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GRAMMYs

Dr. John

Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations: Dr. John

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GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter discusses five GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that shaped his musical journey
Steve Hochman
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

(To commemorate the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame's 40th Anniversary in 2013, GRAMMY.com has launched GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations. The ongoing series will feature conversations with various GRAMMY winners who will identify GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that have influenced them and helped shape their careers.)

Many artists have talked about learning at the feet of the masters. Dr. John adds another twist to that. Looking at the music that most impacted his development and sensibilities, the experiences that opened his ears and his world, he tells of his teen years in New Orleans when he and pal James Booker — who also went on to become one of the Crescent City's most influential pianists — would go see singer Big Maybelle perform.

"Me and James Booker used to cut the corns off her feet at the shows at the Dew Drop Inn in New Orleans," he says in his thick New Orleans accent and distinctive patois making the listener wonder if he'd heard right.

Yeah, that's what he said, he assures.

"She always wore shoes that looked good, but weren't her size," he says, looking back on the time before he took on his Dr. John voodoo priest persona, when he was just a young music prodigy named Mac Rebennack. "Was tough for her. But I loved her."

That was nearly 60 years ago, but the inspirations of those years still influence him. His latest album, Locked Down, produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, incorporates African-influenced riffs and rhythms into the gritty gris-gris funk he developed first in the late '60s (as heard on his 1973 hit "Right Place, Wrong Time") for one of the strongest albums of his career. And Locked Down has earned him new accolades, including a GRAMMY for Best Blues Album at the 55th GRAMMY Awards. It also played a big role in Auerbach's selection as Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical.

Locked Down's wide-reaching sound keeps with Dr. John's past — he has won five previous GRAMMY Awards in four different genres. The album also caps a run of his music showing renewed fire — both in sound and socio-political content — resulting from 2005's Hurricane Katrina, which devastated his beloved native city, and the 2010 oil spill that despoiled the Gulf region again.

Now he's shifting gears for his next project, a tribute album to Louis Armstrong, with very personal re-imaginings of Satchmo's material, as well as a concert presentation featuring an all-star roster of guest trumpeters. But it's not really a shift at all, as it bears the essence of all Dr. John's music, whether hard funk, American standards, solo piano, or jazz.

"The spiritual thing is more powerful than the meat world," he says. "We're stuck in this meat world and if we don't follow the spirit we are caught in the wrong place. I was stuck in the meat for a long time. But for 23 years I've been on the right path."

"Candy"
Big Maybelle
Savoy (1953)
R&B (Single)
Inducted 1999

"Big Maybelle was so influential in my life. She sang everything so high. I thought, 'Man, I got [a] hell of a lot of nerve trying to cut this song on my [1989] In A Sentimental Mood record.' But I did it and it was OK. Maybelle, she was one of the great singers of her time and me and Booker just loved her to the max. We were youngsters, I guess 14, 15, something like that."

"Heebie Jeebies"
Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five
Okeh (1926)
Jazz (Single)
Inducted 1999

"That song was great to me because Louis Armstrong invented scat singing right there on that song. Well-known story about how the [lyrics] paper fell off the [stand] while he was singing and he just started scatting. That opened that door.

"But what was really weird to me was that Louis Armstrong came to me in a dream and said, 'Why don't you cut a record and do this? Cut [my songs] your own way. Take the songs and make them feel updated.' That wasn't one of the songs, but he came to me in a dream. He never come to me in a dream before.

"I met him once in New York [at] Joe Glaser's office. [Glaser] was his manager, [and he] managed Dizzy Gillespie [and] Louis Armstrong. But Louis came to me in a dream, so he's always in my head now."

"Call It Stormy Monday"
T-Bone Walker
Black & White (1948)
Blues (Single)
Inducted 1991

"I was working a gig with T-Bone Walker at Shelly's Manne-Hole in Hollywood. Every night, Lloyd Glenn [the original recording's arranger and pianist] was playing with a Dixieland band in Orange County and would drive all the way up and play the last set on piano, and I would play guitar.

"When I started guitar lessons [as a teen], T-Bone was the guy. [Walter] Papoose Nelson, he was my guitar teacher, and I knew all that stuff from him. But to play with T-Bone was useful. He was such a pro. [He] would still play behind his head and do all that, and he was the guy, you know? Loved working with him. Was one of his gigs where I met Joni Jonz, one of his old singers. And she became one of our background singers."

"Oh Happy Day"
Edwin Hawkins Singers
Buddha (1969)
Gospel (Single)
Inducted 1999

"I remember Shirley Goodman [New Orleans singer of the duo Shirley & Lee] told me when it first came out, 'You gotta hear that.' She said, 'Reminds me of [Louisiana gospel guitarist/singer] Rev. Utah Smith.' But [I] said, 'It also reminds me of the old Spiritualist Church of New Orleans.' And that church was open to everyone — children were the angels, women were the saints and the men were the workers. Unlike any church anywhere. Was really something special. I always remember Shirley singing, and she turned me on to that record. I knew her a long time."

Blue Train
John Coltrane
Atlantic (1957)
Jazz (Album)
Inducted 1999

"I couldn't make a decision between 'A-Tisket, A-Tasket' by Ella Fitzgerald with the Chick Webb Band [or] John Coltrane's Blue Train. Whole thing about Trane — had trouble picking the song. But I decided, spiritually, that I had to go with 'Blue Train' on this album because Curtis Fuller is on it and he's my favorite trombone player of all time. Our musical director said, 'He's the most original person in jazz today.' 'Killer Joe' [with the Art Farmer & Benny Golson Jazztet in 1960] and everything else, he was just the thing for me.

"And this record by Trane is one of my all-time favorites, so influential on me. Listen, the record that 'Trane did with Monk [1961's Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane] was the record I learned to play the changes for Monk's stuff, taking his stuff and putting it on the guitar. The record of 'Blue Train' was so down in the pocket. Was like, 'Ah, this is what I'm talking about.' Funky jazz, and it's good. The real McGillicutty."

(Six-time GRAMMY winner Dr. John garnered a 55th GRAMMY for Best Blues Album for his 2012 release, Locked Down. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.)

(Steve Hochman has been covering the music world since 1985. He can be heard regularly discussing new music releases on KPCC-FM's "Take Two" and the KQED-FM-produced show "The California Report," and he is also a regular contributor to the former station's arts blog "Without A Net." For 25 years he was a mainstay of the pop music team at the Los Angeles Times and his work has appeared in many other publications.)

 

Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl performs at the 54th GRAMMYs

Dave Grohl

Photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com

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Apple Music: Watch Electric GRAMMY Rock Performances

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Rock out with Bruce Springsteen, the Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, White Stripes, and more, by watching past jamming GRAMMY performances on Apple Music
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jan 22, 2018 - 7:59 am

The GRAMMY Awards do indeed rock. Need the high-octane proof? You'll find it in a special curated batch of great rock moments from Music's Biggest Night, featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Metallica and the White Stripes to the Police, Melissa Etheridge and the Foo Fighters.

Thanks to the Recording Academy and Apple Music's exclusive commemorative video collection in celebration of the 60th GRAMMY Awards, you can now binge-watch these amazing GRAMMY telecast performances.

The collection features metal band Metallica's slammin' 1989 version of their anti-war opus "One" at the 31st GRAMMY Awards. For a quieter performance, catch Beck at the 39th GRAMMYs for his "Where It's At." And who could forget Bob Dylan's Soy-Bombed performance of "Love Sick" at the commemorative 40th GRAMMY Awards?

There's Bruce Springsteen's uplifting performance of "The Rising" at the 45th GRAMMY Awards, along with Coldplay and the New York Philharmonic's sonically masterful rendering of "Politik" the same year. Marking a signature moment, the 45th GRAMMYs also featured a super group of rock royalty paying tribute to the Clash, with Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, Steven Van Zandt, and Tony Kanal presiding over "London Calling."

At the 46th GRAMMYs, the White Stripes played their now-classic "Seven Nation Army." Representing the female bada**es of the genre, Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge teamed for a medley of "Crybaby/Piece Of My Heart" at the 47th GRAMMY Awards.

The Police shone the red light on the 49th GRAMMY Awards when they performed their classic hit "Roxanne." The next year, at the milestone 50th GRAMMYs, the Foo Fighters got down and dirty for a performance of "The Pretender." Arcade Fire showed what they were made of at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards with "Ready To Start."

The Lumineers turned the genre on its head with a little alternative flare when they performed "Ho Hey" at the 55th GRAMMYs. That same year, the Black Keys hooked up with the inimitable Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for "Lonely Boy."

Imagine Dragons literally lit the stage on fire at the 56th GRAMMYs with Kendrick Lamar for an explosive reimagining of "Radioactive." Rounding out the collection is Alabama Shakes' earthshaking version of "Don't Wanna Fight" at the 58th GRAMMY Awards.

All of these performances and more are available now, only on Apple Music. Watch on Applemusic.com/GRAMMYs.

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 28. The telecast will be broadcast live on CBS at 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT. 

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Rihanna, 55th GRAMMYs performer

Rihanna

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

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2013 GRAMMYs: Who's performing? 2013-grammys-view-full-performer-list

2013 GRAMMYs: View a full performer list

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From Fun. and Justin Timberlake to Rihanna and Taylor Swift, view our handy performer rundown for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

With Music's Biggest Night quickly approaching, it's time to think about finalizing your to-do list for your official GRAMMY Sunday party. Snacks? Check. Favorite beverage? Check. Dessert? Check. Internet bill paid so you can stream GRAMMY Live? Check.

What's in store for GRAMMY Sunday, you ask? Plenty.

The star-studded performance lineup for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards has a bit of everything — the music comeback of a six-time GRAMMY winner, first-time artist collaborations, a tribute to an American legend, GRAMMY debuts, and generous sides of country, rock, pop, and hip-hop. Plus, the GRAMMYs are guaranteed to be cool with two-time GRAMMY-winning artist/actor LL Cool J serving as host.

It's a lot to keep track of, so we've compiled a handy alphabetical guide to artists who will be taking the GRAMMY stage. Of course, be sure to stay logged on to GRAMMY.com and follow our liveblog to complement your GRAMMY experience and join the conversation.

And the performers for the 55th GRAMMY Awards are: 

  • Travis Barker, Chuck D, LL Cool J, Tom Morello, and DJ Z-Trip

  • Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert

  • The Black Keys

  • Zac Brown, T Bone Burnett (as musical director), Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard, Elton John, Mumford & Sons, and Mavis Staples, who will pay tribute to the late Levon Helm of the Band

  • Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Kenny Garrett in tribute to Dave Brubeck

  • Kelly Clarkson

  • Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Black Keys

  • Fun.

  • Elton John with Ed Sheeran, performing together live for the first time

  • Juanes

  • Alicia Keys and Maroon 5

  • The Lumineers

  • Bruno Mars, Rihanna, and Sting

  • Miguel and Wiz Khalifa

  • Mumford & Sons

  • Frank Ocean

  • Rihanna

  • Taylor Swift

  • Justin Timberlake

  • Carrie Underwood

  • Jack White

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

GRAMMYs

Eddie Brigati

Photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com

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GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations: Eddie Brigati

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Brigati reveals five GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that inspired him, and details Steven Van Zandt's role in bringing the Rascals back together
Tammy La Gorce
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

(To commemorate the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame's 40th Anniversary in 2013, GRAMMY.com has launched GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inspirations. The ongoing series will feature conversations with various individuals who will identify GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that have influenced them and helped shape their careers.)

Music fans not old enough to remember when the Rascals — featuring Eddie Brigati alongside Felix Cavaliere, Gene Cornish and Dino Danelli — ruled the airwaves with such hits as "Good Lovin'," "A Beautiful Morning" and "Groovin'," may remember Steven Van Zandt's indelible speech when he inducted the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

"Some people may not realize it, but the Rascals were the first rock band in the world," said Van Zandt. "[When] 'I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore' [came] on the radio … that was when New Jersey soul was born."

Though the Rascals disbanded in 1972, in less than a decade they managed to release several albums to chart on the Billboard 200, including 1967's Groovin', which was released under the band's former name, the Young Rascals, and climbed to No. 5. The album's title track was a No. 1 hit and earned induction into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 1999.

Fortunately for music fans that wasn't the last they would hear of Brigati or the Rascals. In 2012 Van Zandt brought the original band back together for the first time for "Once Upon A Dream" (taken from the title of the band's 1968 album) — a nostalgic Beatlemania-like production Van Zandt wrote, co-produced and co-directed. The show premiered at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., in 2012 and sold out consistently during its April 2013 Broadway run.

Coincidentally, Van Zandt may indirectly owe his acting career to the Rascals. According to Brigati, "Sopranos" creator David Chase discovered Van Zandt (who played Silvio Dante on the show from 1999–2007) after watching him induct the Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Brigati says that while he is often asked about the rifts that broke the band apart years ago, he chooses to focus on the now.

"The music goes beyond all the negativity that happened," he says. "All that stuff was fertilizer. I know you're talking about half a century later, but believe it: The music keeps getting better. It's better than ever."

Below, Brigati details the five GRAMMY Hall Of Fame recordings that have continued to provide inspiration throughout his storied career.

West Side Story
Original Broadway Cast (Carol Lawrence, Larry Kert)

Columbia (1958)
Album

Inducted 1991

"I was in school when 'West Side Story' came out. I came out of there and I was practically leaping over cars in the parking lot. Then I went to New York. I was going to be in the movies, I was going to be a dancer, I was going to do everything. I went to see a man by the name of Phil Black. He was the premier dance instructor on Broadway then. He talked to me, he interviewed me, and he said, 'OK, you come back and take this ballet class.' At the beginning I loved it. I was the only guy there. But I didn't realize I was going to Marine camp. I thought I was just going to jump over cars. I didn't know how hard it is to be a dancer. It's a whole life, not a hobby.

"'West Side Story' was important musically because of the story of the whole thing, too. Songs that tell you stories [are] what we [wrote] in the Rascals, and 'West Side Story' did it first. It had songs that tell you something. You want to listen to the story to hear about dreams, ambitions, hobbies, goals. I took that with me."

What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
Tamla (1971)
Album
Inducted 1998

"Marvin Gaye was a beautiful singer, and he was in some wonderful groups. My brother and I are singers, and the main musical food we had in our house growing up was R&B — black harmony singers. We listened to the Flamingos, the Doves, all these people that came in the '50s and '60s who were blending and harmonizing. … They were blessing your ears. It was something they anointed you with. That's the germ of our history.

"Marvin Gaye was a singer who took it a step further, because he also dealt with political issues. He was talking about social interests, topical stories. He was talking about what's important to him. Again, he told a story, and the story stays with you. It's like with Stevie Wonder — he wrapped his songs in candy, like a sweet pill. You dance to the songs but you also swallow the pill. The message behind the song stays with you." 

"What The World Needs Now Is Love"
Jackie DeShannon
Imperial (1965)
Single

Inducted 2008

"I got out of high school in '63. I had done a tour with Joey Dee And The Starliters, and the Rascals began a year later. The song 'What The World Needs Now…' reflected the surrounding temperature of the times. It was the food around us, the information we were receiving. You have to remember the whole background was the Vietnam War. That song captured a countercultural feeling. It had liftoff in the culture. In the Rascals there was social commentary too, but we kept it down, we kept it to the side. It's in there, though."

Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys

Capitol (1966)
Album

Inducted 1998

"I know the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds influenced me because I still sing songs from it every day. I sing them, I whisper them, whatever. It left a mark on me as much if not more so than the Beatles, although it's hard to deny the Beatles. I'll sing 'Caroline, No.' Or I'll sing 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' around the house, and then I sing the part about 'wouldn't it be nice if we were older,' and then I'm thinking, the joke is, if we get any older I won't be able to sing anymore. But Pet Sounds has love stories, it has everything. It's all in there."

"Chances Are"
Johnny Mathis

Columbia (1957)
Single
Inducted 1998

"Johnny Mathis was the singer's singer. The arrangements, the love songs … still today, his songs are indelible. 'Chances Are' has a beautiful perspective. It's not about violence or aggression, it's about real love — vulnerability, being smitten, two people in awe of each other. That's why it holds up today, and that's why the Rascals' stuff holds up today. The reason is love, the purity of love. The influence may be missing in the American culture now, but it reached me."

(Eddie Brigati served as one of the primary vocalists/composers of the Rascals, along with Felix Cavaliere. The No. 1 hit "Groovin'," which he co-wrote with Cavaliere, has been recorded by artists including Aretha Franklin, Ringo Starr and Booker T. & The MG's, among others.)

(Tammy La Gorce is a freelance writer whose work appears regularly in The New York Times.)

GRAMMYs

Chuck D

Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images

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LL Cool J, Travis Barker, Chuck D, Tom Morello, DJ Z-Trip To Team For GRAMMY Performance

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Dr. John and Preservation Hall Jazz Band to join the Black Keys for performance; Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Kenny Garrett, and Juanes added to Music's Biggest Night
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

Travis Barker, Chuck D, two-time GRAMMY winner and host LL Cool J, two-time GRAMMY winner Tom Morello, and DJ Z-Trip will join together; current nominee Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will join the Black Keys; three-time GRAMMY winner Stanley Clarke, current nominee Chick Corea and current nominee Kenny Garrett will pay tribute to Dave Brubeck; and current nominee Juanes will perform, all on the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.

Emmy Award-winning talk show host and current nominee Ellen DeGeneres, actor Kat Dennings, actor Johnny Depp, seven-time GRAMMY winner John Mayer, current four-time nominee Nas, recording artist Pitbull, nine-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Bonnie Raitt, and two-time GRAMMY winner Kelly Rowland will appear as presenters.

Eighteen-time GRAMMY winner Corea is up for five awards: two in Best Improvised Jazz Solo for "Hot House" (along with Gary Burton) and "Alice In Wonderland," two in Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Further Explorations (with Eddie Gomez and Paul Motian) and Hot House (with Gary Burton), and Best Instrumental Composition for "Mozart Goes Dancing."

Five-time GRAMMY winner Dr. John, GRAMMY winner Garrett, and GRAMMY winner and 19-time Latin GRAMMY winner Juanes each have one nomination: Dr. John is nominated in Best Blues Album for Locked Down; Garrett has a nod in Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Seeds From The Underground; and Juanes is up for Best Latin Pop Album for MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition.

Previously announced performers for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards are current nominees Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert, the Black Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Fun., the Lumineers, Miguel and Wiz Khalifa, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Jack White, as well as Elton John and current nominee Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys and current nominees Maroon 5, current nominee Bruno Mars, Rihanna, and Sting in a special performance, nominees Zac Brown, T Bone Burnett (as musical director), Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes), and Mumford & Sons, along with five-time GRAMMY winner, GRAMMY Legend Award recipient, and 2000 MusiCares Person of the Year honoree Elton John and GRAMMY winner and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient (as a member of the Staple Singers) Mavis Staples in a special tribute to the late Levon Helm, and Justin Timberlake.

Previously announced presenters are nominees Beyoncé, Hunter Hayes, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ne-Yo, and Katy Perry, actor Kaley Cuoco, 13-time GRAMMY winner Dave Grohl, actor and three-time Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris, five-time GRAMMY winner Faith Hill, singer/actor Jennifer Lopez, three-time GRAMMY winner Tim McGraw, actor Pauley Perrette, seven-time GRAMMY winner Prince, TV and radio host/producer (and newly appointed Honorary Chair of the GRAMMY Foundation Board) Ryan Seacrest, and four-time GRAMMY winner Keith Urban. LL Cool J returns as host of the music industry's premier event.

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

 

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