SANTA MONICA, CA. (Recording Academy) - GRAMMY Week '05 - from its "Salute To..." events and annual MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute to its spotlights on students, style, and celebration of song - culminated with the worldwide telecast of what is being hailed as the "best GRAMMYs ever."
The 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 13, Music's Biggest Night
, showcased an amazing collection of musical performances and tributes that led CBS to a Sunday win in viewership. Additionally, the
2005 GRAMMY Nominees CD vaulted to its highest position ever at No. 4 on the
Billboard Top 200 album chart; the "
Across The Universe" telecast performance, benefiting tsunami relief efforts, has been the No. 1 download on iTunes and jumped to No. 22 on the
Billboard Hot 100, while CBS.com received 75,000 streams of the video; and GRAMMY Week events surpassed all expectations with record crowds and media in attendance.
"From the outstanding performances during the 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards to the inaugural Salute To Gospel and Salute To Industry Icons events, we were thrilled to deliver another amazing GRAMMY Week," said Neil Portnow, President of The Recording Academy. "We also are gratified that the tsunami relief fundraising performance of 'Across The Universe' has been a top download on iTunes, with all proceeds directly benefiting those in need. As a matter of fact, the album sales boost of many of the GRAMMY winners, nominees and performers demonstrates the power and prestige of Music's Biggest Night."
The 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards, which took place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, featured 24 diverse performances, including special tributes to Ray Charles and Southern rock. The telecast won its time slot in households, viewers and key demographics during its 3.5 hour broadcast, winning both the night and the week for CBS.
47th Annual GRAMMY Awards Broadcasts in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound
For the third consecutive year, the GRAMMY Awards telecast has celebrated the best in music and delighted millions with state-of-the-art audio and video. The Recording Academy, CBS, and Cossette Productions combined forces for the broadcast, utilizing the latest in technology to provide television viewers worldwide with a cutting-edge, high-definition/5.1 surround sound event. Each year the GRAMMYs strive to push the technical envelope, and this year was no exception. The 47th Annual GRAMMY telecast showcased the most up-to-the-minute developments in both high-definition video and 5.1 surround sound delivery, allowing a more immersive viewing and listening experience for the show's global audience.
The 47th GRAMMYs featured a technological tour de force furthering the event's reputation as the most complex audio production in live television. Hundreds of celebrities, musicians, and dancers hit four stages for once-in-a-lifetime performances and more than 1,000 audio inputs were processed, mixed, and balanced during the broadcast. Even with the show's staggering complexity, the GRAMMY Awards came off without a hitch, thanks to a remarkable crew utilizing a vast array of highly developed technology.
GRAMMY Nominees CD
This year, the Academy teamed up with Capitol Records to release the 2005 GRAMMY Nominees CD, the 11th edition in the best-selling series. Honoring many of the year's GRAMMY-nominated artists and songs, the compilation rose to No. 4 after the telecast (the highest chart position in the history of the series) on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and already has been certified Gold since its release. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the CD benefits MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation.
GRAMMY Pre-Telecast
The GRAMMY Pre-Telecast - during which awards for many of the GRAMMYs' 107 categories were presented - took place in the Los Angeles Convention Center prior to the show. The ceremony boasted an all-star lineup of talent, including co-hosts Ananda Lewis and Steve Vai as well as presenters Jars Of Clay, Richard Kaufman, Keb' Mo', Cyndi Lauper, JD Natasha (also an honorary member of the What's The Download Interactive Board), Jamie O'Neal, Jill Scott, and Jon Secada. GRAMMY-nominated artists Black Eagle and Jamie Cullum performed as well as Patrice Rushen, musical director for the 47th GRAMMY telecast, with her 12-piece band.
GRAMMY Week, a celebration of the recorded arts leading up to GRAMMY Sunday, spotlighted a variety of music genres and special events.
MusiCares Person of the Year
The 15th Annual MusiCares Person of the Year tribute dinner - which was held at the Hollywood Palladium on Feb. 11 and honored music icon Brian Wilson - was the largest event in MusiCares' history. The tribute was hosted by Jon Lovitz and featured a star-studded concert by artists including India.Arie, Jeff Beck, Backstreet Boys, Barenaked Ladies, Jamie Cullum, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael McDonald, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Richie Sambora, and Neil Young, and culminated with a special performance by Brian Wilson and Friends. Proceeds from this event provide essential support for MusiCares' Financial Assistance Program. Two nights later, Wilson won his first solo GRAMMY for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow," from his best-selling SMiLE album.
GRAMMY Salute To Jazz
On Feb. 8, the Academy hosted the second annual GRAMMY Salute To Jazz at the Music Box @ The Fonda. The honorees were composer/arranger and saxophonist Benny Golson, GRAMMY-winning vocalist and educator Jon Hendricks, and composer and pianist Horace Silver. The President's Merit Award for outstanding achievement was presented to these jazz legends for their lasting contributions to the genre and the music community. Live performances and appearances by the honorees, including surprise guest Al Jarreau, highlighted an evening dedicated to paying tribute to jazz - one of the great American musical forms.
GRAMMY Style Studio
The second annual GRAMMY Style Studio �- The Recording Academy's fashion showcase where nominees, performers, presenters and celebrities select designer clothing to wear at the GRAMMY Awards and other GRAMMY Week celebrations - doubled in size following the success of last year's event. GRAMMY Style Studio 2005 was officially launched on Feb. 9 with the Vanity Fair Kick-Off Party and styling appointments continued through Feb. 12. Artists and celebrities who attended the Vanity Fair Kick-Off Party and/or visited GRAMMY Style Studio 2005 include: Al Jarreau, Anthony Hamilton, Backstreet Boys, The Black Eyed Peas, Crystal Method, Dave Koz, Faith Evans, Floetry, Franz Ferdinand, Hoobastank, Incubus, Jars Of Clay, Jesse McCartney, Jimmy Jam, and John Mayer.
GRAMMY Salute To Gospel
The inaugural GRAMMY Salute To Gospel Music was held on Feb. 10 at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ Cathedral in Los Angeles and was hosted by actress Angela Bassett, Paula Pearson Washington and Kirk Franklin. The first President's Merit Award honorees for this event were GRAMMY-winning pioneer of contemporary gospel Andraé Crouch, GRAMMY-winning Southern gospel artists/songwriters Bill and Gloria Gaither , and GRAMMY-winning gospel veteran Albertina Walker . In addition to an awards presentation, this event featured exciting performances by top artists including GRAMMY recipients CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, Shirley Caesar, Spensha Baker, Donnie McClurkin, as well as Byron Cage, Nicole C. Mullen, Donald Lawrence, the Crabb Family, and Smokie Norful, who was this year's GRAMMY winner for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album.
Special Merit Awards Ceremony
For the first time in an elite ceremony at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel on Feb. 12, The Recording Academy presented the Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring lifelong artistic contributions to the recording medium; the Trustees Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the industry in a non-performing capacity; and the Technical GRAMMY Award, presented to individuals and/or companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Eddy Arnold, Art Blakey, the Carter Family, Morton Gould, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jelly Roll Morton, Pinetop Perkins, and the Staple Singers. Trustees Awards recipients included Hoagy Carmichael, Don Cornelius, Alfred Lion, and Dr. Billy Taylor. The Technical GRAMMY Awards were given to JBL Professional and record producer and longtime GRAMMY telecast sound consultant Phil Ramone.
What's The Download Interactive Roundtable
To give consumers an influential voice and spur dialogue on digital music and file-sharing issues, the What's The Download Interactive Advisory Board, made up of college students and artists, including Kanye West, Earth, Wind & Fire, Mark McGrath and JD Natasha, held its first meeting during the 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards weekend on Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center. Moderated by Daryl Friedman, Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations for The Recording Academy, the Advisory Board members initiated a lively discussion on digital music and file-sharing issues with the intent of developing a platform to educate and bring solutions to the industry and consumers regarding file-swapping issues.
The board members are: Jill Apelgren (24), Boston, Mass.; Bahareh Batmanghelidj (22), Mission Viejo, Calif.; Brittany Frey (22), Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Andy Guerrero (23), Denver, Colo.; Robbie Halperin (22), Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Joy Mitchell (19), Los Angeles, Calif.; Christie Osborne (19), San Diego, Calif.; Brian Vickers (18), Washington D.C.; Spencer Williams (23), Miami, Fla.; David Wurzburg (23), San Francisco, Calif.; and Katherine Zimmerman (19), Philadelphia, Pa. Thanks to GRAMMY Week activities, traffic to the Web site increased 365 percent for the month of February. Visit www.WhatsTheDownload.com.
GRAMMY Industry Roundtable
The Recording Academy introduced political leaders to top record producers for The GRAMMY Industry Roundtable: Producers, Engineers and the U.S. Congress. Held at the legendary Capitol Records Studio A in Los Angeles and produced in cooperation with the Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing, the event served as an important dialogue between legislators and the technical recording professionals.
The discussion was designed to educate the legislators on the role of the producer, an oft-forgotten segment of the recording community in the halls of Congress. Moderated by Academy Vice President for Advocacy and Government Relations Daryl Friedman and hosted by P&E Wing Co-Chairs Glenn Lorbecki and Bob Ludwig, the discussion included legendary producers Phil Ramone, Al Schmitt and Ed Cherney, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.), and other prominent political and music industry professionals.
Following a wide-ranging, off-the-record discussion about recording community issues, the D.C. visitors were treated to a live demonstration of the recording process itself, as they joined Phil Ramone and Al Schmitt in the control room while the Backstreet Boys recorded a track in the studio.
GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons
The inaugural GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons event on Feb. 13 honored founding chairman of Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun. This exclusive reception - held in conjunction with the 2005 GRAMMY Celebration Party - featured a presentation of the President's Merit Award to Ertegun in honor of his contribution to the landscape of modern music. Kid Rock and Rob Thomas, along with Recording Academy President Neil Portnow, presented the award to Ertegun. Prominent members of the music community attended this invitation-only event.
GRAMMY Celebration Party
The 2005 GRAMMY Celebration Party, an exclusive invitation-only, star-studded event, took place for the first time at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 13 following the 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The gala - the largest ever produced by the Academy, in conjunction with Along Came Mary Productions - attracted GRAMMY winners and nominees, music industry executives, Academy members, guests and celebrities who attended the live telecast. The GRAMMY Celebration Party, one of the entertainment industry's most lavish events and a post-GRAMMY telecast highlight, welcomed more than 6,500 people and featured an all-star lineup of live entertainment including: The Black Eyed Peas , Chic featuring Nile Rodgers with special guest Musiq Soulchild , Deborah Cox , John Legend , Paul Oakenfold , Brian "BT" Transeau , and the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles .
Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as The Recording Academy, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs - including the creation of the national public education campaign What's the Download (What's The Download.com).
Media Contact:
Ron Roecker
The Recording Academy
310.392.3777
