just like that, first of December/ Counting down 'til we're together/ Only one thing on my wishlist/ Bring my love back home for Christmas/ Mistletoe making me lonely/ Santa Claus just can't console me/ Only one thing that I'm missin'/ Bring my love back home for Christmas." 

Clearly, the Christmas season can make you feel all sorts of ways, from nostalgic and cozy to lonely, filled with hope and back again.

15 Must-Hear Albums This December: ATEEZ, Nicki Minaj, Neil Young & More

Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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