Grammy Hall of Fame Gala
The Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum organized the second Grammy Hall of Fame Gala in Beverly Hilton on Friday evening. This event was a celebration of iconic recordings, including Cat Stevens’ Tea for the Tillerman, Santana’s Supernatural, Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt, and Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine’s "Conga". The evening featured performances by John Mellencamp, John Batiste, Conan Gray, and Emmylou Harris.
Tribute Performances
Mellencamp and Gray performed as a tribute to Republic Records, which was selected as this year’s label winner for the event. Mellencamp joked about being told not to talk about politics before performing his 1985 song "Small Town". He also played "Longest Days" and ended with his classic "Jack and Diane", teasing the crowd when some sang the chorus too early. Gray preceded Mellencamp with a performance of his hit "Heather".
Inducted Recordings
Thirteen recordings were officially inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame during the ceremony. These included Tea for the Tillerman, Supernatural, Reasonable Doubt, "Conga", Emmylou Harris’ Demolition Ball, Luther Vandross’ Never Too Much, and Eddie Floyd’s "Knock on Wood". Other inducted recordings included Geeshie Wiley’s "Last Kind Words Blues", JD Crowe & The New South’s J.D. Crowe & The New South, Big Star’s #1 Record, Fela Kuti’s Zombie, Clara Ward’s "How I Got Over", and Linda Martell’s "Color Him Father".
Event Details
The event was the second annual Grammy Hall of Fame Gala, following last year’s initiative at the Novo in downtown Los Angeles. The event was produced by longtime Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich and moderated by CBS news journalist Anthony Mason. Attendees included Republic Records’ Monte and Avery Lipman, Universal Music Enterprises CEO Bruce Resnikoff, Jimmy Jam, John Legend, and Charlie Puth.
Performances and Appearances
The evening featured a range of performances, including Ledisi’s cover of "How I Got Over" and Leslie Odom Jr.’s performance of Demolition Ball songs with producer Daniel Lanois and drummer Brian Blade. Floyd performed "Knock on Wood" with Jody Stephens from Big Star. Carlos Santana was not present, but his wife and drummer Cindy Blackman played with Santana employee Andy Vargas, while guitarist Oriente filled in for the guitar legend. The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs covered Cat Stevens’ "Wild World" after Stevens accepted the honor with a pre-recorded video.
Acceptance and Gratitude
Gloria Estefan personally accepted the induction of "Conga", remembering that she wrote the song on a plane ride from Holland to England. "We went back home and started playing it, and people responded that it was already a hit," Estefan said. "We are grateful to the Academy and all the fans who have been playing and dancing to ‘Conga’ since then." John Batiste performed a soulful cover of Ray Charles’ "Georgia on My Mind", earning him the first-ever Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award.
Speeches and Tributes
After his performance, Mellencamp signed a lifetime contract with Republic Records and went on to give a speech honoring the Lipman Brothers. "I think it’s strange that I’m giving the president of a record company an award," Mellencamp said. "I once had a record company president who was a pain in the butt, I had a hard time with him." However, he praised Monte and Avery Lipman, saying they are "in the music business, but they like music first". The Lipman Brothers then took the stage for a short speech, with Monte Lipman saying his heart was full and thanking his family members who attended the event. Avery Lipman spoke about the responsibility of working with artists and thanked the CEO of UMG, Lucian Grainge, the employees of Republic Records, and the artists they have worked with since the 1990s.
