RAY CHARLES ON OUR MIND R&B LEGEND'S DUETS ALBUM IS CROWNED WITH A LEADING EIGHT GRAMMY AWARDS.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer The music industry handed the late Ray Charles For the composer and conductor of the Ray Charles Singers, see . Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his stage name Ray Charles, was a pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. a Valentine on Sunday when the genre-busting giant's album, ``Genius Loves Company,'' won eight Grammy Awards Grammy Awards Annual awards given by the Recording Academy (officially the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). The first Grammies (the name is a dimunitive of “gramophone”) were given in 1958. , including album and record of the year. Rapper-producer Kanye West won three of his leading 10 nominations, while Alicia Keys picked up four and Usher had three wins. ``I'm going to cry, actually,'' singer Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar on March 30 1979 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and occasional actress of American and Indian descent. said as she accepted Charles' trophy for record of the year. ``I think it just shows how wonderful music can be. It's at a hundred percent with Ray Charles.'' The Charles coronation at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. reflected the Recording Academy's sentimental side with two separate musical tributes devoted to the singer during the 3 1/2-hour telecast on CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. . In one, actor Jamie Foxx Jamie Foxx (born December 13, 1967) is an American actor, singer, and stand-up comic. Foxx is possibly best-known for his performance of musician Ray Charles in Ray, and for his collaborations with director Michael Mann. , Oscar-nominated for the Charles biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] ``Ray,'' introduced ``Georgia on My Mind,'' a duet with Keys, by dedicating the song ``to an old friend.'' Charles' posthumous duets disc ``Genius Loves Company'' recently passed 2 million in sales, making it the biggest success of his six-decade career. A second Charles tribute featuring Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is a nine-time Grammy award-winning American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist who was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Broadway musical star John Raitt. and Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2 1946 – June 6 2006) was an American soul musician from Houston, Texas, raised mostly in Los Angeles, California. In addition to his successful, Grammy-winning career as a solo artist, Preston collaborated with some of the greatest names in closed the show. ``Humbly, we accept this wonderful, wonderful award and we offer you a humongous thanks to you, individually and collectively, from the bottom of our hearts,'' Joe Adams, Charles' longtime manager, said after the final album of the year trophy was presented. ``We love you madly, passionately, invigorously and continually.'' Charles, who died last June at the age of 73, had previously won 12 Grammys plus a lifetime achievement award in 1987. His album of the year win was the first posthumous award in that category since John Lennon Noun 1. John Lennon - English rock star and guitarist and songwriter who with Paul McCartney wrote most of the music for the Beatles (1940-1980) Lennon won in 1982. In a year when rap/hip-hop acts were expected to dominate the big four categories - album, record and song of the year, and best new artist - Grammy looked elsewhere. Charles grabbed the first two, while two pop acts took the latter two. John Mayer's ``Daughters'' won song of the year, and Maroon 5 was an upset winner over country singer Gretchen Wilson, British soul chanteuse chan·teuse n. A woman singer, especially a nightclub singer. [French, feminine of chanteur, singer, from chanter, to sing; see chant.] Joss Stone and rockers Los Lonely Boys as the best new artist. Keys' four wins included a trophy for her record of the year duet with Charles on a remake of his 1967 hit ``Here We Go Again.'' Rapper-producer West, who came close to dying in a car accident, made a heartfelt speech after winning best rap album. ``When I had my accident, I found out at that moment nothing in life is promised except death. If you have the opportunity to play this game of life, you need to appreciate every moment. A lot of people don't appreciate the moment until it's passed.'' The performance-heavy 47th annual ceremony kicked off with an unusual gambit - Black Eyed Peas This article is about the American hip hop group. For the vegetable, see Black-eyed pea. The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed worldwide pop success. The group is currently composed of will.i.am, apl.de. , Gwen Stefani with Eve, Los Lonely Boys, Maroon 5 and Franz Ferdinand, all appearing in tandem during the first 15 minutes to signify their expected impact in '05. In all, two dozen musical segments were threaded among the 11 trophies handed out on the telecast. An additional 96 statuettes were awarded in a pre-telecast event. Along with a second tribute to Charles, musical interludes feted late rocker Janis Joplin, and the gospel and Southern rock genres. In a rousing performance of Joplin's signature ``Cry Baby,'' a bald-headed Melissa Etheridge, who is suffering from cancer, and Stone drew a standing ovation from the glittery crowd. Later, a tsunami-relief segment brought together a front line of Bono, Stevie Wonder, Norah Jones, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled. ,
Keys and others performing the Beatles' ``Across the
Universe'' as the audience kept time. And in another selling
point, newlyweds J.Lo and Marc Anthony cooed together on camera for the
first time, performing amid an extravagant bedroom set; J. Lo managed to
get a costume change in.
The amount of live music was a departure for the show, which has seen its ratings remain steady or decline over the years in shows bogged down by too much chatter. U2's Bono, whose band won for best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal for ``Vertigo,'' enthused onstage: ``This is the best Grammys I've ever seen.'' Presenters ranged from a threesome of Penelope Cruz, singer Mark McGrath and producer Pharrell Williams to a lone Quentin Tarantino, shouting the praises of best rock album winners Green Day. Along with the West speech, the Anthony-J.Lo warble, a showstopping James Brown-Usher pairing and the Charles sweep, Grammy watchers will be talking about U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr.'s heartfelt apology to fans who went through contortions to buy tickets for the quartet's forthcoming tour. ``On behalf of the band, I apologize to them.'' The Grammys honor recordings in 107 categories across 31 fields, from rap to classical, voted on by the academy's 16,000 members. In other awards, the New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. Based in New York City, the Philharmonic performs most of its concerts at Avery Fisher Hall and has long been considered one of the best orchestras in the world. won three trophies for a live recording of composer John Adams' tribute to the victims and survivors of the 9-11 attack. And ex-President Bill Clinton won the second Grammy of his career for the spoken-word version of his best-selling memoir ``My Life.'' CAPTION(S): 8 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Jamie Foxx, who portrayed the late Ray Charles, top, in the Oscar-nominated movie ``Ray,'' performs ``Georgia on My Mind'' at the Grammy awards. Michael Caulfield/WireImage.com (3 -- 4 -- color) Go online for additional photos of your favorite Grammy moments, including a performance by Gwen Stefani, far left, and the arrival of beauties like supermodel Tyra Banks. (5 -- color) no caption (Sheryl Crow) (6 -- 8 -- color) Above, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony perform ``Escapemonos'' at the 47th annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on Sunday. At left, Billie Joe Armstrong, left, performs ``American Idiot'' with his group Green Day at the Grammys. The punk group won best rock album. Top, Grammy host and nominee Queen Latifah performs the medley ``Lush Life/Baby Get Lost.'' Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press Michael Caulfield/WireImage.com Box: QUOTABLE quot·a·ble adj. Suitable for or worthy of quoting: a quotable slogan; a quotable pundit. quot |
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