Queen

Queen

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Queen, Tina Turner, Neil Diamond Among "GRAMMY Salute ..." TV Special Honorees

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Emmylou Harris, the Meters, John Williams, and more will also be honored at the third annual awards and tribute concert to air as part of the "Great Performances" series on PBS
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 12, 2018 - 7:22 am

The Recording Academy has unveiled plans to honor its 2018 class of Special Merit Awards recipients with the upcoming "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" television special. The third annual awards ceremony and tribute concert will take place in Los Angeles at Dolby Theatre on July 14, and is set to be broadcast as part of the "Great Performances" series on PBS.

Shirley Caesar Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

The Academy's Special Merit Awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award, all of which recognize music's most impactful creators and innovators. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, the Meters, Queen, and Tina Turner. Trustees Award recipients include Bill Graham, Seymour Stein and John Williams.

The Technical GRAMMY Award is being presented to Tony Agnello and Richard Factor while the 2018 Music Educator Award recipient is Melissa Salguero.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will feature rare performances by select honorees and never-seen renditions of their discographies performed by those they've inspired. GRAMMY-nominated industry icon Greg Phillinganes will serve as musical director, and scheduled appearances include GRAMMY winner Herb Alpert, who will honor Blaine, and GRAMMY nominee Micky Dolenz, who will be honoring Diamond. GRAMMY winner Sammy Hagar will pay tribute to Graham, while GRAMMY nominee Ledisi who will salute Jordan. GRAMMY winner Trisha Yearwood will pay tribute to Harris.

Presenters for the evening include actress Angela Bassett and GRAMMY winner Henry Rollins.

The special will be produced by the Recording Academy in partnership with Thirteen Productions and is set to air on PBS later this year. In addition to the tribute concert, guests will enjoy never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to the music industry and our cultural heritage.

"We are thrilled to once again partner with Thirteen Productions and PBS to bring our 'GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends' awards show and tribute concert to life at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "We look forward to celebrating the tremendous contributions of our Special Merit Awards recipients and honoring their outstanding accomplishments."

Additional performers and presenters will be announced shortly. Tickets for the event will be on sale via Ticketmaster beginning June 12.

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Tina Turner

Tina Turner

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Tina Turner To Queen: 2018 Recording Academy Special Merit Awards

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Emmylou Harris, the Meters, Bill Graham, and John Williams are also among this year's crop of honorees who have made a lasting impression on the recording industry
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jan 9, 2018 - 6:30 am

It's time to celebrate another class of exceptional music creators with the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award.

This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, the Meters, Queen, and Tina Turner. Bill Graham, Seymour Stein and John Williams will receive the Trustees Award. Tony Agnello and Richard Factor are the Technical GRAMMY Award recipients.

Hal Blaine
2018 Special Merit Awards Recipients

A special award presentation ceremony and concert celebrating the Special Merit Awards honorees will be held in summer 2018. Additional details regarding the ceremony will be announced.

In the meantime, why are these industry luminaries up for a Special Merit Award? Let's take a closer look.

Blaine is best known for his role as the lead drummer/founder of the Wrecking Crew studio band that backed iconic artists such as Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, and more. He worked on six consecutive Record Of The Year GRAMMY-winning tracks between 1965 and 1970, including Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night" and Simon And Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson."

Diamond's rich catalog has become a part of the fabric of America's songbook with hits such as "Sweet Caroline," "Solitary Man" and "You'll Be A Woman Soon." He earned a GRAMMY at the 16th GRAMMY Awards for Album Of Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special for Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2009.

A 13-time GRAMMY winner, Harris' genre-spanning style has earned her a permanent place among the contemporary country elite. She earned her first GRAMMY at the 19th GRAMMY Awards for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female for Elite Hotel. She most recently won for Best Americana Album for Old Yellow Moon at the 56th GRAMMYs.

The late Jordan has been dubbed the Father of Rhythm & Blues and the Grandfather of Rock and Roll for his recordings from the late 1930s to early 1950s. He has four recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame with his band Tympany Five: "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" (inducted 2013), "Caldonia Boogie" (1998), "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" (2008), and "Let The Good Times Roll" (2009).

The Meters — comprising drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, frontman Art Neville, percussionist/vocalist Cyril Neville, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, and bassist George Porter Jr. — are considered to be among the founding fathers of funk with iconic tunes such as "Cissy Strut," "Good Old Funky Music" and "Chicken Strut." "Cissy Strut" was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2011.

One of the most lauded rock bands of all time, Queen — bassist John Deacon, guitarist Brian May, frontman Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor — have made an indelible impact on the music industry with blockbuster hits such as the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame-inducted recordings "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Will Rock You"/"We Are The Champions."

Heralded as the Queen of Rock and Roll, Turner remains a global recording star worldwide. She earned her first GRAMMY at the 14th GRAMMY Awards with Ike Turner for their rendition of "Proud Mary," which took home Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Group. She's since added an additional seven wins to her tally, most recently as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock's Album Of The Year-winning River: The Joni Letters at the 50th GRAMMY Awards.

The late manager/concert promoter Graham is credited with creating the modern rock concert thanks to his tour organization for legendary artists such as Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and George Harrison.

As a vice president of Warner Bros. Records and founder of Sire Records, Stein is responsible for ushering in the careers of some of our favorite artists, including the Ramones, the Pretenders, Talking Heads, k.d. lang, Barenaked Ladies, the Cure, Seal, Madonna, Depeche Mode, and Ice-T, among others.

Prolific composer Williams has made history for his unforgettable film scores, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. He is one of the top GRAMMY winners of all time with 23 GRAMMYs to his name, most recently for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media for Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the 59th GRAMMY Awards. Star Wars — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Technical GRAMMY Awards recipients Agnello and Factor have influenced the record-making process through their company Eventide, which produces a wide variety of original audio effects devices. The company's H910 Harmonizer effects processor, whose underlying technology forms the basis of all pitch-shifting and pitch-correction devices today, impacted the sound of classic LPs such as David Bowie's Low, Kraftwerk's Computer World and AC/DC's Back In Black, among others.

"This year's Special Merit Awards recipients are a prestigious group of diverse and influential creators who have crafted or contributed to some of the most distinctive recordings in music history," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "These exceptionally inspiring figures are being honored as legendary performers, creative architects and technical visionaries. Their outstanding accomplishments and passion for their craft have created a timeless legacy."

Celia Cruz

Celia Cruz

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Celia Cruz, Bob Marley & Billie Holiday: Most-Anticipated Music Biopic | Poll

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From Queen to Curtis Mayfield to Judy Garland, which music biopic would you be most excited to watch?
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 8, 2018 - 8:39 am

For the music lover, a great biopic can show the life and career of an artist beyond what can be heard on the record. With some heavy-hitting legends slated to get the biopic treatment soon, music fans and film fans alike have much to look forward to…

Polls

Which legendary artist's biopic would you be most excited to watch?

The music biopic has become an art form all its own, requiring the perfect combination of the actor nailing the portrayal of the artist and the director ensuring the setting of era and scene transport the viewer – it's a tough task, no doubt. With several recent successful music biopics, such as last year's N.W.A tale Straight Outta Compton or this year's Christian group MercyMe film I Can Only Imagine, the stage is set for the next round of great music biographical films.

Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen biopic starring Rami Malek has a lot of steam behind it, with the movie's trailer premiering earlier this month. The film focuses on the life of iconic Queen frontman Freddy Mercury, and Malek's portrayal – if the trailer is any indication – is chillingly accurate. The film is set to hit theatres Nov. 2.

Back in October of 2017, news surfaced of a biopic on GRAMMY winner Judy Garland featuring actress Renée Zellweger in the leading role. Earlier this year, fans got a sneak peek at Zellweger in character, generating even more buzz for the project. The film, titled Judy, is yet to see an official release date.

Earlier this week, rumors of Andra Day possibly playing Billie Holiday in a new film devoted to the legendary jazz singer's life and career began stirring. Day, a GRAMMY nominee, seems like the perfect fit to capture Holliday's old soul and staggering talent. With Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels ("Empire") at the helm, the project seems to be in real motion.

Few musical icons loom as large as the great Bob Marley. Now, Marley's son Ziggy is working with Paramount Pictures to bring his story to the big screen. While the project is still in the early stages with no writer, director or producers attached, Marley's name has become synonymous with the reggae genre and is beyond deserving of a cinematic telling.

Last month, the film company Endemol Shine North America optioned Celia Cruz' 2005 autobiography for a potential television series with producer/director Kenny Ortega on board. The resulting film would show the Cuban singer, known as The Queen of Salsa, in a whole new light.

GRAMMY-winning legend Lionel Richie acquired rights to the life story of soul-singing legend Curtis Mayfield back in October of 2017, and a definitive biopic is in the works. With Mayfield's widow behind the telling of his story, and Richie primed to work with his family to create an accurate and celebratory depiction, this could be one of the best music biopics yet.

With so much of music and cultural history wrapped in the stories of these artists - from rock to reggae, salsa to soul - which story would you most like to see come to life on the silver screen?

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Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj

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Nicki Minaj Reveals 'Queen' Album Cover Artwork

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Two months ahead of the release of her fourth studio album, the GRAMMY-nominated rapper gives fans a look at the album's cover
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 8, 2018 - 7:20 am

Nicki Minaj shared the cover artwork for her upcoming fourth studio album, Queen, via social media on June 7, promising in the post's caption this is her, "greatest work to date."

The cover photo is a portrait of Minaj taken by fashion photographers Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggott, showing the GRAMMY-nominated rapper adorned in Egyptian jewels posing on a tree branch in front of a fiery red background. The album's title glistens in the upper left-hand corner in elegant, gold-carved letters.

Due out Aug. 10, Queen will be Minaj's first full-length album since 2014's The Pinkprink. Minaj released two new singles from Queen simultaneously back in April, dropping videos for both "Barbie Tingz" and "Chun-Li" together in May. "Chun-Li" peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 10.

Minaj's Twitter account is filled with various countdown clock images created by fans, further proof Queen is one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year. While Minaj has teased a worldwide tour in support of the new album, she has yet to announce dates. But she is slated to headline the 2018 Made In America festival in Philadelphia Sept. 1–2.

According to the tweet revealing the Queen cover artwork, pre-order of the album will begin next week.

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Queen circa 1976

Queen

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Watch: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Full Trailer For Queen Biopic

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Take a sneak peek at the story behind Freddie Mercury and Queen in one of the most anticipated music films of the year
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2018 - 7:13 am

The official trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody is finally here, providing the deepest look yet into the Queen biopic that's been mounting anticipation since last year. 

The stunning footage in the 90-second the trailer shows the band onstage, backstage, in the studio, at the press conference table, and in record label meetings, promising a depiction of Queen's career that has yet to be tackled on film. The music used in the trailer is a mash-up of some of Queen's biggest hits, weaving in pieces of "Another One Bites The Dust," "We Will Rock You," and, of course, the film's title track.

In Bohemian Rhapsody, actor Rami Malek, star of USA Network's "Mr. Robot," plays Queen's late frontman Freddie Mercury. On Sept. 5, 2017, the very first picture of Malek as Mercury was released on what would have been the music icon's 71st birthday. Malek has since expressed some anxiety around taking on the role of such an iconic musician. "This could be a career-defining performance," he said, "and then two minutes later I thought, 'This could be a career killer.'" 

The film also went through a lineup change as director Bryan Singer was replaced by Dexter Fletcher back in December 2017 after an unexpected pause in filming due to Singer's health issues.

Just yesterday, on May 14, a 10-second teaser for the trailer was released, providing a glimpse at a scene from Queen's legendary Live Aid set in 1985. Bohemian Rhapsody is slated to hit theatres on Nov. 2.

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