Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

Rock and Roll began with jazz, blues, folk, and gospel, and from there, it has morphed into the almost all-encompassing classification that we label the genre today. Throughout the history of Rock and Roll music, it has been an example of evolution, not just in the music industry, but in American culture. The history of Rock and Roll is intertwined with our nation’s history, oftentimes being a catalyst for our country's progress. Today, Rock and Roll exists as a beautiful collection of sounds and styles, much of which can be traced back to women who chose to stand out from the crowd. Billie Holiday, one of the earliest influences in Rock and Roll, helped lay the foundation for this musical genre. Holiday, a woman well beyond her time, released “You Let Me Down” in 1935, a fitting anthem for women of Rock and Roll: You told me that I was like an angel Told me I was fit to wear a crowd So that you could get a thrill You put me on a pedestal And then you let me down, let me down. Billie Holiday's voice, raspy, strong, and gutsy, mirrored the messages that she sang. Holiday's revolutionary sound and style, set the stage for artists to follow. Rock and Roll is filled with the vast and eclectic voices of many artists, however the voices that I am particularly drawn to are the women’s. The women of Rock and Roll have fought hard to carve a place for themselves, not just in Rock and Roll, but in the souls of America; with their deep love of music, second only to their love…

Pete Seeger was born on May 3, 1919 in Patterson, NY. Having been raised in a musical family, Seeger picked up a love for music throughout his childhood years. He later became one of the most well known American folk singers. Seeger spent the first years of his career collaborating with singer-songwriter, Woody Guthrie. Both artists, Seeger and Guthrie, shared similar point of views, in that they were both social activists. In 1948, Seeger continued his music with an American folk quartet called…

her mother for safety. Christina Aguilera says, “Growing up I did not feel safe. Feeling powerless is the worst feeling in the world.” One particular beating resulted in her face being covered in blood influenced her mother to take the daughters and move away. From that point, Christina turned to singing to block out the pain and trauma. Aguilera revealed in an interview, “I turned to singing as an outlet. The pain at home is where my love for music came from.” As she grew up, she solely focused…

Introduction You Should Be Here is the second mixtape released by singer Kehlani on April of 2015. The mixtape is made up of 15 songs in which Kehlani channels a mixture of longing and uncertainty about both, romantic and familial, relationships in her life. The mixtape’s cover sparked my intreset as it was a painted portrait of Kehlani on top of a building. For the purpose of this paper, I will attempt to answer this research question: How does Kehlani’s mixtape cover further embolden and…

through the music industry. For this investigation, I wanted to see the differences in success of an artist through their race. Looking from mathematical standpoint, is there really a difference between the success of black artists and white artists? If so, is this the reason why black artists can have many more nominations for Grammy awards than white artists while still winning a similar amount of Grammy…

Evaluation Paper #2 The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize “ artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to the album sales or chart position.” Album of the year is easily the most prestigious award category at the Grammy’s and has been since 1959. Kendrick Lamar, a West Coast rapper, was recently nominated for 11 Grammys; almost…

20 years? That just isn't my idea of getting more for your dollar! So what are we to do if we don't want to be lost in yesterday's fashions, ever trying to be hip and up to date? Thankfully, some things never go out of style and that is where stores like Brooks Brothers come in. Construct a wardrobe of classic pieces made of natural fibers like wool, cashmere, cotton and linen and you can never go wrong. In 1818, Henry Sands Brooks began the first ready-to-wear fashion emporium in America. His…

4 Black Artists who Won a Grammy for Album of the Year When it comes to awards and recognitions for musicians, the Grammys is certainly the cream of the crop. Here are four African-American artists who earned the most prestigious, Album of the Year. 1. Michael Jackson – The legendary King of Pop won Album of the Year for Thriller in 1984. Thriller was released in 1982 and became a huge phenomenon. It became Jackson’s first number one album for 37 weeks. In 1984, he became the first artist to…

While heading to Grammy Museum I was able to arrive before it open, I waited for about 15 minutes outside. While waiting I was able to walk around and see the Grammy Awards that have been won throughout the years. They were displayed on the sidewalk heading towards the Museum. I was able to identity some bands and artists that I knew such as; Ray Charles, Norah Jones as well as Green Day. I was truly surprised to have seen these names displayed. Outside of the museum I was able to hear a variety…

this song. This song achieved worldwide achievements. This song spent a record breaking thirteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It also won Grammys for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best R&B song. “It is ranked as the 6th most successful song of the 1990-99 decade. Methodology Generic Criticism is a practice within rhetorical criticism for exploring artifacts in terms of their genre: “the set of generic expectations, conventions, and constraints…