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“Wolverton Mountain” was a hit that launched Claude King’s career as an American country singer/songwriter in 1962. The song was written together with Merle Kilgore and was based on a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on Wolverton Mountain, north of Morrilton, Arkansas. The song spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart in the US in 1962. It was also a giant crossover hit, reaching number six on the pop chart and number three on the easy listening chart.
Claude King’s singles: The Comancheros ( 1961 ), Wolverton Mountain ( 1962 ), The Burning Of Atlanta ( 1962 )
Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_King
Thomas Charles “Stompin’ Tom” Connors – (February 9, 1936 – March 6, 2013) was one of Canada’s most prolific and well-known country and folk singer-songwriters. Focusing his career exclusively on his native Canada, Connors is credited with writing more than 300 songs and has released four dozen albums, with total sales of nearly 4 million copies. Connors died at age 77 in his home in Ballinafad, Ontario on March 6, 2013, of renal failure. Stompin’ Tom Connors is survived by his wife, Lena, four children and several grandchildren.
His songs have become part of the Canadian cultural landscape. Three of his best-known songs — Sudbury Saturday Night, Bud the Spud and The Hockey Song — play at every home game of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team. The Hockey Song is played at games throughout the National Hockey League.
Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stompin%27_Tom_Connors
- Lee Brice – Photo Credit: Eric Welch
Benefit for T.J. Martell Foundation Scheduled for October 5-8, 2013 at the Reach Resort
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (March 5, 2013) – For the fifth year in a row, country music will come together on the scenic beaches of Key West, Fla. to benefit the music industry’s largest foundation that funds leukemia, cancer and AIDS research: the T.J. Martell Foundation. Long-time friends and songwriting buddies Lee Brice, Randy Houser and Jerrod Niemann will triple headline the final night of Country On The Beach, as super duo Montgomery Gentry hosts and GAC’s Headline Country’s Storme Warren emcees. Country music fans are invited to attend and get an up-close-and-personal experience with their favorite country stars as they let loose in one of Florida’s most popular vacation spots.
“We call the growing gang of fans who attend our annual tropical reunions ‘the world’s largest dysfunctional family,’” Warren states lightheartedly. “Now that we’re adding Lee, Randy and Jerrod in to the mix, that family just got a whole lot more dysfunctional. The hits will be flying from the stage. I can’t wait!”
Tickets are available by visiting www.countryonthebeach.com and proceeds from the weekend’s auctions and special excursions will benefit the foundation. Meet-and-greets with the artists will be available, and fans can expect a laid-back environment where a few ‘surprise’ off-the-cuff acoustic performances are never out of the ordinary.
To-date, the T.J. Martell Foundation has raised more than $250 million for research with the help of hundreds of volunteers and music industry professionals, which has been successfully leveraged into several billion dollars in order to support innovative medical research focused on finding cures and supporting early-stage research projects aimed at developing effective treatment. For more information on the T.J. Martell Foundation, visit http://www.tjmartellfoundation.org/.
For more information about Country On The Beach, visit the official website, www.countryonthebeach.com.
Jerrod Niemann
Photo Credit: Jeremy Cowart
About Jerrod Niemann
Both Bands Will Supplement This Joint Excursion With Individual Headline Dates
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company have announced The 40 Tour – a co-headline tour that takes the bands coast-to-coast for 12 dates. Both bands celebrate significant 40th anniversaries in 2013, with Lynyrd Skynyrd having released their debut album on August 13, 1973 and Bad Company being formed that same year. While the pair have shared the stage and Paul Rodgers has toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company and Skynyrd have never toured as co-headliners together.
Led by core members Gary Rossington (guitar), Johnny Van Zant (vocals) and Rickey Medlocke (guitar), along with longtime drummer Michael Cartellone, Lynyrd Skynyrd has maintained a tremendous legacy that began over 40 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida, and continues with the recently released Last Of A Dying Breed (Roadrunner). The band’s career was halted for a decade after the 1977 plane crash that killed three band members, including Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, and then subsequently faced adversity through the losses of Billy Powell, Ean Evans, Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson and Huey Thomasson, yet they rock on. With a catalog of over 60 albums, sales beyond 30 million worldwide and their beloved classic American rock anthem “Sweet Home Alabama” having over two million downloaded ringtones, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Lynyrd Skynyrd remains a cultural icon that appeals to all generations. The current line-up features Gary Rossington (Guitar), Johnny Van Zant (Vocals), Rickey Medlocke (Guitar), Mark “Sparky” Matejka (Guitar), Michael Cartellone (Drums), Johnny Colt (Bass), Peter Keys (Keyboards), and Dale Krantz Rossington and Carol Chase as The Honkettes (Backing Vocals).
Bad Company were dubbed a super-group upon the band’s formation due to the union of Free’s Paul Rodgers (Vocals / Multi-Instrumentalist) with Mott The Hoople’s Mick Ralphs (Guitar) plus King Crimson’s Boz Burrell (Bass) and Free’s Simon Kirke (Drums). Over the next nine years, the band released a string of six albums, yielding international hits “Can’t Get Enough,” “Bad Company,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” and many others penned by the main songwriters Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs. Original members Rodgers, Ralphs, and Kirke will be joined by guitarist Howard Leese and bassist Todd Ronning (from Paul Rodgers solo band). Original bassist Boz Burrell passed away in 2006.
Bad Company has inspired many of today’s musicians. Most notably, Metal band Five Finger Death Punch who scored a #1 Active Rock hit with a cover of the song “Bad Company”. Since 2001, the band has only played 11 isolated performances, and has not staged a tour of The United States until now. In front of the run, Rodgers shares, “When Mick and I formed the band in the 70’s we were amazed at the instant success. It didn’t hurt to have Led Zeppelin behind us, and we wrote some decent songs that still resonate. This one is for fans.”
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant offers, “Every member of Skynyrd has been fans of Bad Company from the get go. Personally, Paul is one of my favorite rock singers. We have a deep appreciation for Bad Company’s music and look forward to being on the road with them and sharing the stage.” Paul Rodgers reveals, “The Skynyrds and I go back to the 70’s and the days and nights at the Hyatt House on Sunset in LA aka the Riot House. In the 90’s the band introduced me to my wife Cynthia, and that’s why I am so damned happy and healthy these years.”
Special guests and Kentucky-bred hard rockers, Black Stone Cherry, will be kicking things off on The 40 Tour. Their music has been described as Southern-fried hard rock about everything from being proud of where you come from and true to who you are.
The co-headline tour will stage performances at the following venues:
William Smith Monroe (September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the “Blue Grass Boys,” named for Monroe’s home state of Kentucky. Monroe’s performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. He is often referred to as The Father of Bluegrass.
”Uncle Pen,” was recorded in 1950, and the 1972 album, “Bill Monroe’s Uncle Pen.” On that album, Monroe recorded a number of traditional fiddle tunes he had often heard performed by Vandiver. Uncle Pen has been credited with giving Monroe “a repertoire of tunes that sank into Bill’s aurally trained memory and a sense of rhythm that seeped into his bones.” Also significant in Monroe’s musical life was Arnold Shultz, an influential fiddler and guitarist who introduced Monroe to the blues.
Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Monroe
Listen to Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen” in the player below:
Educational Program Will Hit
13 Cities Across The Country
To Explore The Importance Of Audio Engineering
And Music Making
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (March. 5, 2013) — GRAMMY U®— a program created to prepare college students interested in pursuing a career in the music industry — announced today the Era Of The Engineer tour with GRAMMY® -nominated engineer/producer Young Guru — an educational program, that will launch April 8, 2013, in Philadelphia and make 13 stops across the United States. This exciting new platform will offer college students the opportunity to explore the importance of the audio engineer’s role in today’s do-it-yourself recording climate through town hall discussions and in-studio sessions. For GRAMMY U coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit our social networks on Twitter and Facebook.
A three-time GRAMMY nominee and member of The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® Advisory Council, Young Guru possesses more than a decade of experience in sound engineering, production and A&R for acclaimed labels Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Throughout his expansive and diverse career, he has collaborated with artists such as Beyoncé, Drake, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Snoop Dogg, among others. Recognizing the accessibility people have to make music in today’s world, Young Guru created the Era Of The Engineer lecture series to emphasize and teach about the importance of audio engineers and the record-making process.
The 13-city tour, sponsored in part by HP and Disc Makers, will launch Monday, April 8 in Philadelphia and conclude on Sunday, April 28 in Memphis. GRAMMY U students and members of the P&E Wing are invited to attend the 90-minute lecture panels. Additional tour dates include:
April 8: Philadelphia, Drexel University
April 9: Seattle, JBL Theater at, EMP Museum
April 10: Berkeley, Calif., Fantasy Studios
April 12: Los Angeles, The Recording Academy
April 15: Chicago, SAE Institute
April 16: Washington D.C., SoundExchange
April 17: New York City, NYU at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
April 22: Oklahoma City, Academy Of Contemporary Music, University of Central Oklahoma
April 24: New Orleans, Loyola University
April 25: Miami, Miami Dade College
April 26: Atlanta, Emory Center for Ethics (will be streamed live at www.ethics.emory.edu)
April 27: Murfreesboro, Tenn., Middle Tennessee State University
April 28: Memphis, Royal Studios
About GRAMMY U
GRAMMY U is a unique and fast-growing community of full-time college students primarily between the ages of 17 and 25, who are pursuing a career in the recording industry. The Recording Academy created GRAMMY U to help prepare college students for their careers in the music industry through networking, educational programs, and performance opportunities. GRAMMY U is designed to enhance students’ current academic curriculum with access to recording industry professionals to give an “out of classroom” perspective on the recording industry. For GRAMMY U coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit social networks on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Jewel Eugene Akens recorded with The Medallions on Dootone, with The Four Dots on Freedom, and then with singer Eddie Daniels as “Jewel and Eddie” on the Silver Records label in 1960. A number of his recordings featured Eddie Cochran on guitar. He later went solo and recorded “The Birds And The Bees” in 1965, on the Era Records label. The single went to Number 3 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year, and Number 2 on the Cash Box chart. It reached Number 29 in the UK Singles Chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. But the follow-up, “Georgie Porgie” only reached Number 68.
Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Akens
Traditional Bluegrass Musician, Alvin Breeden Passes
Alvin Breeden, 70, a traditional bluegrass musician and an enthusiast of the late Don Reno’s style of banjo died on February 26, 2013 at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA. The cause of death was not disclosed. The Preddy Funeral Home Chapel in Madison, VA., confirmed the death.
Breeden played professionally from the time he was 16 years of age. During his career Breeden played with Dr. Ralph Stanley; and banjo extraordinaire, Don Reno. The Osborne Brothers recorded a song, “Fastest Grass Alive,” written by Paul Craft in Breeden’s honor.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Feb. 22, 2013) — The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards® on Feb. 10 showcased a diverse and eclectic mix of musical performances and highlighted some of today’s most talented artists and garnered 28.37 million viewers — the second largest audience for the awards broadcast since 1993, and up 7 percent in households compared to the 53rd show in 2011 (adding 1.7 million viewers). The 22 show-stopping, signature GRAMMY Moments showcased both legends and newcomers throughout the three-and-a-half hour show. Music’s Biggest Night® also grew its social media conversation by 47 percent, generating 24.8 million comments (based on research compiled by Bluefin, PeopleBrowsr, and Mass Relevance).
GRAMMY Week events — including the annual MusiCares® Person of the Year gala, GRAMMY Camp – Basic Training, Special Merit Awards Ceremony, Nominees Reception, and the Pre-GRAMMY Gala, and more — highlighted education, philanthropy, advocacy, diverse artists and musical genres, and set records with increased guests and media attendance. Aggressive social networking and marketing and a user-friendly design helped bring awareness to GRAMMY.com, and the “GRAMMY Effect” the week following the show resulted in significant increases in album sales and digital song downloads for performers and GRAMMY-winning artists, with at least nine albums seeing gains of 100 percent or more.
“From all of the outstanding nominees and performances during the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards to the surrounding GRAMMY Week events, this year’s celebrations are shining examples of The Recording Academy’s year-round mission,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “We are exceptionally proud to spotlight the best and brightest in music as well as highlight education, preservation and philanthropy. It’s also gratifying to see consumers and fans continue to engage with the GRAMMYs through our social networking programs and GRAMMY.com, demonstrating that the world is indeed listening.”
GRAMMY Awards Performers And Presenters This year’s celebration of music showcased a special In Memoriam segment and tribute to Levon Helm, which featured Elton John, Mavis Staples, Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes), Zac Brown, Mumford & Sons and T Bone Burnett; a tribute performance to Bob Marley featuring performances by Bruno Mars, Sting, Rihanna and Ziggy Marley, and Damian Marley; and additional unforgettable moments by Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert; the Black Keys with Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; Kelly Clarkson; Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, and Kenny Garrett; FUN.; Hunter Hayes; Elton John and Ed Sheeran; Juanes; Alicia Keys and Maroon 5; the Lumineers; Miguel and Wiz Khalifa; Frank Ocean, Rihanna; Taylor Swift; Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z; Carrie Underwood; Jack White; and a finale performance by host LL COOL J, Chuck D, Travis Barker, Tom Morello, and DJ Z-Trip. Presenters included Adele, Beyoncé, Kaley Cuoco, Ellen DeGeneres, Kat Dennings, Johnny Depp, Dave Grohl, Neil Patrick Harris, Faith Hill, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jennifer Lopez, John Mayer, Tim McGraw, Nas, Ne-Yo, Pauley Perrette, Katy Perry, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Kelly Rowland, Ryan Seacrest, and Keith Urban.
GRAMMY Nominees Album And The “GRAMMY Effect” The 2013 GRAMMY Nominees Album made its debut at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart and continues its success post-telecast in the No. 2 position — its highest chart position in the history of the series — with a 136 percent increase in album sales (and a 106 percent increase in digital album downloads). This year, The Recording Academy and Capitol Records teamed to release the 19th edition of the best-selling series, which highlighted artists and songs nominated for the current GRAMMY year. A portion of proceeds from the sale of the CD benefits MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation®.
Additionally, numerous artists enjoyed the post-telecast “GRAMMY Effect,” with the show sparking sales gains for 18 of the Top 40 albums on the Billboard 200, seven in the Top 10. Album sales jumps included Mumford & Sons (242 percent; 260 percent increase in digital album downloads), the Black Keys (135 percent; 106 percent digital albums), Alabama Shakes (130 percent; 118 percent digital), Maroon 5 (119 percent; 133 percent digital), Jack White (123 percent; 60 percent digital),FUN. (118 percent; 61 percent digital), Bruno Mars (112 percent; 41 percent digital), Zac Brown Band (116 percent; 116 percent digital), Hunter Hayes (80 percent; 79 percent digital), Rihanna (71 percent; 81 percent digital), and Ed Sheeran (71 percent; 57 percent digital), among others. Increases on the Digital Songs chart included Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko’s “Stay” (358 percent), FUN.’s “Carry On” (122 percent), the Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy” (88 percent), Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z’s “Suit & Tie” (67 percent), Gotye featuring Kimbra’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” (62 percent), and Carrie Underwood’s “Two Black Cadillacs” (42 percent), to name a few.
TBWA\Chiat\Day Marketing Campaign The Recording Academy and TBWA\Chiat\Day teamed for the sixth year to promote the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards with the campaign “#TheWorldIsListening,” which featured both established and up-and-coming artists across a variety of print, out-of-home and digital communications, as well as three TV commercials. At the heart of the campaign is a newly created website, grammyamplifier.com, which allows musicians to share their tracks via SoundCloud for a chance to have their music tweeted out by a panel of musical icons. The ultimate goal is to discover artists with the potential to be the next generation of GRAMMY winners. All of the campaign materials prominently featured the hashtag, #TheWorldIsListening, a first in GRAMMY history and a testament to the role of social media with regard to the GRAMMY telecast.
GRAMMY Live For the fourth year, GRAMMY Live brought music fans around the globe three days of unprecedented, multiplatform access to all the VIP and backstage events leading up to and throughout the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The multi-screen experience offered fans a complete backstage pass to Music’s Biggest Night with three days full of exclusive live streaming video, behind-the-scenes GRAMMY cameras, red-carpet coverage, press room question-and-answer sessions, and a live feed of GRAMMY winners’ portrait sessions. GRAMMY Live also gave fans special access to exclusive GRAMMY Week events including the MusiCares Person of the Year gala honoring Bruce Springsteen, Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Nominees Reception, Pre-GRAMMY Gala and the official GRAMMY Celebration after-party. Available across GRAMMY.com, CBS.com and the GRAMMY Live mobile apps for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and Android devices, GRAMMY Live was the only place to view the Pre-Telecast Ceremony in its entirety, including live performances and the presentation of approximately 70 GRAMMY categories.
GRAMMY Pre-Telecast The GRAMMY Pre-Telecast — during which awards for a majority of the 81 categories were presented — took place for the first time at Nokia Theatre at L.A. LIVE prior to the telecast and enjoyed its largest attendance to date. Once again, the ceremony was streamed live at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com and the stream is available for 30 days following the event. This year’s ceremony was hosted by actor/singer/comedian and nominee David Alan Grier and presented performances by nominees Krishna Das, eighth blackbird, John Fullbright, Hugh Masekela, Tyrese, and Elle Varner. Presenting the first GRAMMY Awards of the day in approximately 70 categories were Radmilla Cody, Janis Ian, Jimmy Jam, Kaskade, Britt Nicole, and Manuel Valera. Overall, GRAMMYs in 36 out of 81 categories this year were awarded to independent artists and/or music released on an independent label. Additionally, artists who were on hand to accept their GRAMMY Awards during the Pre-Telecast included the Black Keys, the Civil Wars, Chick Corea, Robert Glasper, Gotye with Kimbra, Halestorm, Dr. John, Juanes, Little Big Town, Mary Mary, Pat Metheny, Bonnie Raitt, Esperanza Spalding, Taylor Swift, Brian Wilson, Arturo Sandoval, and Skrillex.
GRAMMY Week Events
Official GRAMMY Week events presented diverse celebrations leading up to Music’s Biggest Night. The Producers & Engineers Wing® presented its sixth annual event paying tribute to those “behind the glass” at The Village recording studio in West Los Angeles. Titled “An Evening Of Jazz,” the celebration honored 27-time GRAMMY winner and multi-talented music producer Quincy Jones and 18-time GRAMMY-winning producer/engineer Al Schmitt for their commitment to excellence and ongoing support for the art and craft of recorded music. The Special Merit Awards Ceremony, held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award — honoring lifelong artistic contributions to the recording medium— to Glenn Gould, Charlie Haden, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Carole King, Patti Page, Ravi Shankar and the Temptations; the Trustees Award — recognizing outstanding contributions to the industry in areas other than performance — to Marilyn & Alan Bergman, Leonard & Phil Chess and Alan Livingston; and the Technical GRAMMY Award — honoring an individual’s and/or corporation’s outstanding contributions of technical significance to the recording field — to Ikutaro Kakehashi & Dave Smith and Royer Labs. And next year, through a partnership between The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation, the first Music Educator Award will be presented at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony.
Pre-GRAMMY Gala And GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons®
The Recording Academy once again partnered with Clive Davis to present the exclusive, star-studded Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Epic Records’ Chairman and CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid was honored with the President’s Merit Award for his indelible contributions to the music industry. The event featured performances by Afrojack, Jennifer Hudson, Gladys Knight, the Lumineers, Miguel, Emeli Sandé, Patti Smith, and Usher. Attendees included Alice Cooper, Miley Cyrus, Sean “Puffy” Combs, Johnny Depp, Dr. Luke, Daniel Ek (Spotify), Foo Fighters, David Foster, David Guetta, John Legend, Ryan Lochte, Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Mars, John Mayer, Ne-Yo, Katy Perry, Jill Scott, Jordin Sparks, Sting, and Pharrell Williams, among many others.
GRAMMY Celebration®
The highly attended 2013 GRAMMY Celebration, The Academy’s official after-party, once again took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center immediately following the live GRAMMY telecast. Live performances included the B-52’s, Estelle, DJ Michelle Pesce, Arturo Sandoval and the GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles. The three-and-a- half-hour party, catered and produced by Along Came Mary Productions, featured gourmet dishes and sweet delights. Inspired by the colorful cinematic world of India, the Bollywood-themed, exclusive invitation-only soirée was one of the night’s most sought-after parties.
The GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares
This year’s GRAMMY Foundation GRAMMY Week events took guests and GRAMMY nominees through unique educational and cultural experiences. This year top music industry professionals discussed the realities of the music business and careers in music with more than 800 Los Angeles-area high school students at GRAMMY Camp® — Basic Training, which offered a variety of workshops focusing on various fields in the music industry and utilized the entire USC Thornton School of Music campus. Participants included songwriters, producers, musical and video directors, instrumentalists, and vocalists. Members of GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session, along with student alumni from GRAMMY Camp and GRAMMY Signature Schools, performed with special guest and 19-time Latin GRAMMY®– and two-time GRAMMY-winning artist Juanes at the fourth annual GRAMMY In The Schools Live! — A Celebration Of Music & Education.
Members of GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session had a weeklong musical adventure as part of their program, performing at GRAMMY In The Schools Live!, Spaghettini’s Fine Dining & Entertainment in Seal Beach, Calif., and the Nominee Reception, as well as recording an album at the legendary Capitol Records Studios & Mastering. This year’s recording will join the lineup of previous albums available for purchase at online music outlets such as Amazon and iTunes. As a grand finale, Jazz Session members attended the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10 as guests of The Recording Academy and performed at the GRAMMY Celebration® after-party.
The 15th Annual GRAMMY Foundation Music Preservation Project — “Play It Forward: A Celebration Of Music’s Evolution And Influencers” — featured live musical performances and archival footage from its preservation archives. Performers included GRAMMY winners Yolanda Adams, Rodney Crowell, Lupe Fiasco, Emmylou Harris, LeAnn Rimes, and Dionne Warwick, as well as Mike Einziger (Incubus), Lianne La Havas, Ed Sheeran, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ann Marie Simpson, Guy Sebastian, and George Thorogood And The Destroyers. The evening’s musical director was Darrell Brown. The GRAMMY Foundation’s 15th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative® Luncheon & Scholarship Presentation featured a keynote discussion with NBC News special correspondent Tom Brokaw and SV Angel special advisor Ron Conway that was moderated by interactive content consultant Andie Simon. Chuck Ortner, a partner in the litigation department at Proskauer Rose LLP and National Legal Counsel for The Recording Academy, was the recipient of the 2013 Service Award. The honor is awarded to an attorney who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing and supporting the music community through service. At the luncheon, cash scholarships were awarded to the winning student and the four runners-up of the annual ELI Writing Competition.
The MusiCares’ Person of the Year tribute dinner and concert, honoring Bruce Springsteen, was attended by a record-breaking 3,000 people and raised nearly $6.6 million — it’s highest gross ever. The 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year gala began with a cocktail reception and silent auction, sponsored by the Starkey Hearing Foundation, that offered an exclusive and unparalleled selection of luxury items. This year’s performances included Alabama Shakes, Zac Brown, Jackson Browne, Ken Casey, Kenny Chesney, Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Faith Hill, Jim James, Elton John, Juanes, John Legend, Natalie Maines, Tim McGraw, Tom Morello, Mumford & Sons, Patti Smith, Springsteen, Mavis Staples, Sting, and Neil Young. Jon Stewart was the evening’s host and Rob Mathes was the evening’s musical director.
Throughout the week and on the live telecast, Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares, referenced the Foundation’s and The Academy’s partnership to present the first-ever Music Educator Award, recognizing music educators for their contributions to our musical landscape in helping to keep music education alive and in helping to nurture the next generation of musicians. The nomination process is open now at www.grammymusicteacher.com, and the deadline to submit nominations is April 15, 2013.
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like “The GRAMMYs” on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs’ social communities on Foursquare, GetGlue, Google +, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and YouTube.
Harvey Lavan “Van” Cliburn, Jr., (pron.: /ˈklaɪbɜrn/; July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at the age of 23, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Van Cliburn toured domestically and overseas.
He played for royalty, heads of state, and every U.S. president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama.
His recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was the first album by a classical artist to sell more than 1 million copies.
Cliburn received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003 by then President George W. Bush, and, in October 2004, the Russian Order of Friendship, the highest civilian awards of the two countries. He was also awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award the same year and played at a surprise 50th birthday party for United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He was a member of the Alpha Chi Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and was awarded the fraternity’s Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award in 1962. He was presented a 2010 National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.
Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Cliburn