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Boyz II Men's golden suits on display at the Motown exhibit

Boyz II Men's suits at the Motown exhibit

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/GRAMMY Museum

News
Details Of GRAMMY Museum's Motown Exhibit grammy-museum-new-motown-exhibit-stevie-wonder-supremes-boyz-II-men-2021

GRAMMY Museum's New Motown Exhibit Showcases Gems From Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Boyz II Men & More

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"Motown: The Sound Of Young America" is on display at the GRAMMY Museum in Downtown Los Angeles, which opens its doors to the public on May 21, 2021
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMY Museum
Apr 29, 2021 - 11:22 am

This week, the GRAMMY Museum announced it will be reopening to the public on May 21 with four new exciting exhibits on view. Today, April 29, the Downtown Los Angeles space revealed details for the "Motown: The Sound Of Young America" exhibition.

The exhibit—which has been in the works since last fall and premiered at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas in 2019—celebrates the history and evolution of the iconic music label, highlighting its legendary artists and musical milestones, and the impact it still imparts on artists today.

The Supremes' butterfly gowns on display at GRAMMY Museum

The Supremes' gowns at GRAMMY Museum | Photo: Rebecca Sapp/GRAMMY Museum

Read: Seth Troxler On His Detroit DJ Education & The Rich Black History—& Future—Of Dance Music

"Motown: The Sound Of Young America" will invite visitors up close to outfits worn by The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Miracles, and The Supremes, and to listen to exclusive interviews with many Motown legends, to witness the creative process perfected at Motown over 60 years ago. Museum guests will also experience interactive displays, including an opportunity to perform The Supremes' GRAMMY nominated hit "Stop! In The Name Of Love" and learn the Temptations' signature dance moves.

The Motown exhibit is presented by City National Bank and will be the Museum's main second floor exhibit through winter 2021. 

Exhibit highlights include:

  • Berry Gordy's $800 loan contract (facsimile) used to start the Motown record label
  • "Butterfly" gowns worn by The Supremes
  • Harmonica and keyboard played by Stevie Wonder
  • Ray Parker Jr.'s Gretsch guitar
  • Recording Academy Hall Of Fame Awards for the Miracles
  • Full set of Jackson 5 outfits
  • Full set of Boyz II Men outfits
  • Full set of The Four Tops outfits
  • Full set of The Temptations outfits
  • Blazers from Migos' "Stir Fry" music video 
  • And more! 

"The music of Motown, especially in the 1960s, represents a high-water mark in American music," Bob Santelli, the exhibition's curator and Founding Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum, said in the press release.

"The long list of No. 1 hits, the incredible stable of stars, and the genius of Berry Gordy Jr., both as a businessman and nurturer of talent, made Motown one of the most successful and impactful record companies of all time."

Ne-Yo On How The Temptations Influenced His Style

Ethiopia Habtemariam, Chairman/CEO of Motown Records added her excitement about the new Museum offering:

"We're honored that the GRAMMY Museum is bringing this vital exhibit to Los Angeles. In the past 60 years, Motown has repeatedly proved itself as a galvanizing musical and cultural force, amplifying the voice of Young America. Providing a firsthand view of the development of artists like Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Boyz II Men, Ne-Yo, Lil Baby and Migos will, I hope, spark the dreams of a new generation."

To book your ticket reservations and to learn more about the Museum's new COVID-19 safety protocols, please visit www.grammymuseum.org.

The GRAMMY Museum Reopens In May With Exhibits On Dave Mathews Band, Marco Antonio Solís, Motown & Nat King Cole

The Supremes' butterfly gowns on display at GRAMMY Museum

The Supremes' gowns at GRAMMY Museum 

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/GRAMMY Museum

News
7 Things To Do At The Newly Reopened GRAMMY Museum 2021-7-fun-things-do-grammy-museum-marco-antonio-solis-dave-matthews-band-motown

7 Fun Things To Do "With" Marco Antonio Solís, Dave Matthews Band & The Supremes At The Newly Reopened GRAMMY Museum

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It's time to go check out the stunning, informative exhibits on Marco Antonio Solís, Dave Matthews Band, Motown, Nat King Cole and more!
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMY Museum
May 21, 2021 - 2:22 pm

Today, May 21, the GRAMMY Museum in Downtown Los Angeles officially reopens its doors to the public! It is most definitely worth a visit for music lovers of all stripes, as it offers fun and engaging content for all ages.

Guests can now explore four new and engaging exhibits: "Dave Matthews Band: Inside and Out" (on view through fall 2021), "Y Para Siempre… Marco Antonio Solís" (on view through spring 2022), "Motown: The Sound Of Young America" (on view through winter 2021), and "This is Nat King Cole" exhibit (on view until fall 2021).

Additionally, there are new GRAMMYs looks on display and tons of interactive displays on genres, the GRAMMYs and more. While to best way to experience all the GRAMMY Museum has to offer is to see it for yourself, GRAMMY.com has explored it in advance so you know what to expect. Read on for five must-see (and do!) things currently on display at the GRAMMY Museum.

Sing With The Supremes…

The impact of Motown and its founder Berry Gordy Jr. on music and culture to this day is undeniable, and is on full, colorful display on the second floor of the Museum. Amongst the fly outfits and other artifacts from Motown artists (including Stevie Wonder's keyboard and harmonica) across the decades, you can join Diana Ross and The Supremes to belt their 1965 classic, "Stop! In The Name Of Love." Don't worry, a screen with the lyrics is there to help.

And Dance Like The Temptations

Another interactive experience at the exhibit dedicated to "the sound of young America" teaches you The Temptations walk, so you can move with style for the rest of your days. Tap the screen to get your dance moves in check, in front of sublime yellow suits worn by the legendary band.

Los Bukis fan club jacket at the GRAMMY Museum

Los Bukis fan club jacket at GRAMMY Museum | Photo: Ana Monroy Yglesias

Join Marco Antonio Solís' Fan Club

The massive Marco Antonio Solís exhibit has many, many gems and stretches across the third floor, dedicated to the Latin GRAMMY Awards and the breadth of Latin music. The bilingual experience takes you into five chapters of the superstar's life, including his roots in Michoacán, Mexico, and his time with Los Bukis (which means little kids in the indigenous Purépecha language of Michoacán!).

It's impossible to not be stunned by his countless gold and platinum records from around the world on display or to feel the incredible amount of lives he's touched with his music when learning about his relationship with his fans. In the section dedicated to his fans, you'll multiple gifts given to him by the devoted over the years and learn about the many fan clubs dedicated to him.

You can admire the adorable Los Bukis fan club jacket and banner from '90s Club Quiéreme, although, unfortunately, you can't take it home with you. Back in the early '00s, before Facebook groups and Zoom calls, MAS clubs like that would hold international conventions in Mexico. ¡Que amor!

Walk On The GRAMMYs Red Carpet

After leaving the warm embrace of Solís and his many admirers, you'll get a chance to walk the red carpet and learn more about the history of the GRAMMY Awards. While serving your best paparazzi poses, you can check out the latest GRAMMY looks on display, including three from the 2021 GRAMMY Awards show: one of HAIM's periwinkle Prada numbers, Lionel Richie's long black coat and Harry Styles' black leather Gucci suit and lively green boa. You'll also witness stunners from the 2019 GRAMMY Awards show, Jennifer Lopez's black sequin Michael Costello gown, the late Nipsey Hussle's fly 5001 Flavors black tux and velvet loafers and Michelle Obama's eye-catching Sachin & Babi sequin suit, among other past shows.

Be Soothed & Inspired By Nat King Cole

On the fourth floor, you'll get a look into the late GRAMMY-winning crooner Nat King Cole's life, music and "Unforgettable" legacy. It's a rare look into his touching personal life, as very little has been exhibited on it, despite his icon status. "This Is Nat King Cole" explores the lasting global impact of his music and the barriers he broke as a Black performer and civil rights activist during segregated America.

It also offers a touching portrait of his devotion to his wife and daughter, nine-time GRAMMY winner Natalie Cole, who continues his legacy of love-filled music. Visitors can feel the love for themselves while reading touching telegrams and letters Cole sent to his wife while touring around the world.

Go On The Road With Dave Matthews Band

Around the corner from Cole, dive deep into 30 years of the beloved Dave Matthews Band, all the way back to their humble beginnings playing fraternity parties and local venues in Charlottesville, Virginia. The GRAMMY-winning jam band's exhibit honors their energetic, ever-evolving live shows and the many diehard fans that won't ever miss a chance to see them.

Must-see artifacts on display include setlists from their shows across the years, including a 2007 one that is also a running list of every song they had already played that year—their way of ensuring they never play the same show twice. The exhibit also celebrates the DMB fans, and their love for sharing videos—which the band encourages—and setlists with fellow fans.

You can also watch several exclusive video interviews with frontman Dave Matthews on the band's beginning, their live shows, his love of The Beatles and more.

Explore The Roots & Intersectionality Of Genres

The permanent exhibit on the fourth floor alone is worth several hours of education and entertainment, with multiple interactive spaces that explore the roots and branches of genres, musical meccas and innovative musicians. A large touch screen "table" allows you to find the connections between endless subgenres, like techno and Tejano, and hear examples of each.

Book your tickets to the GRAMMY Museum here.

Clive Davis Chats With Joni Mitchell, H.E.R., Oprah Winfrey & More During 2021 GRAMMY Celebration Benefiting The GRAMMY Museum

Inside the GRAMMY Museum in Downtown Los Angeles

The GRAMMY Museum

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GRAMMY Museum To Reopen May 2021 With New Exhibits grammy-museum-los-angeles-reopens-new-exhibits-dave-mathews-band-marco-antonio-sol%C3%ADs-motown-nat-king-cole

The GRAMMY Museum Reopens In May 2021 With Exhibits On Dave Mathews Band, Marco Antonio Solís, Motown & Nat King Cole

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The Museum will celebrate its in-person reopening with a special members-only virtual event featuring Brandi Carlile, taking place on Thurs., May 13
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMY Museum
Apr 27, 2021 - 12:38 pm

After over a year since the GRAMMY Museum closed its doors in Downtown Los Angeles—and pivoted to sharing its rich content online with Collection:live—due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is reopening on Fri., May 21. Museum members can visit earlier, on special preview days on Sat., May 15 and Sun., May 16.

The Museum's reopening kicks off with three new major exhibits, "Dave Matthews Band: Inside and Out" (on view through fall 2021), "Y Para Siempre… Marco Antonio Solís" (on view through spring 2022), and the previously announced "Motown: The Sound Of Young America" presented by City National Bank (on view through winter 2021). Additionally, the Museum's "This is Nat King Cole" exhibit, which was set to open on March 17, 2020, has been extended until fall 2021.

https://twitter.com/GRAMMYMuseum/status/1387089328535396361

The #GRAMMYMuseum will be reopening to the public on May 21, with Member Previews starting on May 15! We can't wait to welcome you back to music's home. ✨

🖥️ Visit https://t.co/AqzDs6wTWk to learn more about ticket reservations, or to view the Museum's new safety protocols. pic.twitter.com/tcGJZkhVkT

— GRAMMY Museum (@GRAMMYMuseum) April 27, 2021

The Museum will celebrate its reopening with a special members-only virtual event taking place on Thurs., May 13 at 5:30 p.m. PT. A Reopening Celebration with the GRAMMY Museum includes a recently recorded interview and performance with Brandi Carlile and a first look at the exciting new exhibits. The event is open to current Museum members or members that join by Weds., May 12.

The Museum will follow guidelines provided by L.A. County for museums and operate at limited capacity to maintain social distancing. In addition, it will offer free admission to first responders, healthcare workers, and essential workers through June 2021.

"We're thrilled that the day has come that we can reopen our doors and welcome our community back to the GRAMMY Museum, including free admission to first responders, healthcare, and essential workers through June 2021 to show our deepest gratitude," said Michael Sticka, President of the GRAMMY Museum.

"We have a wide-range of new exhibits for visitors to experience and I'm proud of our hard-working team who has made sure the Museum is safe and enjoyable for all."

The Museum is taking active measures to ensure the space remains safe for all those who enjoy it. In addition to enforcing social distancing, other health and safety protocols include advanced timed-entry ticketing, requiring face masks, mandatory temperature check, a touchless visitor experience, enhanced and more frequent cleaning and sanitizing, one-way paths through the Museum floors, hand sanitizing stations, and more.

The Museum's intimate Clive Davis Theater, where the popular public programs are held, remains closed for evening programming, but will be open during the day as part of the Motown exhibit for special film viewing.

Advanced ticket reservations for the Museum are now available to purchase online.

The GRAMMY Museum will continue to engage with online audiences through GRAMMY Museum at Home, providing digital educational content and lesson plans as part of the GRAMMY In The Schools Knowledge Bank, and their official online streaming service, COLLECTION:live.

Tower Of Power On New Live Album '50 Years Of Funk & Soul' & Why COVID-19 Hasn't Slowed Them Down

The Supremes

Mary Wilson (C)

Bettmann/Getty Images

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Remembering The Supremes’ Mary Wilson remembering-mary-wilson-of-the-supremes

The Supremes Were A Dream, And Mary Wilson Dreamt It

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The pop-soul vocal legends’ co-founder was the last original Supreme in the group—and the most devout believer in their original promise
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Feb 9, 2021 - 6:13 pm

The Supremes were still in high school when their star began to rise, and at the dawn of 1962, their co-founder, Mary Wilson, sat in a modern literature class pondering her relationship to others. For her final exam, she had to write an essay with a psychological bent. While addressing her chaotic childhood, Wilson inadvertently summed up her dynamic with the other Supremes—the wounded Florence Ballard and the dogged Diana Ross.

"I have developed a protective shell, which whenever I feel I may face a conflict, I draw into. Why? Is it because I subconsciously feel I might be snatched again?" Wilson wrote in her 1986 autobiography Dreamgirl: My Life As A Supreme. "I try to cover up my deficiency by developing a pleasing personality. Actually, underneath this, I am still a young and frightened girl."

Five years later in 1967, during a period where Ballard left the group in a tailspin, and Motown president Berry Gordy rebranded them Diana Ross and the Supremes, Wilson realized she was the last to hold onto the image of the group as a holistic triad. "I saw nine years of work and love and happiness fade away," she wrote. "The Supremes still stood in my mind as a dream from childhood, a wonderful dream that had come true. I believed The Supremes would last forever. Now I knew that even dreams that come true can change."

"With one look at Flo," she added, "I knew that dreams don’t die; people just stop dreaming."

Wilson went on to neither be a household name like Ross nor a tragic figure like Ballard, who wrestled with addiction until her 1976 death at only 32. Instead, she was the group’s nucleus, acting as a buffer between Ballard and Ross and soldiering on in their absences as the last original member. After The Supremes called it a day in 1977, she entered an inspiring second act, touring extensively, authoring books, stumping for artists’ trademark rights, and collaborating with the GRAMMY Museum on the Legends Of Motown: Celebrating The Supremes exhibit.

Tragically, two days after eagerly announcing new music on YouTube, Wilson died unexpectedly at her home in Henderson, Nevada on Feb. 8. She was 76. "I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supremes," Gordy said in a statement. "I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed."

Wilson’s journey to that burning, yearning dream—one of young infatuation on a Biblical scale—began on March 6, 1944, when she was born to a butcher father and homemaker mother in the sleepy town of Greenville, Mississippi. Hers was a long-delayed birth. "A little past midnight, I was finally born," she wrote in Dreamgirl. "I now wonder if my first appearance in life was somehow indicative of the path my life would later take. Even at my birth, I was a fence-sitter."

The family relocated from Saint Louis to Chicago before Wilson moved in with her aunt and uncle, Ivory "I.V." and John L. Pippin, who led her to believe they were her parents. When Wilson was six, she traumatically learned I.V. was, in fact, not her mother. "My whole world had been turned upside down," she wrote. "I'd trusted these people, and they had lied to me." Three years later, her father, Sam, lost his leg in a factory accident.

In 1956, with her birth parents in tow, Wilson moved to the Brewster Projects, a complex of government-owned apartment buildings. Despite the jarring change—and prevalent gang violence—Wilson viewed her new climes rosily. "It was quite crowded compared to suburbia, but I loved it," she wrote. "You had to learn to get along with all kinds of people." While auditioning to sing in a school talent show, a hurled insult from a classmate resulted in punches from Wilson.

"I was not a fighter," she wrote, "but I would fight to be part of a group."

One of the characters Wilson ran into in the projects was a young Diane Ross—she’d change it to "Diana" later. But she more immediately took to another neighbor, Florence Ballard, who she describes as a Hollywood-style beauty even then. After bonding over a shared love of singing—Ballard sang a mean "Ave Maria"—in early 1959, Milton Jenkins of the all-male vocal group The Primes approached her to form a female counterpart.

"Between her gasps for breath, I could see she was grinning from ear to ear," Wilson wrote. "She grabbed my arm and asked excitedly, ‘Mary, do you want to be in a singing group with me and two other girls—’ 'Yes!'  I replied before she even finished the question. It didn't occur to me to ask what the group was about, or who was in it, or anything." During a jittery rehearsal at The Primes’ bachelor pad, Wilson found herself next to Ballard, Ross, and a fourth girl, Betty McGlown. Their voices fell together effortlessly and gracefully. The Primettes were born.

With Jenkins as their manager, The Primettes pounded the pavement in local clubs until a series of connections—from Smokey Robinson to Gordy, who let them sing and clap on Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye recordings—led them to Hitsville, U.S.A.

Asked to come up with a new name, they pored over a list of them, suggestive of regality and class—The Royal-Tones, The Jewelettes. But the name Ballard settled on for the group telegraphed something else entirely: divinity.

As word of the Supremes extended outside town, Wilson noticed their similarities and differences more acutely. Ballard, who had survived a sexual assault by an acquaintance, had begun to psychologically fray. Meanwhile, Ross was pure quantum ambition.

"Flo, a Cancerian; Diane, an Aries; and me, a Pisces—three completely different, insecure people," Wilson explained. "What each of us saw in the other two were the parts of herself she lacked or couldn’t assert or tried to deny: Flo’s earthiness, my nice-guy demeanor, and Diane’s aggressive charm. We accidentally discovered that three separate, incomplete young girls combined to create one great woman. That was the Supremes."

"I saw the group as something bigger and more important than any one of us," she declared elsewhere in the book. "I was content to play on the team."

If the Supremes were a collective dream, the Supremes’ string of 1960s hits—most of them written by Motown's powerhouse Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting and production team—have a dreamlike quality. These are universal songs you hear at cookouts and supermarkets and in Ubers; thus, they tend to drift between life stages and experiences. And of their twelve No. 1 hits, Wilson appeared on each.

The group received two GRAMMY nominations—one for Best R&B Recording for "Baby Love," the other for Best Contemporary Rock & Roll Performance for "Stop! In the Name of Love." (In 1999, "Where Did Our Love Go" and "You Keep Me Hangin’ On" were added to the GRAMMY Hall of Fame, and in 2001, "Stop! In the Name of Love" followed suit.)

After Ballard left the band in 1967, Cindy Birdsong of Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles took her place, and they continued as Diana Ross and the Supremes. In 1970, Diana Ross left the band to start a solo career, leaving Wilson as the final original member amid a succession of replacement singers and shifting band names, like "The New Supremes." They never recaptured the commercial success they once enjoyed.

However, Wilson remained their North Star, touring tirelessly, practicing yoga, and authoring Dreamgirl and its 1990 sequel, Supreme Faith: Someday We’ll Be Together. Her legacy also involves musicians’ rights; after non-founding members of the Supremes toured under the band name, she campaigned on behalf of artists’ trademark ownership. Wilson also fought for higher pay for musicians on streaming sites through her support of the Music Modernization Act. Her 2019 coffee-table book Supreme Glamour homed in on the iconic group's fashion, compiling images of their famous gowns.

Last Saturday, she appeared on YouTube with a blazing grin, vivaciously announcing new music through Universal Music Group, hoping it would come out before her March 6 birthday. Then, in her sleep, she slipped away.

But her dream remains, as long as there are listeners to make it their own.

GRAMMY Museum Announces Reopening Of "Motown: The Sound Of Young America" Exhibit

Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Chuck Berry, Little Richard at the 1974 GRAMMYs

Stevie Wonder with his mom, Lula Mae Hardaway, and others at the 1974 GRAMMYs

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Stevie Wonder Wins Best R&B Vocal Performance grammy-rewind-stevie-wonder-shares-his-first-grammy-win-his-mom

GRAMMY Rewind: Stevie Wonder Shares His First GRAMMY Win With His Mom

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In the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, rock 'n' roll icons Chuck Berry and Little Richard present Wonder—and his beaming mother—with the GRAMMY for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Superstition"
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 10, 2020 - 10:11 am

In the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, GRAMMY.com takes a journey back to the 1974 GRAMMY Awards when a then-23-year-old Stevie Wonder took home his first four GRAMMY wins for music for his classic albums Talking Book (1972) and Innervisions (1973).

The soulful musical legend had already earned six GRAMMY nominations during four prior shows, beginning at the 1967 GRAMMYs for his 1965 hit, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)." Just seven years later, he'd take home his first of many golden gramophones.

In March 1974, rock 'n' roll icons Chuck Berry and Little Richard presented Wonder—and his beaming mother—with his first-ever GRAMMY, winning the Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male category for "Superstition," an iconic track from Talking Book.

Watch Stevie Wonder Win Best R&B Vocal Performance

Immediately before Berry and Richard jokingly fought over the microphone to announce the "Higher Ground" singer's name, the two dynamic forces of rock performed a high-powered medley of their music on the GRAMMY stage. Wonder, rocking a perfect afro puff and an embroidered earth-toned shirt-and-pants set, brought up his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, who looked glamourous in a magenta gown and big feather boa.

"First of all, I'd like for you all, please, not to give this to me, but to my mother," Wonder announced, as Berry handed the golden gramophone to Hardaway. "My mother is going to accept the award for me. I am so very happy; you don't even know how happy I am," he said with a huge smile.

"I would like to thank you all for making this the sunshine of my life tonight," a radiant Hardaway said, nodding to her son's song, "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," which would also win a GRAMMY that evening.

Read: More Innervisions: Stevie Wonder On Music, Politics & Love

The groovy "Superstition," released in October 1972 on Tamla/Motown as the lead single to Wonder's 15th studio album, Talking Book, won for Best Rhythm & Blues Song that night. "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," the album's second and only additional single, won for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. 

Later in the night, Wonder's next album, Innervisions, released in August 1973, less than a year after Talking Book, would win the prestigious Album Of The Year gramophone, rounding out an epic run at the 1974 GRAMMYs.

Stevie Wonder Wins Album Of The Year

His next two (also classic!) albums, Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs In The Key Of Life (1976), would also win the Album Of The Year award, at the 17th GRAMMY Awards and 19th GRAMMY Awards, respectively, along with three additional wins each year.

To date, Wonder has earned 25 GRAMMYs, in addition to his six recordings inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. He received the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 and was named MusiCares Person Of The Year in 1999, among many other career accolades.

I Met Her in Philly: D'Angelo's 'Brown Sugar' Turns 25

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy and its Affiliates lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy and its Affiliates.