On June 6, 2006, William Everett “Billy” Preston, died aged 59. He was musician (keyboards, Hammond organ), Grammy-winning artist, recorded and performed with some of the greatest names in the modern music history, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Little Richard, Ray Charles, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. Preston also had a successful solo career, his best known songs include “That’s the way God planned it”, “Outa-Space”, “Will it go round in circles”, “Space Race”, and “Nothing from nothing”.
Tag Archives: Grammy Award
Stan Getz
On June 6, 1991, Stanley Getz, died aged 64. He wasmusician (primarily tenor saxophone), came to prominence in the late 40’s playing with Woody Herman’s big band, and went on performing bebop and cool jazz. He became world known with his bossa nova period, in which he recorded few albums that promoted bossa nova worldwide, including “Jazz Samba (1962)”; “Big Band Bossa Nova (1962)”; “Jazz Samba Encore! (1963)” and “Getz/Gilberto (1963)”. In his career he performed with some of the most important jazz artists, including Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Joao Gilberto, Laurindo Almeida, Herb Alpert, Benny Goodman, Al Haig and Abbey Lincoln. Getz achieved big number of awards including five “Grammy Awards”:
- Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance, Soloist or Small Group (Instrumental) “Desafinado,” Stan Getz. 1962
- Grammy Award for Record of the Year, “The Girl From Ipanema,” 1964
- Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz and João Gilberto (Verve) 1964
- Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Small Group or Soloist With Small Group, Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz 1964
- Grammy Award for Best Jazz Solo Performance, “I Remember You” Stan Getz 1991
Dave Prater
On April 9, 1988, Dave Prater died aged 51. He was singer and songwriter, member of the duo Sam & Dave. Together they recorded two soul classics “Soul man” and “Hold on, I’m coming”. Prater is a member of the “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”(1992), “Grammy Hall of Fame” (1999), “Vocal Group Hall of Fame” and “Georgia Music Hall Of Fame” (1997) and was a “Grammy Award” winning (1967).
Willie Dixon
On January 29, 1992, William James “Willie” Dixon died aged 72. He was musician (guitar), singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, “Grammy Award” winner ,next to Muddy Waters recognized as the most influential person in shaping the post-World War II sound of the Chicago blues. His songs were recorded by countless number of musicians such as Bob Dylan, Cream, Jeff Beck, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. Some of his best known songs are “Hoochie Coochie Man”, “I Just Want to Make Love to You”, “Little Red Rooster”, “My Babe”, “Spoonful”, and “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover”.
Donny Hathaway
On January 13, 1979, Donny Edward Hathaway died aged 34. He was musician (piano, keyboards), singer and songwriter, started successful career after signing contract with “Atlantic Records” in 1969 and after releasing his first single for the “Atco” label, “The Ghetto, Part I”. The “Rolling Stone” magazine “marked him as a major new force in soul music” in 1970 and his collaboration with Roberta Flack won him the “Grammy Award” for “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals” for the duet, “Where Is the Love” in 1973. On January 13, 1979, Hathaway’s body was found outside the luxury hotel “Essex House” in New York City; his death was ruled a suicide.
The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
On May 26, 1967, “Parlaphone” label released “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, the eighth Beatles (The) studio album. It was recorded 24 November 1966 – 21 April 1967, at “EMI Studios” and “Regent Sound Studio” in London, and was produced by George Martin. The album is regarded as the first concept and art album in popular music. “Time” magazine described it as “a historic departure in the progress of music” It was an immediate commercial and critical success, winning four “Grammy Awards” in 1968, including “Album of the Year”, becoming the first rock album to receive this award. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” at number one in its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. “Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature” (Professor Kevin J. Dettmar) described it as “the most important and influential rock and roll album ever recorded”.
Personnel:
- John Lennon– lead, harmony and background vocals; rhythm, acoustic and lead guitars; Hammond organ and final piano E chord; harmonica, tape loops, sound effects, and comb and tissue paper; hand claps, tambourine, maracas
- Paul McCartney– lead, harmony and background vocals; bass and lead guitars; electric and acoustic pianos, Lowrey and Hammond organs; hand claps; vocalisations, tape loops, sound effects, comb, tissue paper
- George Harrison– lead, harmony and background vocals, lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, sitar; tambourine, harmonica, kazoo, hand claps, maracas
- Ringo Starr– lead vocals, drums, congas, tambourine, maracas, handclaps and tubular bells, harmonica; final piano E chord
- Sounds Incorporated– the saxophone sextet on “Good morning, good morning”
- Neil Aspinall– tamboura, harmonica
- Geoff Emerick– audio engineering; tape loops and sound effects
- Mal Evans– counting, harmonica, alarm clock, final piano E chord
- George Martin– tape loops, sound effects, harpsichord , harmonium, Lowrey organ, glockenspiel, Hammond organ , piano , final harmonium chord
- Four French horns on “Sgt. Pep per’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”: Neill Sanders, James W. Buck, John Burden, Tony Randall, arranged and conducted by George Martin and Paul McCartney,
- String section and harp on “She’s leaving home”, arranged by Mike Leander and conducted by George Martin
- Tabla, dilrubas, tamboura and swarmandalon “Within you without you”, played by members of the Asian Music Circle, with eight violins and four cellos arranged and conducted by George Harrison and George Martin
- Clarinet trio on “When I’m Sixty-Four”: Robert Burns, Henry MacKenzie, Frank Reidy, arranged and conducted by George Martin and Paul McCartney
- Saxophones on “Good morning, good morning”, arranged and conducted by George Martin and John Lennon
- Forty-piece orchestra, including strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion; arranged by George Martin, John Lennon and Paul McCartney and conducted by George Martin and Paul McCartney.
Track listing
All tracks by John Lennon and Paul McCartney except where noted.
- Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- With a Little Help From My Friends
- Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
- Getting Better
- Fixing a Hole
- She’s Leaving Home
- Being for the Benefit of Kite
- Within You Without You – George Harrison
- When I’m Sixty Four
- Lovely Rita
- Good Morning Good Morning
- Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – reprise
- A Day in the Life
musicalphabet 