meta-scriptWatch Celia Cruz Win Best Salsa Performance At The First-Ever Latin GRAMMYs | GRAMMY Rewind | GRAMMY.com
Watch Celia Cruz Win Best Salsa Performance At The First-Ever Latin GRAMMYs | GRAMMY Rewind

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Watch Celia Cruz Win Best Salsa Performance At The First-Ever Latin GRAMMYs | GRAMMY Rewind

"You guys are going to give me a heart attack!" the Queen Of Salsa exclaimed as she accepted her golden gramophone in the year 2000

GRAMMYs/Oct 4, 2019 - 10:08 pm

In the year 2000, at the first-ever Latin GRAMMY Awards, Cuban salsa icon Celia Cruz accepted a golden gramophone for Best Salsa Performance for her famed live album A Night Of Salsa.

Dancing up to the stage to accept her award, the blue-haired performer exclaimed in Spanish, "This is really a surprise! You guys are going to give me a heart attack!"

"I would like to thank God because he has given me the opportunity to be here with you," she continued. "I want to thank the Academy. I want to thank my husband Pedro Knight, who is here tonight. And for this award, I want to dedicate it to and thank La India, who worked with me on this album. To the Maestro, Johnny Pacheco, my divine God. To my brother, wo has left us but tonight, Tito Puente."

Watch Cruz's acceptance speech above in our latest edition of GRAMMY Rewind

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L.A.’s Historic Conga Room Closes With A Final Party Celebrating Latin Music Excellence
2001 Latin GRAMMY winners pose at the Conga Room.

Photo: Courtesy of the Conga Room

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L.A.’s Historic Conga Room Closes With A Final Party Celebrating Latin Music Excellence

The L.A. Live venue will officially close its doors at the end of March, after two decades of supporting live Latin music (and the Latin GRAMMYs). Ahead of their farewell party, the Conga Room's founder and staff discuss its history and significance.

GRAMMYs/Mar 26, 2024 - 01:24 pm

Los Angeles' legendary Conga Room is closing its doors, but will not go quietly into the night.

The 25-year-old venue has been home to countless Latin music performances and celebrations — including the 2001 Latin GRAMMYs — and will host its final event on March 27. The official, invitation-only closing celebration will feature a performance by Puerto Rican salsa star Gilberto Santa Rosa and the Conga Kids, as well appearances from Jimmy Smits and Paul Rodriguez, both of whom were investors in the space. 

First opened in 1999 on Wilshire Boulevard by real estate entrepreneur and Latin music lover Brad Gluckstein, the Conga Room drew investors like Jennifer Lopez and Sheila E — all of whom were committed to the venue’s vision of being an upscale nightclub devoted to live Latin music and dancing. In both its Miracle Mile location and its later space at L.A. Live, the club attracted an absolutely staggering lineup of talent, including Celia Cruz, Buena Vista Social Club, Tito Puente, Carlos Santana, Alejandro Fernández, Fito Paez, Jerry Rivera, Bad Bunny, and Maluma. The venue also hosted performances from non-Latinx artists like Prince, Ed Sheeran, Lenny Kravitz, Kendrick Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, and Avicii.

"I saw Prince perform in venues the world over, but his very first performance at the Conga Room was magical," says talk show host Tavis Smiley. "Of all the times I witnessed my friend on stage, from Madison Square Garden to Montreux, the Conga Room remains my favorite Prince performance."

Gluckstein says that the Conga Room was able to draw such great talent not just because it was one of the only major venues that leaned into Latin music in the United States, but because there was a mutual respect between the artists and the venue. 

"We couldn’t compete financially with [Goldenvoice or AEG], but we were able to bring an incredible amount of talent to the venue," he tells GRAMMY.com. "I was talking to Jerry Rivera’s agent the other day and I said, ‘Jerry just played in front of 10,000 people in Venezuela. Help me understand why playing in front of 1,000 people at the Conga room was so important.’ He went on for 10 minutes about what the room meant to these artists and the way we respected them, the sound system, and the way they were treated. The fan engagement, too, plus the fact that there was never really a comparable room anywhere else, even in New York."

"We provided a stage and a voice for acts that didn’t have a way of getting to their audience here in L.A., because no radio stations were playing their kind of music," says Marcella Cuonzo, the venue’s publicist. "For reggaeton, for example, the Conga Room was a pioneer in the movement around 2010. Radio wasn’t playing that music, but the Conga Room took a gamble on the sound because they saw its vision." 

The Conga Room was also the first venue in Los Angeles to host a wide-range of Cuban musical talent starting in the mid- to late ‘90s. "We had probably 50 shows," says Gluckstein. "We got everything from Bebo Valdés to [Diego] El Cigala to Pablo Milanés, who played his first show ever in the U.S. at our venue. He’s the Bob Dylan of Cuba. We brought Los Van Van, who’s probably the most famous salsa or timba group in the history of Cuba. They couldn’t play in Miami, because Miami wouldn’t allow Cuban music, so the GRAMMYs gave them their trophy [for Best Salsa Performance] at the Conga Room."  

The Latin GRAMMY Awards moved from L.A. from Miami in 2001, and the ceremony was set to take place at the Shrine Auditorium on Sept. 11. That telecast was understandably canceled following the tragic events of that day in New York, and rather than rescheduling the whole event, winners were announced at a press conference on Oct. 30 at the Conga Room. Alejandro Sanz came away with four awards, including Album Of The Year, and Juanes took home three Latin GRAMMYs, including Best New Artist.

"I remember Celia Cruz giving a beautiful speech that night in Spanish, thanking the firefighters and policemen and saying ‘this is for you, but also a little bit for us," says Gluckstein. "In later years, once we were at L.A. Live, we hosted the Latin GRAMMY nominations several times. I have footage of Andy Garcia doing them on-stage with Jimmy Smits." 

The Conga Room is closing now because, Gluckstein says, it just seems like the right time. "The pandemic, of course, played a role," he explains. "And I think the enormity of AEG and Live Nation, with how fierce the competition is, all of that has made buying talent much more expensive and has made talent more selective in terms of what's the best economic opportunity for them." 

There’s also the rising success of Conga Kids, the venue’s non-profit arm, to consider. A county-wide organization with about 100 employees, Conga Kids reaches roughly 50,000 elementary-aged kids in largely under-resourced communities every year, using dance and music from the Afro-Diaspora like salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton, Charleston, and hip-hop to promote social and emotional well-being, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusivity. 

Though fans and artists will undoubtedly miss the space, energy, and community the Conga Room provided, Gluckstein says the venue’s closure doesn’t have to be sad. Instead, he says, it can be celebratory. 

"We accomplished so much," he says. "Now, the venue will just have to live on in the hearts and minds of people, instead of as a brick and mortar space." 

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Linda Ronstadt's Sweet & Simple Acceptance Speech In 1977
(L-R) Linda Ronstadt and Peter Asher at the 1977 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Linda Ronstadt's Sweet & Simple Acceptance Speech In 1977

When Linda Ronstadt won a GRAMMY for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance — for her seventh album, 'Hasten Down the Wind' — she only had one special person in mind: her producer, Peter Asher.

GRAMMYs/Mar 22, 2024 - 04:32 pm

With Hasten Down the Wind, Linda Ronstadt became the first female artist with three million-selling albums in a row — and furthered her legacy as one of the pioneers of women in rock music.

The album also helped Ronstadt snag her second GRAMMY, as it won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1977. (The year prior, she took home Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her cover of Hank Williams' "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You).")

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, relive the moment Linda Ronstadt won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Hasten Down the Wind in 1977.

Ronstadt kept her acceptance speech short and sweet: "I'd especially like to thank Peter Asher," the producer of the pop rock LP. "Thank you," she added with a smile.

To date, Ronstadt has won 11 GRAMMYs and received 27 nominations. In 2011 and 2016, respectively, she received a Latin GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award and a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award.

Press play on the video above to watch Linda Ronstadt take the stage to accept Best Pop Vocal Performance at the 19th Annual GRAMMY Awards and remember to keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Tina Turner Win Her First Solo GRAMMY In 1985 For "What's Love Got To Do With It?"
Tina Turner at the 1985 GRAMMYs.

Photo: CBS via Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Tina Turner Win Her First Solo GRAMMY In 1985 For "What's Love Got To Do With It?"

Relive the moment Tina Turner won a golden gramophone for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female — an opportunity she had been waiting for "for such a long time."

GRAMMYs/Mar 15, 2024 - 05:04 pm

During her remarkable 83 years of life, the late Tina Turner received eight GRAMMY awards, a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, and three introductions into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we travel to 1985, when Turner won a golden gramophone for one of her many iconic hits, "What's Love Got to Do with It?," in the Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, category.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for such a long time," she said in her acceptance speech. "I have to thank many people. And all of you that I don't get to thank, you must know that it's in my mind."

Among those "many people," Turner praised Graham Lyle and Terry Britten, who wrote the track; John Carter, her A&R "who played a wonderful part" in relaunching her career with Capitol Records in the '80s; and Roger Davies, her manager, "a great man who has done a great job with her career."

Later that night, "What's Love Got To Do With It?" helped Turner win Record Of The Year; she also took home Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, for "Better Be Good to Me." Though the 1985 ceremony marked Turner's first solo awards, she first won a GRAMMY in 1972 alongside her ex-husband, Ike Turner, for their recording of "Proud Mary."

Press play on the video above to watch Tina Turner's full acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, and remember to check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch The Chicks Take 'Home' Best Country Album In 2003
The Chicks at the 2003 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch The Chicks Take 'Home' Best Country Album In 2003

Revisit the Chicks' heartfelt acceptance speech after their sixth studio album, 'Home,' won Best Country Album at the 45th GRAMMY Awards — one of their three golden gramophones from the night.

GRAMMYs/Mar 8, 2024 - 06:00 pm

When the Chicks walked into the 45th Annual GRAMMY Awards, they already had four GRAMMYs to their name. But like Natalie Maines cheered at the start of their speech for Best Country Album, "No, this never gets old."

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, relive the moment when the trio and Maines' father shared the stage to accept the golden gramophone for their sixth album, Home.

"We are so attached to this album and really proud of it," Maines shared. "It's our first co-producing effort, and we did it with my dad, Lloyd Maines. So, I want to check the record books and find out how many fathers and daughters have won GRAMMYs together."

"We want to say we are so glad we kissed and made up with Sony because they've done so many wonderful things with this record — a record that's acoustic and not very mainstream," Martie Maguire chimed. "Yet, it's winning GRAMMYs and topping the charts. We really credit the Columbia New York team."

Before closing out the speech, Emily Strayer and Maines praised the rest of their team in Nashville, and, of course, the fans: "We thought this would just be a project we gave away on the internet."

That same night, the Chicks — who at the time still went by the Dixie Chicks; they changed their name in 2020 — also won Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Lil' Jack Slade" and Best Duo/Group Country Vocal Performance for "Long Time Gone." As of press time, the Chicks have won 12 GRAMMYs, including four Best Country Album wins.

Press play on the video above to hear the Chicks' complete acceptance speech for Best Country Album at the 2003 GRAMMY Awards, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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