New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Recording Academy announced today its newly elected
National Officers of the Board of Trustees, voted upon at the organization's annual spring Board of Trustees meeting in May. Record producer
Harvey Mason Jr. has been elected as the Chair of the Board of Trustees, and managing partner of Placement
Music Tammy Hurt will serve as Vice Chair. Veteran music executive Terry Hemmings was re-elected Secretary/Treasurer and recording artist and founder/CEO of Swan Songs Christine Albert assumes the position of Chair Emeritus. All officer appointments were effective on June 1, 2019.
"Following the outcome of our annual spring Board of Trustees meeting, it's clear the Recording Academy's governance continues to demonstrate its commitment to keeping the Academy a relevant and responsive organization," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "We are thrilled with the diversity and depth of music industry experience embodied by our new slate of
National Officers. These esteemed and talented individuals will continue to carry out the mission of this organization which works on behalf of all music creators and professionals year-round."
ABOUT THE NATIONAL OFFICERS:
Harvey Mason Jr. has penned and produced songs for both industry legends and today's biggest superstars. Everyone from Whitney
Houston to Beyoncé,
Elton John to Justin Timberlake,
Aretha Franklin to
Ariana Grande,
Britney Spears to
Camila Cabello,
Luther Vandross to Justin Bieber, and
Michael Jackson to
Chris Brown have called on
Mason to deliver uniquely musical, yet radio-friendly hit records. Simultaneously,
Mason has been instrumental in producing memorable music for many of the biggest musical films and TV events from the past decade. Films such as Dreamgirls, Sparkle, Shrek, the Pitch Perfect franchise, Straight Outta Compton, SING, and TV shows, including "The Wiz Live!" and "Jesus Christ
Superstar Live In Concert," have counted on Mason's musical talent and taste. He is currently working on producing all the music for Sing 2 for Universal Pictures, as well as musical projects for Disney and Netflix.
Mason donates his time and resources to several charitable organizations, including GRAMMY In The Schools®, MusiCares®, Ronald McDonald House, the American Cancer Society, and Los Angeles Children's Hospital.
Harvey received the
Spirit of
Excellence Award in 2012 from the T.J. Martell Foundation for his philanthropic efforts.
Independent music industry veteran Tammy Hurt has been a driving force in Atlanta's music scene for decades and has served on the Board of the Recording Academy's Atlanta Chapter for 14 years. Hurt is the managing partner of Placement Music, a boutique entertainment firm specializing in custom music, scoring, and licensing, which was commissioned by FOX Sports for a second consecutive Super Bowl broadcast to create an original full orchestral score. Additional credits include Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, HBO, BET, Sony, Lifetime, Hallmark, NFL, NASCAR, "True Blood," "Dexter," "Drop Dead Diva," Mean Girls 2, and multiple custom placements in the indie film HITS, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. A co-founder of the nonprofit organization, Georgia
Music Partners, Hurt spearheaded the campaign to create and pass Georgia's first standalone music tax incentive, the Georgia
Music Investment Act. She is a recipient of Catalyst Magazine's Top 25 Entrepreneurs and Ones to Watch Award and is an openly LGBTQ Officer of the Academy.
Terry Hemmings serves as president/CEO of Provident
Music Group (Sony
Music Entertainment), overseeing Provident Label Group—Essential Records, Reunion Records, Essential Worship, RCA Inspiration, Essential Sound, Verity, Fo Yo Soul/RCA, ReMade Records, and House Music. His rosters include Casting Crowns, Tenth Avenue North, Matt Maher, Zach Williams, Tauren Wells, Matthew West, Kirk Franklin,
Travis Greene, Marvin Sapp, and Donnie McClurkin, and Koryn Hawthorne. Hemmings oversees Provident Films (War Room, Courageous, and Woodlawn), Essential
Music Publishing, and Essential Artist Services. A Leadership
Music alum, he serves on boards of the RIAA, Gospel
Music Trust Fund, and
Music City
Music Council in addition to the Recording Academy's
National Board of Trustees.
Christine Albert is an independent recording artist and founder/CEO of Swan Songs, an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit that fulfills musical last wishes. Albert has released 12 independent albums as a solo artist and as part of the folk/Americana duo Albert And Gage. Albert and her husband and musical partner Chris Gage also own and operate MoonHouse Studio and MoonHouse Records in Austin. Albert is known for her "Texafrance" series of French/English recordings that combine her European heritage and
Texas musical roots. She has appeared on "Austin City Limits," was honored as Female Vocalist of the Year by the Kerrville Folk Festival
Music Awards, and was awarded
Superstar of Austin
Music by the Austin Chamber of Commerce for her community service work. She was inducted into the
Texas Songwriter's Association
Texas Music Legends Hall of Fame in 2018. In addition to her role as Chair Emeritus for the Recording Academy, she also currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Latin Recording Academy® and the Board of Directors of MusiCares.
These accomplished, elected officers, in partnership with current President/CEO Neil Portnow and incoming President/CEO Deborah Dugan, will lead the Board of Trustees and Recording Academy senior staff to strategically guide and shape the mission and policies of the Academy and its affiliates.
The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum®, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards®—music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.
For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, and YouTube.
