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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Blues Legend B.B. King Win His First GRAMMY In 1971

B.B. King at 1971 GRAMMYs

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Blues Legend B.B. King Win His First GRAMMY In 1971

In the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, witness the King of Blues accept his first of 15 career GRAMMYs

GRAMMYs/Oct 30, 2020 - 10:08 pm

There is a moment in every legend's life when the world begins to really witness the mastery of their artform. For B.B. King, there was no turning back from his fate to become the King of Blues after releasing "The Thrill Is Gone" in 1969. His reimaging of Roy Hawkins' jazzy 1951 R&B hit would remain one of his biggest songs—and the highest-charting, hitting No. 15 on the Hot 100.

At the 1971 GRAMMYs, the classic blues bop would also earn him his first of 15 career GRAMMY wins.

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For the latest edition of GRAMMY Rewind, we revisit this first-ever GRAMMY win for the guitar great. Above, watch a humbled, dapper King accept the golden gramophone for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

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GRAMMY Rewind: Faith Hill Graciously Thanks Her Supporters After 'Breathe' Wins Best Country Album In 2001
Faith Hill at the 2001 GRAMMYs.

Photo: HECTOR MATA/AFP via Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Faith Hill Graciously Thanks Her Supporters After 'Breathe' Wins Best Country Album In 2001

After winning Best Country Album for 'Breathe' — one of her three wins at the 2001 GRAMMYs — Faith Hill delivered a heartfelt speech thanking her family for helping her achieve her dreams, and her team for making that dream a reality.

GRAMMYs/May 26, 2023 - 05:02 pm

When Dolly Parton, flanked by Brad Paisley, handed Faith Hill her GRAMMY for Best Country Album in 2001 — for her classic 1999 album Breathe — it felt like a passing of the torch.*

The first words out of an awestruck Hill's mouth, to Parton: "Wow! And coming from you, thank you so much. I just admire you so much."

Hill went on to deliver a heartfelt speech, in which she thanked her parents for helping facilitate her music dreams and expressed how long and hard her journey to the GRAMMYs stage was.

Breathe helped Hill take home three GRAMMYs that night — the others being Best Female Country Vocal Performance ("Breathe") and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals ("Let's Make Love," with three-time GRAMMY-winning husband Tim McGraw.)

Check out the throwback to Y2K-era country music history above, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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Here's What Went Down At The 2023 Blues Music Awards In Memphis
Shemekia Copeland accepts an award at the 2023 Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tennessee

Photo: Joseph Rosen

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Here's What Went Down At The 2023 Blues Music Awards In Memphis

A crowd of more than 1,100 filled the ballroom of the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis for a music-filled show. Here are four takeaways from the soulful evening.

GRAMMYs/May 24, 2023 - 09:33 pm

For more than four decades — even during the pandemic — the Memphis-based Blues Foundation has annually recognized the genre's best, including such GRAMMY-winning luminaries as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

On May 11, the foundation presented the 44th Annual Blues Music Awards, featuring a host of blues mainstays — as well as younger artists who combine the various strains of the blues with diverse strands of Americana.

A crowd of more than 1,100 filled the ballroom of the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis for a music-filled show that packed 25 awards and more than a dozen musical performances into a deceptively tight five-hour show.

Here are four takeaways from this year's Blues Music Awards:

Big Winners Were Touched By Tribulations

This was the second in-person BMA ceremony following two years of virtual presentations due to COVID. But while the pandemic has abated, illness still loomed over some of the night's wins.

Tommy Castro, who won B.B. King Entertainer of the Year for the second year in a row — and whose band is, ironically, called the Painkillers — missed the ceremony because he was recuperating from back surgery. His award was accepted by his frequent collaborator, Deanna Bogart, also a winner for Best Instrumentalist - Horns.

BMA regular John Németh, who recently survived a bout with a jaw tumor, was thankful just to be alive to accept his two awards on the night, one for best instrumentalist-harmonica and another for Best Traditional Blues Album for the aptly-titled May be the Last Time, a collaboration with Elvin Bishop and others that was recorded two weeks before his cancer surgery.

"I had no idea if I was going to be able to make it here tonight, but I did," said Nemeth to a round of applause. "I want to thank the Blues Foundation, I want to thank their HART Fund, and I want to thank everybody who donate to my GoFundMe to help me get a brand-new jawbone so I can play some more harmonica."

Repeat Winners Ruled The Night

A lot of familiar names were called out from the stage. In addition to Nemeth, Buddy Guy (Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album) and blues rock up-and-comer Albert Castiglia (Blues Rock Album and Blues Rock Artist) each won two awards on the night. 

Meanwhile, Castro led the way among artists winning categories for consecutive years, including Albert Castiglia (Blues Rock Artist), Danielle Nicole (Instrumentalist Bass), Curtis Salgado (Soul Blues Male Artist) and Sue Foley (Traditional Blues Female Artist).

Perhaps most impressive though was GRAMMY-winning blues guitarist Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, who won Contemporary Blues Male Artist for an impressive fourth year in a row. 

While ccepting the award, a humble Ingram said he hadn't prepared anything to say because he didn't expect to win. Right then, he thanked his fellow nominees, and returned to the stage for an acoustic set that showcased his strong, assured vocals as much as his adroit fretwork.

Hill Country Blues Are Alive And Well

The night before the BMAs, the Blues Foundation held a ceremony at the Halloran Centre in downtown Memphis to induct a new class into the Blues Hall of Fame.

This included departed greats Esther Phillips, Carey Bell, Snooky Pryor, Fenton Robinson, Josh White, and Junior Kimbrough, the late Holly Springs bluesman who helped pioneer what has become the North Mississippi Hill Country style.

At the BMAs, the sound made famous by Kimbrough and his close contemporary, the late R.L. Burnside, proved to be alive and well.

R.L.'s grandson, GRAMMY winner Cedric Burnside, who holds an impressive 10 BMAs, was, scheduled to perform but, for whatever reason, missed his slot.

His uncle Duwayne Burnside, who has written and played with his father, Kimbrough, and the North Mississippi Allstars, among others, carried the torch. He played an acoustic set of hill country classics backed by R.L.'s longtime guitarist Kenny Brown.

Young Artists Made Their Mark

Veteran blues artists dominated this year's BMAs, but a handful of young performers broke through at the show as well, wowing the audience with their performances.

McComb, Mississippi's Mr. Sipp (aka, Casto Coleman) returned to close out the night with a gospel-infused closing set that brought the crowd to their feet.

Two more former emerging artist winners also provided show highlights: GRAMMY-nominated band Southern Avenue rocked the house with an inspired acoustic stage mini set, featuring a trio of female voices.

Meanwhile, Detroit's Annika Chambers and her musical partner Paul DesLauriers delivered a high-energy segment that fused rock and soul into their blues.

Joining these up-and-comers was this year's Emerging Artist winner, 22-year-old St. Louis native Dylan Triplett.

A prodigy blessed with a four-and-a-half octave vocal range, Triplett took the stage early with his band to play R&B-inflected selections from his debut album, Who Is He? When his name was called for his award, he acknowledged his faith and thanked his parents — including his father, saxophone player Art Pollard.

Clearly, the blues are alive and well — and the 2023 Blues Music Awards remain a critical part of this magnificent musical sphere.

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GRAMMY Rewind: Daft Punk Shares "Love" For Macklemore After 'Random Access Memories' Wins Album Of The Year In 2014
Daft Punk on stage with Nile Rodgers (left), Paul Williams (center) and Pharrell Williams (center right) at the 2014 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Michael Tran/FilmMagic

GRAMMY Rewind: Daft Punk Shares "Love" For Macklemore After 'Random Access Memories' Wins Album Of The Year In 2014

Notorious for their silent (and masked) appearances, French EDM duo Daft Punk had 'Random Access Memories' collaborator Paul Williams deliver their heartwarming message at the 56th GRAMMY Awards — which included a shout-out to Macklemore.

GRAMMYs/May 17, 2023 - 05:00 pm

This year, Daft Punk is celebrating their 20th anniversary. Their groundbreaking album Random Access Memories also celebrates a milestone anniversary in 2023, turning 10 on May 17.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we turn back the clock to 2014, when Daft Punk won the prestigious Album of the Year award for Random Access Memories. Notorious for their silent, faceless appearances, musical legend Paul Williams accepted the duo's award while they stood back.

"Back when I was drinking and using, I used to imagine things that weren't there that were frightening. Then, I got sober, and two robots called me and asked me to make an album," Williams joked at the beginning of the speech.

"I just got a message from the robots, and what they wanted me to say is that as elegant and as classy as the GRAMMY has ever been is the moment when we saw those wonderful marriages," Williams said, referring to Macklemore's revolutionary performance of "Same Love" at the same ceremony. "'Same Love' is fantastic, and it was the height of fairness and the power of love for all people at any time, in any combination."

Williams went on to praise Daft Punk's generous spirit, their fellow collaborators, and the love that went into making the album.

Press play on the video above to watch Paul Williams' full acceptance speech for Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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GRAMMY Rewind: Macy Gray Praises Hip-Hop & Her Legendary Mentors After "I Try" Wins In 2001
Macy Gray at the 2001 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Macy Gray Praises Hip-Hop & Her Legendary Mentors After "I Try" Wins In 2001

Macy Gray gave a shout-out to Prince, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone during a quick but heartfelt acceptance speech for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 43rd GRAMMY Awards.

GRAMMYs/May 12, 2023 - 05:00 pm

After having a whirlwind year thanks to her runaway hit "I Try," Macy Gray celebrated yet another accomplishment thanks to the ubiquitous jam: her first GRAMMY.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we flashback to the evening Gray won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for her chart-topping single, "I Try." Though her acceptance speech was short and sweet, she made sure the people who got her there — starting off with her biggest inspirations.  

"I just want to thank all of my mentors, like Prince, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone," Gray said at the start of her speech. She went on to praise the hip-hop community, her band and her family.

"I'm really flattered by all of you who voted for me. Thanks!" Gray exclaimed as she made her way off the stage.

Gray also scored Record of the Year and Song of the Year nominations for "I Try" that year. The year prior, she was up for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Do Something" as well as the coveted Best New Artist. 

Press play on the video above to watch Macy Gray's quick but gracious acceptance speech for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2001 GRAMMYs, and check back to GRAMMY.com every Friday for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind. 

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