And the GRAMMY goes to.....

WOODY GUTHRIE!!
Congratulations for winning the Best Historical Grammy for The Live Wire - Woody Guthrie 1949 Performance to Nora Guthrie and all the folks who worked on this wonderful project!

Well I made about 25 Grammy picks here the other night, and it looks like I got 9 right, and three of those (Alicia, Chaka, and Prince were purely guesses having not heard the material)...here are my winning picks:

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals - Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Best Pop Instrumental Performance - One Week Last Summer - Joni Mitchell
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - No One - Alicia Keys
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance - Future Baby Mama - Prince
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals - Disrespectful - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige Best Traditional Folk Album - Dirt Farmer - Levon Helm
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
- Love - (George Martin/The Beatles)
Best Historical Album - The Live Wire - Woody Guthrie In Performance 1949

...of all of these, the Woody Guthrie pick was the one I was the most excited about! Last year I had the pleasure of interviewing members of the Guthrie Family - Arlo, Nora (producer of this disc), and Sarah Lee (Arlo's daughter, and fine folk artist in her own right). I also chatted with Woody's cohort Pete Seeger (soon to be 89 yrs old!). We all discussed lots of things over the course of four hours, but the thing that captivated me the most was the announcement of this newly found wire recording from 1949 (the only known live performance of Woody in existence), and a tour by Arlo and Family to back it up.

From the Woody Guthrie website: It all began in 2001, when a man named Paul Braverman sent a small package containing 2 spools of wire recordings to the Woody Guthrie Archives in New York City. He had discovered them while cleaning out his closet. He had made the recordings while a student at Rutgers University, using a small wire recorder which was briefly used in the late 1940's. He was a recording hobbyist and often recorded events and programs held by the Y in the late 40's and early 50's....read more

After the interviews, Arlo invited my wife and I down to West Palm Beach for the February 9th stop of THE GUTHRIE FAMILY LEGACY TOUR...Whew! What a night. Arlo was awesome as always, but what a treat to see him joined on stage by his family - daughter Sarah Lee (and her husband Johny Irion), son Abe, and granddaughter Olivia (Sarah and Johnny's girl). To close out the show, the first generation joined them when they debuted a clip from Woody's LIVE WIRE performance...I don't think there was a dry eye in the house! Though he had never heard his daddy perform in concert, the two of them have almost exactly the same humorous, rambling, happy go lucky vibe on stage!

One of the highlights of the night for me, was Sarah Lee and Johnny. I'd seen Arlo about four times before, but never Sarah. We had had her booked in our coffeehouse six years earlier, but she had to cancel after learning she was pregnant with Olivia. They were perfect this particular night.

my woody portrait
















Here are a few snips of the Interviews I did with Arlo & Nora Guthrie, and Pete Seeger on January 30th, 2007. And a track off of the The Wire: Woody Guthrie CD.

Woody Guthrie from LIVE WIRE: Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ.mp3

chatting with Arlo Guthrie

ArloIntro-coffeshop-familyTour.mp3

chatting ith Arlo 2

Arol-On-Pete&Woody.mp3

chatting with Nora Guthrie

Nora about Woody 1.mp3

chatting with Pete Seeger

PeteAboutArlo.mp3

WOODY GUTHRIE

ARLO GUTHRIE

SARAH LEE GUTHRIE and JOHNNY IRION

PETE SEEGER

GRAMMYS

THIS WEEK IN BEATLE HISTORY!

First off, I want to send a big Thank You to Denise over at the Handmade Department Store blog for running a feature on me and my art today! Very kool. Check her out...it's a new blog, and a great concept promoting artists!

On the heels of two more Grammys last night for the LOVE soundtrack (congratulations Beatles, George Martin & team), I thought we would check out some of the heady Fab Four history that takes place in the middle of February.











2008 2 GRAMMYS!
Best Surround Sound Album: The Beatles, Love -- Paul Hicks, surround mix engineer; Tim Young, surround mastering engineer; George Martin & Giles Martin, surround producers (The Beatles) [Apple/Capitol Records]

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Love (The Beatles) George Martin & Giles Martin, producers, Apple Records/Capitol Records. (Also nominated but not winning: Across the Universe.)

* NASA beams an MP3 of the Beatles' "Across the Universe" to Polaris, aka the North Star, a transmission that will take 431 years to reach its intended destination. The broadcast is a publicity stunt to variously commemorate the 50th anniversary of the space agency itself, the 45th anniversary of its Deep Space Network, the 40th anniversary of the song's recording—and the DVD release of director Julie Taymor's Beatles-based film musical of the same name.

1982, George Harrison presented UNICEF with a cheque for $9 million (£5.3 million), ten years after the fundraising concert for Bangladesh.

1981, John Lennon was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Woman', his third No.1 in seven weeks.

1972, Paul McCartney's Wings played the first night of a UK College tour in Nottingham; the group arrived unannounced asking social secretaries if they would like them to perform that evening.

* The Official Beatles Fan Club is dissolved.

* John Lennon and Yoko Ono started a week long run as co-hosts on 'Mike Douglas' US TV show.

1970, John Lennon performed 'Instant Karma', on BBC TV's 'Top Of The Pops', becoming the first Beatle to have appeared on the show since 1966.

1969, Over Paul McCartney's objections, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr hire controversial record industry accountant Allen Klein to manage the Beatles. McCartney counters by naming his father-in-law's legal firm Eastman and Eastman as his personal manager and corporate counsel of Apple. The rift will lead to the band's dissolution a year later.

* John and Yoko were featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, on sale for 35 Cents, (2/6). John was named as Rolling Stone’s ‘Man Of The Year’.

* a launch party was held for Mary Hopkin at the Post Office Tower in London, guests included Jimi Hendrix, Donovan and Paul McCartney with his new girlfriend Linda Eastman.

1968, The Beatles record "Lady Madonna," "The Inner Light," and "Across the Universe."

1967, The Beatles recorded the orchestral build-up for the middle and end of ‘A Day in the Life’. At the Beatles' request, the orchestra members arrived in full evening dress along with novelty items. One violinist wore a red clown's nose, while another a fake gorilla's paw on his bow hand. Others were wearing funny hats and other assorted novelties. The recording was filmed for a possible ‘Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band’ television special which was ultimately abandoned.

1965, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr married his long-time girlfriend Maureen at Caxton Hall Register Office in London. John and George attended, Paul was away on holiday.

1964, Pan Am flight 101 was greeted by over 5,000 Beatles fans as it arrived at New York's JFK airport, bringing The Beatles to the US for the first time and causing riotous scenes as they touched down.

* The Beatles made their US live debut on CBS-TV's 'The Ed Sullivan Show'; they performed five songs including their current No.1 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' watched by an estimated 73 million people. The show had received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio.

* The Beatles made their live concert debut in the US at the Washington Coliseum. Over 350 police surrounded the stage to keep the 8,000 plus screaming fans in control. One police officer who found the noise so loud, stuck a bullet in each ear as ear plugs. The Beatles had to stop three times and turn Ringo's drum kit around and re-position their microphones so that they faced a different part of the audience. The set list: ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘From Me to You’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Please Please Me’, ‘Till There Was You’, ‘She Loves You’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, ‘Twist and Shout’, and ‘Long Tall Sally’.

1963, in less then ten hours, The Beatles record ten new songs for their first album plus four other tracks which would be the next two singles. John Lennon's vocal on The Isley Brothers 'Twist & Shout' was recorded in one take to complete the album.

1961, The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, for the very first time (as The Beatles), they would go on to make a total of 292 other appearances at the Club.


1958, George Harrison joined Liverpool group The Quarrymen. The group who were named after Lennon's school featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Len Garry, Eric Griffiths and John Lowe.







my portrait of George

I'm going to include a few Harrison treats tonight, since his is the earliest entry in tonight's Beatle History....

The Pirate Song; Aired December 26, 1975, Rutland Weekend Television

George Harrison - The Pirate Song (Rutles).mp3

with Jools Holland

George Harrison - Horse to water.mp3

demo recording

George Harrison - Beware of Darkness (acoustic).mp3

GRAMMYS

BEATLES

GEORGE HARRISON

JOOLS HOLLAND

Handmade Department Store

Grammy Night!

50th ANNIVERSARY GRAMMYS!

should be an exciting night...for a change!
Scheduled performances tonight: John Fogerty with Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard; Foo Fighters, backed by an orchestra with guest conductor John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin; six-time Grammy winner Tina Turner with Beyoncé (nominated for two awards tonight), . Other performers include Aretha Franklin; Feist; Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban; Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Brad Paisley and John Legend; jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and classical pianist Lang Lang, and Rihanna. Kool.

Grammy Trivia:
* The first Grammy Awards were presented on May 4, 1959 in the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hilton. The Record of the Year was "Volare" by Domenico Modugno, Album of the Year was "Peter Gunn" by enry Mancini. Best R&B performance was "Tequila" by the Champs.

* The first Grammy given out for a Rap Performance was awarded to The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) and DJ Jazzy Jeff in 1989.

* Stevie Wonder holds the record for most Grammys won by a solo artist with 19.

* Lauryn Hill broke Carol King's record for most wins by a female artist in one year with five Grammys in 1999.
Alicia Keys tied Lauryn's record in 2002, and Norah Jones also tied with five in 2004.

* U2 has won five Grammys, the most of any group in the Best Rock Duo or Group Performance category.

* Comic Robin Williams has won four Grammy Awards, including one for "Robin Williams Live at the Met on HBO," the culmination of a 23-city tour.

* The record for the most nominations in one year is held by two artists. Michael Jackson was nominated 12 times in 1983 and Babyface was nominated 12 times in 1992.

* Elvis Presley never won a Grammy in a top category, though he did win for his gospel music.

* Sinead O'Connor is the only artist to refuse a Grammy, declining to accept the award for Best Alternative Music Performance for "I Do No Want What I Haven't Got" in 1990.















my dear Grammy

20-odd 2008 Grammy Picks of Mine:

Record Of The Year
* The Preteder - Foo Fighters

Album Of The Year
* Back To Black - Amy Winehouse

Song Of The Year
* Like A Star - Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter

Best New Artist
* Feist

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
* 1234 - Feist

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
* Dance Tonight - Paul McCartney

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
* Window In The Skies - U2

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
* Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
* One Week Last Summer - Joni Mitchell

Best Pop Vocal Album
* The Reminder - Feist

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album * James Taylor At Christmas - James Taylor

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
* Only Mama Knows - Paul McCartney

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
* Working Class Hero - Green Day

Best Hard Rock Performance
* I Don't Wanna Stop - Ozzy Osbourne

Best Rock Song
* Come On - Lucinda Williams

Best Rock Album
* Revival - John Fogerty

Best Alternative Music Album
* Alright, Still... - Lily Allen

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
* No One - Alicia Keys

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
* Future Baby Mama - Prince

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
* Disrespectful - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige

Best Traditional Folk Album
* Dirt Farmer - Levon Helm

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
* My Name Is Buddy - Ry Cooder

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
* Love - (The Beatles)

Best Historical Album
* The Live Wire - Woody Guthrie In Performance 1949