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PJ Morton

PJ Morton

Photo: Patrick Melon

Interview
PJ Morton: 'Gumbo,' Maroon 5, SZA & New Orleans pj-morton-loves-gumbo-maroon-5-sza-new-orleans

PJ Morton Loves 'Gumbo,' Maroon 5, SZA & New Orleans

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The singer/songwriter and Maroon 5 keyboardist opens up about his Bee Gees cover, staying grounded on tour, and his favorite moments with Erykah Badu and India.Arie
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Oct 3, 2017 - 11:52 am

PJ Morton has quite the impressive résumé. R&B singer/songwriter/producer. Keyboardist with Maroon 5. Collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, BJ The Chicago Kid, India.Arie, Erykah Badu. There isn't much the New Orleans native hasn't done.

PJ Morton Dishes On His Love For New Orleans

He broke through in 2002 as a contributing songwriter on India.Arie's Best R&B Album GRAMMY winner Voyage To India. By 2005 he released his debut album, Emotions, followed by 2007's Perfect Song with the PJ Morton Band and 2010's Walk Alone. The same year, Morton began filling in as keyboardist with Maroon 5. He became a permanent member in 2012, contributing to the band's 2012 album, Overexposed, and 2014's V, which earned him three GRAMMY nominations.

In 2013 Morton released New Orleans, a solo project including the Best R&B Song-nominated track "Only One," a duet Morton performed with Wonder. His latest album, Gumbo, sees the GRAMMY nominee self-releasing an R&B masterpiece that covers topics such as racial identity, religion, romance, and even the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love."

In this exclusive Recording Academy interview, Morton opens up about Gumbo, Maroon 5 and collaborating with SZA, and why he's glad to be back in his hometown of New Orleans, among other topics.

You self-released your latest album Gumbo. What prompted that decision and what that process was like?
I knew that I really didn't want any outside forces coming in when I wanted to do this record. I wanted to say what I wanted to say and I thought that I didn't really want to have a corporation behind it this time. I've done that before, my previous solo record, and I just felt like I was clear on the vision on what I wanted this to be and felt like I could do it.

You've named the album Gumbo because it's a mix of different themes, including racial tension and  religion. Why was it important for you to talk about these topics, especially now?
I think it's the climate of where we are in America and in the world, in general. I feel like there's a line between being an artist and being an entertainer, and sometimes being an artist you have to speak on some things that make people reflect on where we are and reflect on the times. And so for me, I really wanted to speak to those issues and give voice to them really. A lot of times when you're just entertaining you're trying to make people forget what's going on in the world and forget their problems. But I wanted to give a voice to them and let everybody know we're all going through this together, so I wanted to deal with all those different types of issues. 

Gumbo features a cover of "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees. Why did you pick that cover?
That was fun for me. I have so many songs that I love and my heroes, like Stevie [Wonder] doing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" or D'Angelo doing "Feels Like Making Love." I always wanted to do a cover on my record and I always loved "How Deep Is Your Love." It's one of my favorites and I think with a lot of Bee Gees songs I always felt the soul in there but I just felt like I could take it a notch up. I wanted to put my soulful touch on a song that I think is one of the best songs ever to be written, to be honest.

Maroon 5 recently dropped the track "What Lovers Do" featuring SZA. How did that collab come about?
We had two people we were thinking that could fit on the song. We knew it had a cool vibe and wanted to put a dope female artist on it. SZA is one of our favorites right now. We're loving her music. I've always been a fan of her. I think it was just the right time. A lot of this is just timing and fitting the vibe right, and when she did it we knew it was a perfect fit.

You've worked with a lot of different artists. Do you have a favorite collaborative moment?
Erykah Badu was my very first tour ever, first time on a tour bus, first time learning all the rules to tour and she was just an amazing first. She was an amazing boss. I've heard horror stories of people on tour and she was just an amazing spirit — still is, still very supportive, [and] was very supportive then. So that definitely was a favorite collaboration for me. But India.Arie is my first mainstream placement on a record. I was in school at the time at Morehouse [College] in Atlanta and we met up. She usually writes most of her songs so this was rare for me to even get a song to her and that one song kind of changed my life. [She] won a GRAMMY for that. That was my junior year, [and it] won Best R&B Album. It kind of switched everything for me in my life, so that's definitely up there on my list. Me and India are still great friends and she gave me my start.

#TBT to my VERY FIRST tour! @erykahbadu was the best boss .. don't know why @keyonharrold's name is Keyon Clark.. had to be like 2003 Repost from @lockjohnson #tbt Recognize any names in that there tour book? A lot of great relationships were forged on and off the stage...True family bonds. @erykahbadu gave us some sweet platforms...Thanks #NedaStella #MD #WorldWideUnderground  #WeShookUpTheWorld @chinahblac @keishajackson @keyonharrold @pjmorton @rceeezy @bruthab76 @djbeverlybond

A post shared by PJ Morton (@pjmorton) on May 18, 2017 at 4:09pm PDT

You recently moved back to New Orleans. What is your favorite part about being back in your hometown?
The food! Yeah, I love the food. I love being back. I think it's the people that I love the most [about] New Orleans, aside from being closer to my family. There's a vibe of love in the city of New Orleans. And also as a musician, there's a sense of freedom when creating. The reason I was really able to lock down and block out all the noise was because New Orleans just wants you to make something special. They don't care how you do it, they don't care how many records you sell, they don't care if it's on the radio. They just wanna see the value in what you do and there's a lot of integrity in music because it's our culture there, so I just love being a musician. I wear it as a badge of honor in that city. And the people just support that in a major way.

You've been on tour for Gumbo for a while and recently wrapped some shows with Maroon 5. How do you stay grounded when you're on tour?
Communicating with my family. I always tell people I don't know how people did it before FaceTime. My father was very busy and I guess it was payphones back then, but being able to FaceTime with my family and communicate with my family keeps me grounded. That's my base. That's the reason why I do this. That's the reason why I'm running all across the world doing music. But knowing that my family is there and rooting for me and there for me to support, keeps me grounded. Keeps me from going crazy out there.

#GUMBOTOUR w/ special guests @nowthatsmajor @iamjustash and @theebbc in select cities! Get tickets now at www.pjmortonmusic.com #GUMBO #PJMORTON

A post shared by PJ Morton (@pjmorton) on Jul 27, 2017 at 10:33am PDT

Songwriting, producing, touring, label proprietor. You've done a little bit of everything. What is your favorite role to play and why, and is there something else you want to do in the music business that you haven't done yet?
That's always a tough question. I think producing and performing alike. Producing because you get to use the studio as your instrument and bring all of these different things together to make this one beautiful thing. And that's just fun to do as a musician, as a producer, to be able to bring that string orchestra, bring horns in, and say I want you to play that beat or use this sound. It's always just fun. You get to be a mad scientist. But performing is also my favorite because it takes you awhile to create those things then put them out to see how people feel about it. When you perform you know whether people like a song right then, and when they do it's probably the best high that you could ever feel, being on stage, and having people sing your song word for word, something that you worked on, put your blood, sweat and tears in. So performing is up there for me too because it's just so instant, amazing. 

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Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Interview
Justin Timberlake On GRAMMY Moment With Al Green justin-timberlake-al-green-bathtubs-grammys-greatest-stories

Justin Timberlake, Al Green & Bathtubs: "GRAMMYs Greatest Stories"

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Learn how JT ended up performing with the R&B legend at the 51st GRAMMYs; tune in to "GRAMMYs Greatest Stories" Nov. 24 on CBS
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Nov 17, 2017 - 9:51 am

GRAMMY winner Justin Timberlake is no stranger to the GRAMMY stage. In fact, he's graced the stage seven times in his career so far, including performances with Arturo Sandoval, the Black Eyed Peas, Robyn, Jay Z, and T.I.. But what's his favorite GRAMMY moment? The time he performed alongside "the Reverend" Al Green with Boyz II Men and Keith Urban at the 51st GRAMMY Awards.

Justin Timberlake's GRAMMY Moment With Al Green

This supergroup of performers took on Green's classic hit "Let's Stay Together" but, according to Timberlake, the performance was a last minute-ensemble cobbled together by GRAMMY telecast producer Ken Ehrlich. 

Timberlake recounts how Ehrlich kept trying to get a hold of Green to confirm his telecast performance. While Green ultimately came through to help deliver this incredible GRAMMY moment, it turns out he was otherwise occupied when he got the phone calls.

"I picture that [Green's] taking this fantastic bubble bath and he gets the phone call and someone walks in and they say, 'Reverend, the GRAMMYs needs you,'" says Timberlake. "For me, it was one of the greatest moments I've ever had at the GRAMMYs."

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SZA

SZA

Photo: Courtesy of RCA Records

Interview
SZA On 'Ctrl,' Inspiration & Trampolines sza-ctrl-drew-barrymore-trampolines

SZA On 'Ctrl,' "Drew Barrymore" & Trampolines

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The breakout R&B star also talks about her songwriting inspirations, why she's connected to freeform expression and her responsibility to fans
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Oct 11, 2017 - 4:44 pm

Since her 2013 signing with Top Dawg Entertainment — home of GRAMMY-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar — the industry has kept its eye on rising alternative R&B star Solána Rowe — aka SZA.

SZA's "Drew Barrymore" Connection

While she has a handful of EP releases to her name and has written songs for artists such as Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna, it's her debut studio album, 2017's Ctrl [TDE/RCA], that has launched her into the stratosphere. The album, which AllMusic.com describes as full of "frank songs that wield power," peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of songs such as "Drew Barrymore," "Broken Clocks," and the platinum-selling "Love Galore" featuring Travis Scott.

Now, in this exclusive Recording Academy interview, the singer/songwriter opens up about Ctrl, her feeling of responsibility to her fans, the meaning behind her analog-based album cover as well as how she gathers inspiration from film and freeform physical expressions.

How has your life changed since you released your album, Ctrl?

People noticing me [and] that never happened before. I was quiet in high school and relatively unpopular, so being noticed is not something that I'm used to. Being noticed on a very different end of the spectrum is very intense, but it makes me feel like I have a responsibility because I feel like every person that I'm meeting at a meet-and-greet or at a show — or that's listening to my album or that I'm seeing on the internet — I see that they're genuine reflections of me.

I didn't know that because [I'm] telling [my] truth, [I would] get to introduce [myself] to friends that [I] didn't know that [I was going to] have. They're really [my] friends because they relate to the same things [I] relate to, they think [my] same thoughts, they love the same aesthetics — so I have a lot more friends than I ever imagined. But that is a great responsibility to take care of those people and those minds and cater to their hearts and what they deserve as people. I want people to feel like they're loved and cared about and part of something way bigger than me, because to feel alone and not a part of anything was crazy growing up.

What song on the album are you currently most emotionally attached to?

"Supermodel." It was the first time I ever sang something, freestyled something, all the way down. I never made an acoustic song before. My friend taught himself how to play the guitar the day before, so he's only repeating the same two chords the whole way. And he was like, "No, you can't do this, you can't just use this loop." I love a loop because I don't write physically. I write in my brain so loops help me keep track of my words or where I'm at. I've never felt sadder listening to those chords or thinking about where I was or talking about a boy that I don't care about anymore. But it took me to a weird place. They say certain chords evoke certain emotions from you, like sadness. It made it very easy for me to express and talk s*** at the same time without stopping.

What is the story behind the album's cover art?

My parents never had a Mac — PC only. And my mom kept the giant box we had forever upstairs. She must have brought it from [her] office before I was born or something strange. I spent so much time crouched over a desktop. I felt like that was my world and that's before there was even any world to see on the internet. Something about the analog-ness about a landline, computer, email only — like when you had to explain things in email and really talk to people like you knew them.

Ctrl 6.9.17

A post shared by SZA (@sza) on May 25, 2017 at 5:08pm PDT

We've heard that you find inspiration outside of music. Can you tell us about three of your biggest inspirations?

I'm a visual learner, so film is a huge inspiration to me. I'm very into details, so I watch movies just for the details. I'll watch Blow for the hair — everyone's hair looks great in that movie. [I] watch Scarface for the 'fits. I live in my imagination, so sometimes movies help me get lost. I feel like I'm in it. Like Poison Ivy. I wrote "Drew Barrymore" about Poison Ivy or Never Been Kissed because I connected to [the character] Josie Grossy, like I am Josie Grossy. Film just really takes me to a weird place where I'm making a soundtrack to a movie I've already seen that already has a soundtrack, but this is what that movie means to me, and that's what I'm translating.

[Another inspiration is] gymnastics or dance. I was a gymnast for 13 years, and I was a dancer for maybe 10 of those. Any kind of expression, any explosion of expression — it doesn't even have to be dance or gymnastics. I love any sort of intricate freeform expression. I love going to Skyzone [in California] because it has a trampoline, and that's a freeform expression. That is so inspiring for some reason, getting your blood going. I never feel more inspired than when I'm leaving Skyzone.

And then art. There [are] so many different types of art, especially now that [the number of art] mediums has grown. I'm very inspired by any type of visual art and physical expression.

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Thom Bell's "Major Influence" On The Stylistics thom-bells-major-influence-stylistics

Thom Bell's "Major Influence" On The Stylistics

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Ahead of the "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" TV special, take a look at how producer/label exec Thom Bell impacted the Stylistics and the sound of the Stylistics and Philly soul
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Oct 9, 2017 - 12:12 pm

There would have been no classic sound of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s if it weren't for producer/record label executive Thom Bell.

Russell Thompkins Jr. On Thom Bell's Impact

This is something Russell Thompkins Jr. knows intimately as a member of the Philly soul group the Stylistics, for whom Bell co-wrote and produced several hits, including "I'm Stone In Love With You," "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" and "You Are Everything."

"He was the major influence of my career," says Thompkins. "When I first went in with Tommy, I think I was 19 or 20 years old. That's when I first started learning my craft. And from the things that I learned from doing the sessions with him, it's lasted me my whole career."

Now, Thompkins will have a chance to honor Bell, a 2017 Recording Academy Trustees Award recipient, for his contributions to the music industry during the Academy's "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" two-hour TV special in recognition of this year's class of Special Merit Awards recipients.

Thompkins will perform a rendition of "You Make Me Feel Brand New" in Bell's honor, one of the biggest songs Bell did with the Stylistics. But Thompkins' favorite Bell tune?

"My favorite song of Thom Bell's in 'Betcha By Golly Wow,'" says Thompkins. "It's the song in my show that I never get tired of performing. It's a wonderful song. I think out of the Stylistics' songs, it's the most recorded and done by other artists."

Tune in to "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" on PBS on Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. on PBS. In addition to Bell, honorees will include Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Sly Stone, Charley Pride and Shirley Caesar. Other artists scheduled to pay tribute to the honorees include Andra Day, Dwight Yoakam and Kirk Franklin.

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5th Dimension with Jimmy Webb (center)

Photo: William R. Eastabrook/M. Photographer

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What Happened? 10th GRAMMY Awards Flashback 5th-dimension-elvis-presley-7-things-know-about-10th-grammy-awards

5th Dimension To Elvis Presley: 7 Things To Know About The 10th GRAMMY Awards

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Take a look back at the GRAMMY Awards' 10th anniversary celebration and learn who won big and other major storylines
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Dec 20, 2017 - 10:50 am

Since the inaugural GRAMMY celebration, the GRAMMY Awards made a lot of progress in its first decade.

GRAMMY Performers In 90 Seconds: 1960s–1970s

From televised recognition to high-flying GRAMMY feats, firsts, an expanded number of categories, and four separate celebration dinners, the 10th GRAMMY Awards delivered the prestige the music industry and fans alike had come to appreciate about the burgeoning annual ceremony. As future telecast host Andy Williams summed up during the televised portion of the show, "[The GRAMMY] is the Oscar, the Emmy [and] the Tony of the recording industry."

Let's take a look back at how the GRAMMY Awards faired for their 10th birthday deep in the heart of the 1960s, and learn which of your favorite artists came out on top.

1. Four Cities Of Celebration And A TV Spot

While the 1st GRAMMY Awards were bicoastal, by the 10th GRAMMYs the Recording Academy's wings spread with awards dinners held in Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, Tenn., and New York. Comedian Stan Freberg teed up the Los Angeles celebration as emcee. The winners were announced on Feb. 29, 1968.

The GRAMMYs had a TV spot by now, too. "The Best On Record: The GRAMMY Awards Show" aired on NBC later that year on May 8, 1968. The broadcast, though not the full-fledged spectacle it became as a live telecast in 1973, featured performances such as a past Song Of The Year medley led by Glen Campbell, Bobbie Gentry, Chet Atkins, and Jack Jones.

2. 5th Dimension Fly "Up, Up And Away"

With their smooth harmonies, Los Angeles-based "Champagne Soul" group 5th Dimension emerged as one of the big winners. The quintet soared with a total of four wins for the Jimmy L. Webb-penned smash hit "Up, Up And Away." 5th Dimension took home Record Of The Year, Best Performance By A Vocal Group, Best Contemporary Single, and Best Contemporary Group Performance (Vocal Or Instrumental). "Up, Up And Away" also earned Song Of The Year honors for songwriter Webb.

3. Queen of Soul Gets Her "Respect"

Aretha Franklin earned her "Respect" at the 10th GRAMMY Awards. She took home her first two career GRAMMYs for her soulful call for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T — Best Rhythm & Blues Recording and Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female. Nowadays, the Queen of Soul is among the top GRAMMY winners of all time with 18 career awards. But it all started 50 years ago at the 10th GRAMMYs.

Want More GRAMMY History? Pick A Copy Of And The GRAMMY Goes To…

4. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Prevails

By the time the 10th GRAMMYs rolled around, the Beatles had already made their mark, earning Best New Artist honors at the 7th GRAMMY Awards three years earlier. But with their magnum opus Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the British quartet transitioned to music royalty. They nabbed five GRAMMY nominations for 1967, and ultimately took home two for the coveted Album Of The Year prize and Best Contemporary Album.

Sgt. Pepper's … proved to be a hit in other categories as well. The album's pioneering sonics earned engineer Geoff Emerick Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical honors. Art directors Peter Blake and Jann Haworth took home Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts for the album's seminal cover art.

Revisit Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band At 50

5. Elvis, The King Of … Gospel

Though Elvis Presley earned nine career GRAMMY nominations prior to the 10th GRAMMY Awards for classics such as "A Big Hunk O' Love," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and the soundtrack to Blue Hawaii, the King of Rock and Roll actually earned his first career GRAMMY this year — for Best Sacred Performance.

Presley took home the GRAMMY for his version of "How Great Thou Art," from the album of the same name. How Great Thou Art was Presley's second gospel album, following His Hand In Mine, and it was in this realm the King would find his GRAMMY success. Presley went on to win two additional career GRAMMYs, both for Best Inspirational Performance.

6. Country's Biggest Night

The country genre arguably came out on top at the 10th GRAMMY Awards, thanks to two of its brightest stars: Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry.

Campbell tied the evening for most awards in one night with 5th Dimension, taking home four GRAMMYs: Best Vocal Performance, Male and Best Contemporary Male Solo Vocal Performance for "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and Best Country & Western Recording and Best Country & Western Solo Vocal Performance, Male for "Gentle On My Mind."

Gentry nabbed three awards. She earned the Best New Artist trophy as one of the first female country artists to write and record her own material. The Mississippian also took home Best Vocal Performance, Female and Best Contemporary Female Solo Vocal Performance for her career-defining hit "Ode To Billie Joe."  

Want More GRAMMY History? Pick A Copy Of And The GRAMMY Goes To…

7. Winners Were Recognized In 48 Categories

The number of awards given at the annual GRAMMYs had been creeping up since the first winners were crowned. By its 10th anniversary, categories had gone from 28 at the 1st GRAMMYs to 39 at the 5th GRAMMY Awards and then to an even 48 by the 10th GRAMMY Awards.

In addition to pop, jazz and classical, other genres, including an expanded array of country and R&B awards, were now getting their due. Also, several craft categories that recognized engineers, arrangers and art directors came onto the scene as a harbinger of what is now the 84 GRAMMY categories across all genres and craft categories.

Sinatra To The Chipmunks: 7 Things That Happened At The 1st GRAMMY Awards

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