Armando Manzanero accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014

Armando Manzanero accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014

Photo: Michael Buckner/WireImage

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Remembering Armando Manzanero, GRAMMY-Nominated Singer And Composer And Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

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Manzanero, who made history as the first-ever Mexican to receive the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, was one of the most successful and prolific composers of Latin America
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Dec 28, 2020 - 6:35 pm

The Latin music world is in mourning today with the passing of legendary Mexican composer and singer Armando Manzanero, who died Monday (Dec. 28) after a weeks-long battle with COVID-19, CNN reports. He was 85.

The Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy have released a joint statement on Manzanero's passing. 

"One of the world's most prominent and acclaimed Latin music composers, Armando Manzanero needs no introduction. He began his career at the age of 15 with the first of what would be more than 400 original works composed over a span of more than seven decades. Transcending languages, genres and generations, Manzanero's songs have been performed by many artists, from Perry Como, Elis Regina and Elvis Presley to Tania Libertad, Gal Costa and Eugenia León.

"Manzanero was a Latin GRAMMY winner and the recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from both The Latin Recording Academy and the Recording Academy. Most importantly, he was a great friend and supporter of the Latin Academy. He will be greatly missed, but his melodies and larger-than-life personality will live on forever.

"His passing is a great loss for the world of music. Our hearts go out to the Manzanero family, to the Mexican Society of Songwriters, to his fans and to all of Mexico during this difficult 

Harvey Mason jr. 
Chair & Interim President/CEO
Recording Academy

Gabriel Abaroa Jr.
President/CEO
The Latin Recording Academy

Born in Mexico in 1935, Manzanero was one of the most successful and prolific composers of Latin America. As CNN reports, he counted more than 600 songs to his name, according to Mexico's Society For Authors And Composers, where he served as president. 

A celebrated artist and songwriter, Manzanero earned several top honors across the American and Latin music industries. At the 14th GRAMMY Awards, held in 1972, he earned his first and only GRAMMY nomination for Song Of The Year for "It's Impossible," performed by Perry Como; the song was the English version of Manzanero's song, "Somos Novios." 

In 2014, Manzanero made history when he became the first Mexican to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the Recording Academy's highest honors, according to CNN. 

"Talking about him and his songs is like talking with family at our kitchen tables," Mexican singer and Emmy-winning actress Lucero wrote about Manzanero for his Lifetime Achievement Award honor. "He has taken over our hearts with such ease. He has entered our lives to fill them with wonderful sounds, accompanied by his piano, his voice and the vast amount of talented singers who have interpreted his songs with pride for decades. We've heard his songs in many languages and many countries, delivering the flavor of his native Yucatán to unexpected places. He makes me proud to be Mexican like him." 

In 2001, Manzanero won a Latin GRAMMY for Pop Duo/Group w/Vocal for his 2001 duets album, Duetos ("Duets"). In 2010, he received the Latin Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Armando Manzanero

Toots Hibbert of Toots And The Maytals performs in London in 1983

Toots Hibbert of Toots And The Maytals performs in London in 1983

Photo: David Corio/Redferns

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Toots Hibbert, GRAMMY-Winning Reggae Pioneer And Founder Of Toots And The Maytals, Dies At 77

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Considered to be "one of the fathers of reggae music," a genre he helped globalize, Hibbert was the first known artist to use the word "reggae" on a record
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Sep 12, 2020 - 1:23 pm

Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, who pioneered and helped globalize the reggae genre via his iconic, GRAMMY-winning band Toots And The Maytals, died Friday (Sept. 11) evening. He was 77. 

While no cause of death has been revealed, Hibbert was hospitalized in an intensive care unit in his native Jamaica in August after showing symptoms of the coronavirus. While he was awaiting results from a coronavirus test, he was placed in a medically induced coma in early September. "Toots is fighting for his life and his family is asking for prayers," Claude Mills, Hibbert's publicist, told Jamaican daily newspaper The Gleaner.

Toots And The Maytals confirmed the news of Hibbert's passing in a post shared on the band's official social media accounts Friday night, writing, "It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that Frederick Nathaniel 'Toots' Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.

"The family and his management team would like to thank the medical teams and professionals for their care and diligence, and ask that you respect their privacy during their time of grief," the post continues.

Born Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert in 1942 in May Pen, Jamaica, he is considered "one of the fathers of reggae music" and is the first known artist to use the word "reggae" on a record, The New York Times writes, as heard on his band's, then known as The Maytals, 1968 song, "Do The Reggay."

Recognized as one of the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone, Hibbert is known for his powerful, soulful vocal style, which gained him comparisons to soul greats like Otis Redding and Ray Charles. Hibbert is also known for infusing elements of soul music, gospel, R&B, rock 'n' roll and Jamaican mento into Toots And The Maytals' reggae, rocksteady and ska sounds, Rolling Stone writes. 

Hibbert formed his band, originally known simply as The Maytals, in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1962 alongside Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" Matthias; the group changed its name to Toots And The Maytals in 1972. 

After becoming a big draw within Jamaica's then-nascent ska scene, the group released its debut album, The Sensational Maytals, in 1965. One year later, they won the first-ever Jamaican Independence Festival Popular Song Competition with their song "Bam Bam," which inspired Sister Nancy's 1982 dancehall classic of the same name; the group would go on to win the national song competition in 1969 and 1972, according to Rolling Stone.

In 1967, Hibbert served a nine-month prison term after he was arrested for possession of marijuana; he alleges he was set up by corrupt authorities or music rivals, according to Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. Inspired by the experience, Hibbert wrote the song "54-46 Was My Number," which became one of his group's biggest songs and their first major hit outside Jamaica, Rolling Stone reports. 

The group crossed over into international markets with their third album Funky Kingston, which released in Jamaica and the U.K. in 1972; an alternate version of the album, released in the U.S. in 1975, charted stateside on the Billboard 200 and was voted as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone.

Toots And The Maytals would go on to receive five total GRAMMY nominations in the reggae field, including a GRAMMY win for Best Reggae Album in 2005 for their 2004 album, True Love. Hibbert, who also recorded and performed as a solo artist, received four GRAMMY nominations, including one win for True Love.

On Aug. 28, just three days before Hibbert was first hospitalized, Toots And The Maytals released Got To Be Tough, his first studio album in a decade and the first LP he produced himself; it now marks the final Toots And The Maytals album. 

Last month, GRAMMY Museum Founding Executive Director Bob Santelli interviewed Hibbert about Got To Be Tough as part of the organization's Programs At Home series.

Hibbert is survived by his wife of 39 years, Miss D, and his seven of eight children, according to the Toots And The Maytals Twitter account. 

"Care For The Culture" Livestream Panel Offers New Solutions For Wellness + Community in Rap, R&B and Reggae

Ty (C) at the 2004 Mercury Prize ceremony

Ty (C) at the 2004 Mercury Prize ceremony

Photo: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

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Ty, U.K. Rapper And Mercury Prize Nominee, Dies Of Coronavirus At 47

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The celebrated London-born artist received a nomination for the U.K.'s top music prize for his 2003 album, 'Upwards'
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
May 8, 2020 - 2:38 pm

Ty, a celebrated U.K. rapper who received a Mercury Prize nomination for his 2003 album, Upwards, died Thursday (May 7) due to complications from COVID-19. He was 47.

The artist, born Benedict Chijioke, had contracted the disease around March/April, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched last month (April 8) to help raise funds for him. His condition had been improving, according to a post on the campaign dated April 19, and he had been released from his intensive care unit and moved into a "normal ward." He then contracted pneumonia, which "worsened his recovery and ultimately Ty's body couldn't fight back anymore," the post reads. 

Prior to this episode, upon his initial admission to the hospital, Chijioke had been put into a medically induced coma to temporarily sedate him in order to help him recover. He was put on a ventilator after waking from the coma. 

"This is a shock to everyone," Diane Laidlaw, the organizer for the GoFundMe campaign and a close friend of Chijioke, wrote in a post announcing the rapper's death. "I actually have no words or clear way of thinking and hope this comes out correctly when I post it … The family would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has reached out and expressed their concern since he was admitted in hospital but right now they would value having their privacy, so they can mourn privately. They just need time to process."

Read: Resources for Music Creators & Professionals Affected By COVID-19: Asia, Europe & The U.K.

Born to Nigerian parents in London in 1972, Chijioke was known for his storytelling skills and sharp wit, with his music taking "a tangibly British take on the U.S. boom-bap style of hip-hop," The Guardian writes.

He released his debut album, Awkward, in 2001. But 2003's Upwards marked his breakthrough into the mainstream. In addition to peaking at No. 35 on the U.K. Independent Albums Chart in his homeland, Upwards received a nomination for the Mercury Prize, the coveted annual award celebrating "the best of U.K. music and the artists who produce it," according to the organization's website.

Chijioke would go on to release three additional albums, including Closer (2006), Special Kind Of Fool (2010) and A Work Of Heart (2018); his albums featured collaborations with American hip-hop artists like De La Soul and Speech of Arrested Development, as well as U.K. rappers and producers like Roots Manuva, Sway and others. 

In addition to his solo work, The Guardian reports, Chijioke was an artist associate of The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company, "a music theatre production company aimed at exploring the social, cultural and linguistic parallels between the works of William Shakespeare and that of modern day hip-hop artists," according to the organization's website. He also experimented with spoken word and was a founding member of the U.K. hip-hop supergroup Kingdem, alongside rappers Blak Twang and Rodney P.

Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

Lee Konitz

Lee Konitz performs in 1992

Photo: Frans Schellekens/Redferns

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Remembering Jazz Saxophone Legend Lee Konitz, "Cool Jazz" Pioneer And Miles Davis Collaborator

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Konitz, who died at 92 due to complications from COVID-19, recorded and featured on several dozens of albums as a leader or sideman alongside many jazz greats
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Apr 18, 2020 - 4:00 pm

The jazz world lost one of its most revered artists this week (April 15) with the passing of Lee Konitz, the legendary, award-winning composer and saxophonist best known for his pioneering work in the "cool jazz" style as well as his contributions to Miles Davis' Birth Of The Cool sessions between 1949 and 1950. 

Konitz, who died in Manhattan at 92 due to complications from COVID-19, held a prolific seven-decade career, which included runs and collaborations with several icons in the jazz world, including Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Stan Kenton's Orchestra, Warne Marsh, Lennie Tristano, Bud Powell and several others. 

Born in 1927 in Chicago, Konitz began his jazz journey at a young age. Inspired by early jazz and big band greats like Benny Goodman, he began on clarinet, at age 11, which he traded for a tenor sax and then moved to the alto sax. By 1945, he went pro and began to work with fellow jazz musicians, and future regular collaborators, like Jerry Wald, Tristano, Claude Thornhill and his orchestra, Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan.

Between 1949 and 1950, Konitz joined icon Miles Davis and several other musicians in a series of recording sessions, which would later comprise the latter's 1957 compilation Birth Of The Cool, a landmark album in the jazz canon. The album, along with Konitz's unique style, would go on to help establish and define the "cool jazz" sound, a more subdued, lighter take on the genre that broke away from the faster, complex bebop style then dominating the era. 

Read: 'Bitches Brew' At 50: Why Miles Davis' Masterpiece Remains Impactful

Miles Davis, Lee Konitz and Gerry Mulligan at the "Birth of the Cool" recording sessions in 1949

Lee Konitz (center), alongside Miles Davis and Gerry Mulligan, at the Birth Of The Cool recording sessions in 1949

While Konitz was "influential in the development of the so-called cool school," The New York Times writes, he also varied his style, "from an early unaccompanied saxophone solo album, to post-bop, free improvisations and a string of innovative duets," Billboard notes. Altogether, he recorded and featured on several dozens of albums as a leader or co-leader and sideman, including works with jazz icons as well as non-jazz artists like Elvis Costello; Konitz played on the latter's 2003 album, North.

Like the true jazz serviceman he was, Konitz continued to perform live into his 90s before his passing, The New York Times notes.

Lee Konitz is survived by his five children, three grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

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Joe Diffie performs at the Watershed Music Festival 2014

Joe Diffie performs at the Watershed Music Festival 2014

Photo: Suzi Pratt/FilmMagic

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Joe Diffie, Country Music Veteran And GRAMMY Winner, Dies From Coronavirus At 61

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The chart-topping singer was the first country star to go public with a COVID-19 diagnosis
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Mar 29, 2020 - 4:24 pm

Joe Diffie, a GRAMMY-winning country music veteran, died Sunday (March 29) due to complications from COVID-19. The singer announced his coronavirus diagnosis Friday (March 27), according to Billboard. He was the first country star to go public with a diagnosis of the disease, the Associated Press reports. His publicist, Scott Adkins, confirmed the news of his death, Rolling Stone reports. Diffie was 61.

Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, shared a touching message on behalf of the organization.

"[Joe Diffie's] long-lasting impact on the industry won't be forgotten, and his music will be cherished for generations to come," the statement reads.

Born into a musical family in Tulsa, Okla., in 1958, Diffie was a prolific country music artist and songwriter throughout the '90s and early 2000s. He landed 35 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart in the U.S. between 1990, the year he signed with the Nashville division of Epic Records, and 2004. He topped that same chart a total of five times throughout his career with the country hits "Home" (1990), his debut single, "If The Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)" (1991), "Pickup Man" (1994), "Third Rock From The Sun" (1994) and "Bigger Than The Beatles" (1995). 

Read: Kenny Rogers, Country Music Icon And Actor, Dies At 81

Known for his neotraditionalist country style, Diffie released a total of 12 studio albums, including a Christmas album (1995's Mr. Christmas) and a bluegrass album (2010's Homecoming: The Bluegrass Album), in addition to multiple compilation albums. His 1993 album, Honky Tonk Attitude, and his 1994 album, Third Rock From The Sun, became Top 10 hits on the Top Country Albums chart in the U.S.

At the 41st GRAMMY Awards, held in 1999, Diffie won his first and only golden gramophone for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for his contribution to "Same Old Train," an all-star collaboration featuring Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, Clint Black, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam. The track was featured on the 1998 tribute album, Tribute To Tradition.

In 1993, Diffie was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, one of the most celebrated institutions in country music. 

Beyond his solo career, Diffie co-wrote songs for fellow country luminaries, including Tim McGraw, Holly Dunn and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter and George Jones, among others. 

Diffie was an influence on the younger country music generation, with several artists celebrating the legend in their music, including Jason Aldean ("1994") and Chris Young ("Raised On Country"), according to Billboard.

Diffie is survived by his wife, Theresa Crump, and his five children, according to the Associated Press.

Following the news of Diffie's death, fellow artists and institutions from the country music community commemorated the late icon.

Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund