Grammys
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Tito Jackson’s death on Sunday Sept. 15 at age 70 has put a spotlight on the Jackson 5 (later the Jacksons), which had a string of classic hits in the 1970s and ’80s.
You may be surprised to learn that the J5 never won a Grammy. Michael Jackson won 13 Grammys, but all were for his solo career.
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Three J5 classics – “I Want You Back,” “ABC” and “I’ll Be There” – have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which functions as a second chance for the Recording Academy to honor great recordings.
The J5 have yet to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, though Michael received a posthumous lifetime achievement award in 2010.
The J5 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 by their old pal Diana Ross, who was credited with having discovered them. (Whether or not she actually discovered them, she did lend her name to their 1970 debut studio album, which was titled Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5.) Michael was inducted into the Rock Hall as a solo artist in 2001.
Here are the three Jackson 5 records that were nominated for, but did not win, Grammys.
“ABC” (1970)
Nominated for: Best contemporary vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus
Lost to: Carpenters, “Close to You”
Notes: Both family acts were red-hot at the time. “Close to You” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and was Billboard’s No. 1 song of the summer for 1970. “ABC,” which topped the Hot 100 for two weeks, was the J5’s second No. 1 hit of 1970 (out of a career-launching volley of four consecutive No. 1 hits). “Close to You” was also nominated for record of the year (unlike “ABC”), which showed its strength with Grammy voters. “ABC” and “Close to You” have both been voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a sign that both are now regarded as top-tier classics.
Fun fact: Michael was known to be a fan of the Carpenters.
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“Dancing Machine” (1974)
Nominated for: Best R&B vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus
Lost to: Rufus’ “Tell Me Something Good”
Notes: “Dancing Machine” was an important record in the J5’s career. It not only became their biggest Hot 100 hit in three years, but it showed them to be all grown up, with little trace of the bubblegum of such early hits as “ABC.” The record peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 behind Ray Stevens’ inane novelty hit “The Streak,” a look at the then-hot fad of streaking (see also: the streaker who raced across the stage behind David Niven on the 1974 Oscars). Stevie Wonder wrote the beyond-funky “Tell Me Something Good,” which was Rufus’ first Hot 100 hit. It reached No. 3.
Fun fact: The J5 performed “Dancing Machine” on The Carol Burnett Show in 1974 and on Cher’s solo TV show the following year. Cher, who did not lack for nerve, joined the group in a medley of five of their hits, capped by “Dancing Machine.”
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Triumph (1980)
Nominated for: Best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocal
Lost to: The Manhattans’ “Shining Star”
Notes: How were Grammy voters expected to compare performances on full albums like Triumph with performances on singles like “Shining Star”? Good question. (The Recording Academy no longer pits albums and singles against each other in performance categories.)
Triumph reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group’s first top 10 album since the J5 (which had four top 10 albums) evolved into the Jacksons in 1976. Triumph spawned four Hot 100 hits on the Hot 100: “Lovely One” (No. 12), “Heartbreak Hotel” (No. 22). “Can You Feel It” (No. 77) and “Walk Right Now” (No. 73). None of them were as big as “Shining Star,” which reached No. 5, becoming the second-biggest group by the old-school R&B vocal group, whose “Kiss and Say Goodbye” reached No. 1 in the summer of 1976.
Fun fact: The Manhattans were signed to Columbia, sister label to The Jacksons’ Epic. That may have made CBS Records’ post-Grammys party a little awkward that year.
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Many Grammy winners for best new artist have gone on to long and distinguished careers. The Beatles, the GOAT of all groups, won the award in 1965. Mariah Carey, the queen of Christmas and one of the top artists in pop and R&B history, won in 1991. Adele, who has the longest-running No. 1 album by a solo woman in Billboard 200 history, won in 2012. Billie Eilish, who won nine Grammys and two Oscars before her 23rd birthday, won in 2020.
Two eventual EGOT recipients, Marvin Hamlisch and John Legend, are past best new artist winners.
Other past winners of note include Bobby Darin (the first winner, in 1959), Jose Feliciano, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Carpenters, Carly Simon, Natalie Cole, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Sade, Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Tracy Chapman, Toni Braxton, Sheryl Crow, LeAnn Rimes, Lauryn Hill, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood and Sam Smith.
All of the aforementioned acts have received at least one additional Grammy nomination since their best new artist wins. But 13 past winners for best new artist haven’t been nominated for a Grammy since their night of glory. We’re not including this year’s winner, Victoria Monét, because she obviously hasn’t had an opportunity yet to add to her nomination tally.
We’re also not including four groups that haven’t been nominated since winning best new artist because one or more members were nominated on their own. America wasn’t nominated after winning in 1973, but Dan Peek, a member of that trio, was, for best gospel performance, contemporary or inspirational, for his album All Things Are Possible. Culture Club wasn’t nominated after winning in 1984, but Boy George was, twice – best pop vocal performance, male for “The Crying Game” and best dance recording for “When Will You Learn.”
Hootie & the Blowfish weren’t nominated after winning in 1996, but Darius Rucker won best country solo performance for “Wagon Wheel.” And fun. wasn’t nominated after winning in 2013 (no surprise since they haven’t released another album since their win), but Jack Antonoff and Nate Ruess have both been nominated since that night. Ruess received two nods for “Just Give Me a Reason,” his hit collab with P!nk. Antonoff has won nine Grammys since that night.
Here’s a list of past winners for best new artist who haven’t been nominated for a Grammy since.
Robert Goulet
If you win the Grammy Award for album of the year, it stands to reason that you must have also won whatever genre album award you competed for. And most album of the year winners since 1995, when the Grammys introduced numerous genre album categories, have won also won in the appropriate genre album categories. […]
Olivia Rodrigo has good reason to be “Obsessed” with the Grammy eligibility rules, specifically the one that states: “Tracks from an album released during last year’s eligibility period are eligible in the current eligibility period, provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy.”
That means that Rodrigo’s “Obsessed,” a single from the deluxe Guts (Spilled) edition of her 2023 album Guts, is eligible for the 67th annual Grammy Awards. The single was released on March 22, 2024, well within the eligibility period for the 2025 Grammys (Sept. 16, 2023 to Aug. 30, 2024). It was not entered in last year’s awards process (the focus was on “Vampire,” which was nominated for record and song of the year and best pop vocal performance, and “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” nominated for best rock song). And crucially, Guts didn’t win a Grammy, though it was nominated for both album of the year and best pop vocal album at the ceremony.
On the other hand, if Noah Kahan were to look over the Grammy rulebook, he might find less to cheer about. Stick Season (Forever), which was released on Feb. 9, 2024, will not be eligible to compete for album of the year. Here’s the rule from the Grammy rulebook: “Updated, revised or expanded versions of previously submitted albums will not be eligible.”
Stick Season (Forever) is an expanded version of Kahan’s Stick Season album, which was released on Oct. 14, 2022. An earlier expanded version, Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever), was entered for album of the year and best Americana album at the ceremony that was held earlier this year. It wasn’t nominated in either category, but it was “submitted.” (Kahan’s only Grammy nomination to date is best new artist at the ceremony held earlier this year.)
Current voting and professional members of the Recording Academy are hunkering down today and tomorrow – or, at least, the Academy fervently hopes they are – to enter recordings for the 67th annual Grammy Awards. The submission window closes on Friday Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. PT.
The rules and guidelines handbook for the 67th annual Grammy Awards runs 75 pages – and it’s not exactly a “beach read.” Fortunately, the Academy prepared a one-page summary of “Basic Guidelines.” We combed through that document to cull these eight highlights.
Recordings must meet these three basic eligibility guidelines.
There are just two more days for current voting and professional members of the Recording Academy to enter recordings for the 67th annual Grammy Awards. The submission window closes Friday (Aug. 30) at 6 p.m. PT.
The entry process has changed in recent years. There used to be no limit to the number of entries members could make. Some members took advantage of that liberal policy and submitted a large number of entries, causing the entry list to bloat. The Academy now allows each voting or professional member just five “courtesy entries” before charges apply.
Furthermore, in an effort to get procrastinators to make their entries in timely fashion, those entry fees escalate the closer we get to the eligibility cut-off. The charge for members was $40 per entry from July 17-July 31 (what the Academy calls “early bird pricing”) and $75 per entry from Aug. 1-Aug. 22 (standard pricing). In this final week, it is $125 per entry (final deadline pricing). (In all cases, these are the charges for entries beyond the five courtesy entries.)
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In its rules, the Academy notes: “There will be no refunds for any entries once submitted to the Recording Academy, including those entries found to be ineligible.”
Media companies may also enter entries, but they don’t get five courtesy entries. And their charges were higher for the first two submission submission periods – $65 through July 31 and $95 through Aug. 22. The final deadline pricing charge for media companies is the same as for members – $125 through Aug. 30.
The Recording Academy defines a media company as “a legitimate business entity whose core business function is to create, aggregate and promote audio and/or video content for multiple artists for commercial purposes, and must have product in national U.S. commercial distribution on our approved streaming platforms within the current eligibility period. It cannot just be an imprint in name only for the artist.” Media companies pay an annual $180 registration fee.
It is the submitter’s responsibility to provide streaming links or physical product in some cases. “Without streaming links or commercially released product (if applicable), your entries cannot be screened or verified, which can result in disqualification,” the Academy notes.
Physical product must be submitted for consideration in five craft categories – best recording package, best boxed or limited edition package, best immersive audio album, best album notes and best historical album. Rules note “If you made entries in craft categories that require physical product, you will receive a separate email detailing the product required and further shipping instructions. Include a copy of the packing list with shipped product. Send in as soon as possible but no later than Sept. 6.”
No physical product is necessary in six other craft categories – best engineered album, non-classical; best engineered album, classical; best immersive audio album; best instrumental composition; best arrangement, instrumental or acapella; and best arrangement, instruments and vocals.
The Academy notes “Prior to the first round of voting [which opens on Oct. 4], we will be sending each submitter an email showing final category placement of their entries.”
The eligibility period for the 67th Grammy Awards is Sept. 16, 2023 – Aug. 30, 2024. First-round voting runs from Oct. 4 through Oct. 15. Nominees will be announced on Nov. 8. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 12 through Jan. 3, 2025. The Grammys will be presented on Feb. 2, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars have won a combined 28 Grammy Awards – 13 for her, 15 for him – so it doesn’t take a genius to know that their newly-released collaboration, “Die With a Smile,” is a strong contender for Grammy nods. The song was released on Aug. 16, two weeks before the close of eligibility for the 67th annual Grammy Awards.
The instant smash has a good chance of nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best pop duo/group performance.
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Both artists have been nominated multiple times for record of the year for previous collaborations. Mars has been nominated three times for collaborations – as a featured artist on B.o.B.’s “Nothin’ on You” and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!” and as the co-lead artist with Anderson .Paak on Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open.” If he is nominated again for “Die With a Smile,” he’ll break out of a tie with Jay-Z and Rihanna as the artist with the most record of the year nods as part of a collab.
Gaga has been nominated for record of the year with two previous collabs – “Shallow” with Bradley Cooper and “I Get a Kick Out of You” with Tony Bennett. Counting all singles, not just collabs, this would be Mars’ seventh record of the year nod; Gaga’s fourth.
The Grammy nominations will be announced on Nov. 8. The 67th annual Grammy Awards will be presented on Feb. 2, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Gaga and Mars co-wrote and co-produced “Die With a Smile” with Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II and Andrew Watt. James Fauntleroy was an additional co-writer.
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Mars has one of the best batting averages of any artist in Grammy history. He has won 15 awards from just 31 nominations. Adele at one point had won 15 awards from just 18 nominations, but her batting average came down to earth a bit when she won just one award from seven nominations in 2023. (Her current standing – 16 awards from 25 nods – is still pretty great!)
Gaga has won 13 awards from 36 nominations.
While it’s too early to predict who is going to win in the marquee categories, if “Die With a Smile” does win record of the year, Mars would set a big Grammy record: the first artist to win record of the year four times. He’d break out of a tie with Paul Simon, who has won three times (counting two Simon & Garfunkel classics).
Mars won the award in 2016 as a featured artist on Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!,” in 2018 for the solo smash “24K Magic” and along with Anderson .Paak in 2022 for Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open.”
If it wins song of the year, Mars and D’Mile would become the first three-time winners in that category. They are currently in a tie with Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer, Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell, Adele, Brody Brown, James Horner, Will Jennings and the members of U2, with two wins each.
Mars previously won song of the year for co-writing “That’s What I Like” and “Leave the Door Open.” D’Mile previously won for co-writing H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe” and “Leave the Door Open.”
If “Die With a Smile” wins record or song of the year, it would be Gaga’s first win in a so-called Big Four category (album, record or song of the year plus best new artist).
If the collab wins best pop duo/group performance, it would be Gaga’s record-setting third win in that category, following wins for pairings with Cooper (“Shallow”) and Ariana Grande (“Rain on Me”). Gaga is currently tied with SZA with two wins each in the category (which was introduced at the 2012 ceremony).
Gaga and Mars share another Grammy common bond: Neither was nominated for best new artist, despite both getting off to hot career starts. In both cases it’s because they blew up so fast that they ran afoul of Grammy eligibility rules in that category.
Gaga was entered in the best new artist competition for the awards that were presented in 2009, but she wasn’t nominated. She was nominated that year for best dance recording for “Just Dance,” her Hot 100-topping collab with Colby O’Donis. That nomination precluded her from getting a second shot at best new artist the following year (which is the norm in that category for artists whose breakthroughs don’t neatly fall into one Grammy eligibility year).
Mars was never even entered for best new artist. He received seven nominations at the awards that were presented in 2011, winning best pop vocal performance, male for his Hot 100-topping “Just the Way You Are.” But because his first full-length album hadn’t been released by the close of that eligibility year – it was released four days later, on Oct. 4, 2010 – he wasn’t eligible for best new artist that year. And he wasn’t allowed in the category the following year because he was, by that point, a Grammy winner. (That’s what you call a Grammy Catch-22.)
The failure of both artists to be nominated for best new artist hasn’t seemed to unduly slow their career momentum.
“Die With a Smile” is expected to challenge for a debut inside the top 10 on next week’s Billboard Hot 100. The chart will be unveiled on Monday (Aug. 26).
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Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
The late, great Phife Dawg famously rapped, “I’ll never let a statue tell me how nice I am,” on “Award Tour” off A Tribe Called Quest’s class Midnight Marauders album. The words still ring true over 30 years later when it comes to the Grammy Awards, which too often have been lacking when it comes to its respect for Hip-Hop culture.
Back in the day, the Grammys wouldn’t even air the Rap category winners during the proper show. To many, the slights still continue, like Jay-Z sitting in the front row only to go 0-8 in Grammy wins in 2018. Every year it’s a guarantee, the Hip-Hop heads will be upset, about something, justifiably so.
Needless to say, the Grammys’ relationship with the culture is still strained at best, with artists like Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino all essentially curving the show after being asked and passing on performing.
Considering the amount of Hip-Hop legends, who have dropped quality material, only to never take home a Grammy Award, you can’t blame them. Like Phife insinuated, a Grammy Award will never make you a great MC, but the acknowledgment would still be cool. And don’t get use started groups like the aforementioned A Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul or Public Enemy.
To be clear, we’re not taking anything away from stars whose shelves are littered with Grammys. We just wish the distribution of the accolades were more equitable.
As evidence, check out the eyebrow-raising list of Hip-Hop artists who have never won a Grammy in the gallery. It wouldn’t really be the Grammys if someone wasn’t getting snubbed, right?
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Photo Getty
1. Yasiin Bey
Source:WENN
Yasiin Bey f/k/a as the Mighty Mos Def is already one of the greatest MC’s of all time. Not so much in Grammy land.
2. KRS-One
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Blastmaster KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions are legends. For shame.
3. Wale
Source:Warner Records
Wale has only one nomination to his name for Best Rap Song back in 2013 for “Lotus Flower Bomb.”
4. Rakim
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The R has been nominated a grand total of two times.
5. A Tribe Called Quest
Source:WENN.com
A Tribe Called Quest has come up blank after only four nominations. Two nominations in 1997, one nomination in 1999, and one in 2012. Q-Tip has a Grammy, but that’s thanks to a performance on “Galvanize” by the Chemical Brothers.
6. Scarface
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Brad Jordan is still a GOAT.
7. Snoop Dogg
Source:WENN.com
Despite 16 nominations, Snoop Dogg has always come up empty. He holds the record for third most Grammy nominations ever without a win across all genres.
8. Ice Cube
Source:WENN.com
O’Shea Jackson has been nominated just one time. Think about that.
9. Wu-Tang Clan
Source:Hip-Hop Wired
Despite being for the children, the Wu-Tang Clan has managed to snag only one Grammy nomination.
10. DMX
Source:WENN.com
DMX once dropped two critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums in one year. Nevertheless, he’s 0-3 in Grammy Awards.
11. Busta Rhymes
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The Dungeon Dragon has a dozen nominations to his name.
12. Redman
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Redman will go down in history as a GOAT, but he only has two Grammy nomination to his name. His buddy Method Man has one Grammy, though.
13. Mobb Deep
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The speakers of the Dunn Language. Rest in power Prodigy.
14. Tupac Shakur
Source:Getty
The legendary life of Tupac Shakur was cut short, but a posthumous award is way past due.
15. Public Enemy
Source:WENN.com
This is just disrespectful.
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Remarkably, 10 of those 14 artists are women.
08/12/2024
The Recording Academy has issued an emailed call to action for its voting members on Monday (Aug. 5) to submit smartphone videos in which they answer such questions including, “Why do you take the time to vote in the Grammy Awards each year?” The academy will then combine excerpts from the submitted clips to create […]
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. sent a letter via email on Friday (July 26) to the Academy’s 12,000 voting members urging them to take their job as voting members seriously. The Subject Line: “Vote with Purpose This Grammy Season.”
“The trajectory of people’s careers and lives are altered by your choices,” Mason wrote in the letter obtained by Billboard. “As such, you owe it to your peers to vote intentionally, deliberately, with pride and with purpose.”
Mason added a personal aside to bring the point home. “Last Grammy season, I heard a Grammy voter say they hadn’t taken a specific artist seriously since a performance they saw more than 10 years ago. I was shocked and disturbed by that. There is no place in our organization for such bias, grudge-holding, or careless voting. It’s about the current year and the quality of the work, period!
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“There should be no other rationale for voting. If you are taking into account an artist’s older work, or their reputation, or race, or gender, what label they are on, who their manager is, how many friends participated in the project, or anything else like that, you’re not doing your job.”
Mason also implored Grammy voting members to start thinking about their choices now. “I hope that you begin prioritizing your responsibility now, and not wait until Grammy season is here.” The first-round voting period runs from Oct. 4-15. Final-round voting extends from Dec. 12 to Jan. 3, 2025.
Mason is wise to advise members to start thinking about their picks now. The Grammy entry list is long. This year, there will be 94 categories (same as last year). Many categories have large numbers of entries. On last year’s entry list, there were 615 candidates for record of the year, 476 for album of the year, 642 for song of the year and 405 for best new artist. To conscientiously wade through such long lists and thoughtfully make your selections would take hours. That is one reason that “brand name” artists – long-time Grammy favorites – often lead the nominations year after year. Mason is trying to get members to break that habit of just checking off names of artists who are top-of-mind.
On the line “The trajectory of people’s careers and lives are altered by your choices,” Mason linked to this Grammy.com post from May 1, which includes a section titled “What Is the True Value of a Grammy?” It gives more than a dozen examples of artists whose careers were boosted by Grammy wins.
The Academy’s tally of 12,000+ voting members doesn’t include the 3,000+ potential new voting members that it has invited as part of this year’s new member class. (It has also invited 900 professional (non-voting) members, for a total of 3,900+ new members.)
Here is Mason’s letter to voting members, in full:
Dear Grammy voters,
Normally you don’t hear from me about Grammy voting until our ballot is live but this year is different. I want to make sure you understand how critically important it is for you to vote, and to vote with intention and integrity.
We all know the Grammy is music’s most coveted award because it is an honor that comes from one’s peers. It’s not a popularity contest. The nominees and winners are not chosen by the critics, fans, or the staff of the Academy. They are chosen by you—the 12,000+ music creators who are the voting members of the Recording Academy.
You are the Grammy electorate. Your votes are tallied by Deloitte, and then announced publicly, celebrated, and recorded by history as the very best in music for that year. The trajectory of people’s careers and lives are altered by your choices. As such, you owe it to your peers to vote intentionally, deliberately, with pride and with purpose.
Last Grammy season, I heard a Grammy voter say they hadn’t taken a specific artist seriously since a performance they saw more than 10 years ago. I was shocked and disturbed by that. There is no place in our organization for such bias, grudge-holding, or careless voting. It’s about the current year and the quality of the work, period!
There should be no other rationale for voting. If you are taking into account an artist’s older work, or their reputation, or race, or gender, what label they are on, who their manager is, how many friends participated in the project, or anything else like that, you’re not doing your job. I know most of you already do but please, just listen to the music, and evaluate it! You are the reason the Grammy Award is so special.
Music is a force for good in the world. It changes moods, opens hearts and minds and unites the world. It moves us to act. And the Grammy is the way to honor the people who work so hard to make it. Next February, all across the globe, the people who make music and all the people who love music will be watching to see who the Grammy voters have chosen to honor. All eyes will be on you, on us.
I hope you view your vote as important. I hope that you begin prioritizing your responsibility now, and not wait until Grammy season is here. I hope that you evaluate the music carefully, and prepare yourself to vote with care and purpose, and that you encourage your fellow voting members to do the same. Your peers in music are counting on you.
Respectfully yours,
Harvey