Tag Archives: Grammy Hall of Fame

Joni Mitchell: Blue

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Blue

On June 22, 1971, “Reprise” label released “Blue”, the fourth Joni  Mitchell album. It was recorded in 1971, at “A&M Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Joni Mitchell. The album was both critical and commercial success, regarded by critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 1999, “Blue” was awarded with the “Grammy Hall of Fame” award; in 2002, “Q” magazine ranked “Blue” at number eight on its list of the “Greatest Album of All-Time by a Female Artist”; in 2003, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “Blue” at number thirty on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, and in 2012, the same magazine ranked the album at number two on its list of “Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Female Albums Of All Time”.

Personnel

  • Joni Mitchell – vocals, Appalachian dulcimer, guitar, piano
  • James Taylor– guitar
  • Sneaky Pete Kleinow– pedal steel
  • Stephen Stills – bass, guitar
  • Russ Kunkel– drums

Track listing

All tracks by Joni Mitchell.

  1. All I Want
  2. My Old Man
  3. Little Green
  4. Carey
  5. Blue
  6. California
  7. This Flight Tonight
  8. River
  9. A Case of You
  10. The Last Time I Saw Richard

Elton John: Same

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Elton_John_-_Elton_John

On April 10, 1970, “DJM” label released the self-titled, second Elton John album. It was recorded in January 1970, at “Trident Studios” in London, and was produced by Gus Dudgeon. This was John’s first album released in US,  “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album at number 468 on its list of the “500 greatest albums of all time”. On 27 November 2012, it was inducted into the “Grammy Hall of Fame” as an album cited as exhibiting “qualitative or historical significance”.

Personnel:

  • Elton John– vocals, piano,  harpsichord
  • Colin Green – guitars, Spanish guitar
  • Roland Harker – guitar
  • Clive Hicks – acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, twelve-string guitar
  • Alan Parker– rhythm guitar
  • Caleb Quaye– lead guitar, additional guitars
  • Brian Dee– organ
  • Diana Lewis – Moog synthesizer
  • Frank Clark – acoustic bass, acoustic guitar
  • Les Hurdle – bass guitar
  • Dave Richmond – bass guitar
  • Alan Weighall – bass guitar
  • Barry Morgan– drums
  • Terry Cox– drums
  • Dennis Lopez – percussion
  • Tex Navarra – percussion
  • David Katz – violin
  • Paul Buckmaster– cello solo
  • Skaila Kanga– harp
  • Barbara Moore – backing vocals, choir leader
  • Madeline Bell– backing vocals
  • Tony Burrows– backing vocals
  • Roger Cook– backing vocals
  • Lesley Duncan– backing vocals
  • Kay Garner – backing vocals
  • Tony Hazzard– backing vocals
  • Paul Buckmaster – arranger
  • David Katz – orchestra contractor
  • Robin Geoffrey Cable – engineer
  • Gus Skinas – editing
  • David Larkham – art direction
  • Gus Dudgeon, John Tobler – liner notes

Track listing:

All tracks by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

  1. Your Song
  2. I Need You to Turn To
  3. Take Me to the Pilot
  4. No Shoe Strings on Louise
  5. First Episode at Hienton
  6. Sixty Years On
  7. Border Song
  8. The Greatest Discovery
  9. The Cage
  10. The King Must Die

Mongo Santamaria

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On February 1, 2003, Ramón “Mongo” Santamaría Rodríguez died aged 85. He was musician (congas, bongos), performed and recorded with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All Stars, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Lalo Schifrin and Paul Horn. His 1977 album “Amanecer” won a “Grammy” award, and his hit rendition of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” was inducted into the “Grammy Hall of Fame” in 1998. He is composer of the jazz standard “Afro Blue”, recorded by John Coltrane among others.

The Doors: Same

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The Doors - The Doors

On January 4, 1967, “Elektra” label released the self titled debut Doors (The)  album. It was recorded in August, 1966, at the “Sunset Sound  Recorders”, in Hollywood, and was produced by  Paul A. Rothchild.  Both the album and the song “Light My Fire” were inducted into the “Grammy Hall of Fame”. In 2012, magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked the album on number 42, on its list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2015,  based on its cultural, artistic or historical significance, the “Library of Congress” selected “The Doors” for inclusion in the “National Recording Registry”.

Personnel:

  • Jim Morrison– lead vocals
  • Ray Manzarek– Vox Continental organ, piano, keyboard bass, marxophone
  • Robby Krieger– guitar, bass overdubs
  • John Densmore– drums
  • Larry Knechtel – bass guitar

Track listing:

All tracks by Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore, except where noted.

  1. Break On Through
  2. Soul Kitchen
  3. The Crystal Ship
  4. Twentieth Century Fox
  5. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) – Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill
  6. Light My Fire
  7. Back Door man – Willie Dixon, Chester Burnett
  8. I Looked at You
  9. End of the Night
  10. Take It as it Comes
  11. The End

Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

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Elton_John_-_Goodbye_Yellow_Brick_Road

On October 5, 1973, “DJM” label released “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, the seventh Elton John’s studio album.  It was recorded in May 1973, at the “Château d’Hérouville, in France, and was produced by Gus Dudgeon. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is ranked at no. 91 on “Rolling Stone’s” magazine list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2003, the album was inducted in to the “Grammy Hall of Fame”.

Personnel:

  • Elton John– vocals, piano, Leslie piano, electric piano, organ, Farfisa organ, mellotron
  • Davey Johnstone– acoustic, electric, slide and steel guitars, banjo
  • Ray Cooper– tambourine
  • David Hentschel – ARP synthesizer
  • Dee Murray– bass
  • Nigel Olsson– drums, congas, tambourine
  • Leroy Gómez– saxophone
  • Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson – backing vocals
  • Kiki Dee– backing vocals
  • Del Newman[– orchestral arrangements

Track listing

All tracks by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted.

  1. Funeral for a Friend – Elton John / Love Lies Bleeding
  2. Candle in the Wind
  3. Bennie and the Jets
  4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  5. This Song Has no Title
  6. Grey Seal
  7. Jamaica Jerk-off
  8. I’ve Seen That Movie Too
  9. Sweet Painted Lady
  10. The Ballad of Danny Bailey
  11. Dirty Little Girl
  12. All the Girls Love Alice
  13. Your Sister Can’t Twist
  14. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
  15. Roy Rogers
  16. Social Disease
  17. Harmony

Dave Prater

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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).

Cab Calloway: Minnie The Moocher

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Cab Calloway Minnie The Mooche

On March 3, 1931, Cab Calloway recorded the song “Minnie the Moocher” for “Brunswick” label. This is the first Jazz song sold in more then million copies. “Minnie the Moocher” is most famous for its nonsensical ad libbed (scat) lyrics (Hi De Hi De Hi De Hi). In live performances, Calloway would have the audience participate by repeating each scat phrase in a form of call and response. “Minnie the Moocher” was inducted into the “Grammy Hall of Fame” in 1999.

Led Zeppelin: Same

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LZ

On January 12, 1969, “Atlantic” label released the self-titled, debut Led Zeppelin album. It was recorded October 1968 at “Olympic Studios” in London in only 36 hours, and  was produced by Jimmy Page. The album art was coordinated by George Hardie; the back cover photography of the band was taken by former Yardbirds member Chris Dreja. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album at number 29 on its of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”; in 2004 it was inducted into the “Grammy Hall of Fame”.

Personnel:

  • Jimmy Page– acoustic, electric and pedal steel guitars, backing vocals
  • Robert Plant– lead vocals, harmonica
  • John Bonham– drums, timpani, backing vocals
  • John Paul Jones– bass guitar, Hammond organ, backing vocals
  • Viram Jasani– tabla
  • Glyn Johns – engineer
  • Peter Grant– executive production

Track listing:

  1. Good Times Bad Times – Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant
  2. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You – Anne Bredon, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
  3. You Shook Me – Willie Dixon,  B. Lenoir
  4. Dazed and Confused – Jimmy Page, inspired by Jake Holmes
  5. Your Time Is Gonna Come – Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant
  6. Black Mountain Side – Jimmy Page
  7. Communication Breakdown – Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant
  8. I Can’t Quit You Babe – Willie Dixon
  9. How Many More Times – Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, John Bonham

Charles Mingus

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On January 5, 1977, Charles Mingus Jr. Died aged 57. He was musician (bass), composer and bandleader, regarded as one of the most creative and influential Jazz artists of all times.

For his work and contribution to the modern music, Mingus has received many awards including:

  • “Guggenheim Fellowship” (1971).
  • Inducted in the “Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame” (1971).
  • “National Endowment for the Arts” provided grants for a Mingus nonprofit called “Let My Children Hear Music” which cataloged all of Mingus’s works (1988)
  • “The Library of Congress” acquired Mingus’s collected papers in what they described as “the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library’s history.(1993)]
  • “The United States Postal Service” issued a stamp in his honor (1995).
  • Posthumously awarded the “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award” (1997)
  • Album “Mingus Dynasty”(1959) inducted in the “Grammy Hall of Fame” (1999)
  • Inducted in the “Jazz at Lincoln Center”, Nesuhi Ertegun “Jazz Hall of Fame” (2005)

Mingus has recorded and performed with some of the most important musicians of the modern music, including: Illinois Jacquet, Dinah Washington, Wilbert Baranco, Ivie Anderson, Lionel Hampton, Red Norvo, Billy Taylor, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach,  Bud Powell, Paul Bley, Teo Macero, Oscar Pettiford,  Ada Moore,  Charlie Parker, J.J. Johnson, Hazel Scott, John Mehegan,  Thad Jones, John Dennis, Ralph Sharon, Miles Davis, Teddy Charles, The Metronome All-Stars, Jimmy Knepper, Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Max Roach and Eric Dolphy.