Grammys to honor Nina Simone – Fifth Harmony becomes quartet after Cabello quits

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LOS ANGELES, Dec 20, (Agencies): Legendary singer-songwriter Nina Simone will be honored by the Recording Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2017 Special Merit Awards.

The singer, who died in 2003, has had a resurgence in pop culture in the last couple years, with three different biopics about her life being released, including the Oscar-nominated, Liz Garbus-helmed “What Happened, Miss Simone”.

Other musical artists set to receive the Academy’s Lifetime Achievement recognition are Ahmad Jamal, The Velvet Underground, Shirley Caesar, Sly Stone, Charley Pride, and Jimmie Rodgers.

“This year’s Special Merit Awards recipients comprise a prestigious group of diverse and influential creators who have crafted or contributed to some of the most distinctive recordings in music history”, said Neil Portnow, President and CEO of The Recording Academy. “These exceptionally inspiring figures are being honored as legendary performers, creative architects, and technical visionaries. Their outstanding accomplishments and passion for their respective crafts have created a timeless legacy”.

Lifetime Achievement Awards are given to individuals who have made a significant impact in the recording industry. All recipients were selected by The Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees. Additionally, Thom Bell, Mo Ostin, and Ralph Peer will be honored with Trustees Award, and electronics engineer Alan Dower Blumlein will posthumously receive the Technical Grammy Award.

The Recording Academy and Hal Leonard Books will also publish “A Grammy Salute To Music Legends”, a collection of tributes written by artists to the Special Merit Awards honorees. Performers who have contributed to the book include Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Carly Simon, Patty Smith and Yo-Yo Ma, among others. The anthology will be available early next year.

Gospel singer Shirley Caesar’s list of accomplishments include 11 Grammy Awards, 14 Stellar awards, 15 Dove awards, a NAACP Image Award and a Soul Train Music Award. She is well-known for her time with the Chicago-based gospel group The Caravans, before deciding to pursue a solo career in 1966.

Pianist Ahmad Jamal’s career spans over 50 years. He is known for his interpretations on such pieces as “Poinciana” and “Dolphin Dance”, as well as his own original compositions, including “Ahmad’s Blues”.

Singer/guitarist Charley Pride was the first African-American singer to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in 1967, and later became the Grande Ole Opry’s first African-American member almost 30 years later. His expansive song catalog includes “Just Between You And Me” and “All I Have To Offer You (Is Me)”, among many others.

Inducted

Country singer Jimmie Rodgers became one of the first three people inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961. He currently has three recordings in the Grammy Hall Of Fame — “Blue Yodel (T For Texas)”, “In The Jailhouse Now”, and “Blue Yodel #9 (Standing On The Corner)”.

Jazz singer-songwriter Nina Simone is one of the most acclaimed singers of all time. She recorded over 40 albums over 5 decades and is known for her interpretations of “I Loves You, Porgy”, “Feeling Good” and “Sinnerman”. In 2000, she was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. Zoe Saldana portrayed Simone in the 2016 biopic, “Nina”.

Sly Stone is perhaps best known as the leading figure of the funk-rock band Sly & The Family Stone. Stone wrote a myriad of songs throughout his career, including “Dance To The Music”, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”, “Everyday People” and “There’s A Riot Going On”.

The Velvet Underground, comprising of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen “Moe” Tucker, was known for their avant-garde approach to rock music. Their 1967 debut album, “The Velvet Underground & Nico”, was produced by famed artist Andy Warhol and was eventually inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2008.

Simone — who never received a Grammy during her lifetime — was a young piano prodigy who, as an African American in the segregated US South, was discouraged from classical music.

She became one of the most celebrated singers of soul and a staunch civil rights activist, with classic tracks such as “To Be Young, Gifted and Black”.

The Velvet Underground, led by John Cale and the late Lou Reed, revolutionized rock music by bringing an aesthetic from avant-garde art.

The band’s 1967 debut album, “The Velvet Underground and Nico”, was produced by Andy Warhol and explored drugs and sexual fetishism in ways then unthinkable for mainstream pop acts.

Sly Stone, leading Sly and the Family Stone, brought a new psychedelic vibe to funk music. He became a major influence on later artists, notably Prince.

Also winning the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award are “First Lady of Gospel Music” Shirley Caesar and legendary pianist Ahmad Jamal, who helped bring a greater pop audience to jazz.

The other recipients are Charley Pride, the former baseball player who is the first African American to achieve success in white-dominated country music, and Jimmie Rodgers, who helped set the foundations of country before dying at age 35 in 1933.

The main gala of the Grammys takes place on Feb 12 in Los Angeles, with pop superstar Beyonce leading in nominations.

Girl group Fifth Harmony has become four.

The pop group formed out of US talent show “The X Factor” in 2012 said on Monday that Camila Cabello was leaving the quintet but that the band would be moving ahead.

Cabello, 19, said she was launching a solo career, a move she had discussed at length with the other four young women.

“After four and a half years of being together, we have been informed via her representatives that Camila has decided to leave Fifth Harmony. We wish her well”, the remaining members of the group said in a posting on Instagram.

“We are excited to announce that we will be moving forward with the four of us — Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui — for our fans, “ the statement added, saying the name of the band would remain the same.

Cabello’s departure followed Fifth Harmony’s last scheduled performance of the year at the iHeart Radio Jingle Ball tour in Florida on Sunday.

Like British boy band One Direction, Fifth Harmony was put together by record producer Simon Cowell after each girl auditioned as solo artists for his TV talent show “The X Factor”.

Although they didn’t win, they went on to become the show’s most successful product, with hits like “Worth It” and “Work from Home” that led to 10 million in record sales and accolades that included three MTV Video Music Awards, an American Music award and seven Teen Choice Awards.

Cuban-American Cabello said in an Instagram posting for fans on Monday that she was sad to see her time with Fifth Harmony ending, but added: “Next year I will be working on my own music and giving you a big chunk of my heart.

“As scary as it is to take the leap, I am excited and full of joy because I know that no matter what happens, I am following my heart”.

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