2021 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The nominations for the 64th annual Grammy Awards were announced on November 23rd with Jon Baptiste, receiving the most nominations this year with a total of eleven for "We Are", his latest studio album that features an intriguing blend of jazz and r&b. Batiste, best known for his role as musical director on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert", had won an Oscar for Best Original Score alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross earlier this year for the animated film, "Soul". 

Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. all received eight nominations. Last year's big winner, Billie Eilish received seven nominations for "Happier Than Ever", the follow-up to her debut along with Olivia Rodrigo for her debut, "Sour" who received a nom for Best New Artist. The Swedish super-pop group, ABBA shockingly received their very first Grammy Award nod for their first single in forty years, "I Still Have Faith in You" in the Record of the Year category. 

The music legend, Tony Bennett made history as the oldest nominee at age of ninety-five for his collaboration with Lady Gaga on the jazz collection, "Love For Sale". And Jay-Z, the recent inductee in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, also made history this year as the most nominated individual artist of all-time with eighty-three with three new nominations for his work with the late DMX and Kanye West. Paul McCartney moved in to the second spot with eighty-one due to two additional nominations in the rock category.

One notable change this year is that in the four major categories; Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist, have been expanded to include ten nominees. I think that while this will give recognition to more deserving artists, there will still only be one winner, making the final selection even more difficult than it has been in the past.

The 2021 Grammys will be held in Los Angeles at the former Staples Center which has recently been newly renamed Crypto.com Arena on January 31, 2022, April 3rd, 2022 broadcasting live on CBS and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards:

Album Of The Year:

"We Are" — Jon Batiste
"Love For Sale" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)" — Justin Bieber
"Planet Her (Deluxe)" — Doja Cat
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Back Of My Mind — H.E.R.
"Montero" — Lil Nas X
"Sour" — Olivia Rodrigo
"Evermore" — Taylor Swift
"Donda" — Kanye West

Record Of The Year:

"I Still Have Faith In You" — ABBA
"Freedom" — Jon Batiste
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Right On Time" — Brandi Carlile
"Kiss Me More" — Doja Cat Featuring SZA
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Lil Nas X
"Drivers License" — Olivia Rodrigo
"Leave The Door Open" — Silk Sonic

Song Of The Year:

“Bad Habits” — Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)
"A Beautiful Noise" — Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry & Hailey Whitters, songwriters (Alicia Keys And Brandi Carlile)
"Drivers License" — Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)
"Fight For You" — Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
"Kiss Me More" — Rogét Chahayed, Amala Zandile Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Carter Lang, Gerard A. Powell II, Solána Rowe & David Sprecher, songwriters (Doja Cat Featuring SZA)
"Leave The Door Open" — Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Denzel Baptiste, David Biral, Omer Fedi, Montero Hill & Roy Lenzo, songwriters (Lil Nas X)
"Peaches" — Louis Bell, Justin Bieber, Giveon Dezmann Evans, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manual Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Ashton Simmonds, Andrew Wotman & Keavan Yazdani, songwriters (Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon)
"Right On Time" — Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

Best New Artist:

Arooj Aftab
Jimmie Allen
Baby Keem
Finneas
Glass Animals
Japanese Breakfast
The Kid Laroi
Arlo Parks
Olivia Rodrigo
Saweetie

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)" — Justin Bieber
"Planet Her (Deluxe)" — Doja Cat
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Positions" — Ariana Grande
"Sour" — Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Anyone" -Justin Bieber
"Right On Time" - Brandi Carlile
"Happier Than Ever" - Billie Eilish
"Positions" - Ariana Grande
Drivers License" - Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"I Get A Kick Out Of You" - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Lonely" - Justin Bieber & benny blanco
"Butter" - BTS
"Higher Power" - Coldplay
"Kiss Me More" - Doja Cat Featuring SZA

Best Rap Album:

"The Off-Season" — J. Cole
"Certified Lover Boy" — Drake
"King’s Disease II" — Nas
"Call Me If You Get Lost" — Tyler The Creator
"Donda" — Kanye West

Best Rap Performance:

"Family Ties" — Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar
"Up" — Cardi B
"m y . l i f e" — J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray
"Way 2 Sexy" — Drake Featuring Future & Young Thug
"Thot Shit" — Megan Thee Stallion

Best Rap Song:

"Bath Salts" - Shawn Carter, Kasseem Dean, Michael Forno, Nasir Jones & Earl Simmons, songwriters (DMX Featuring Jay-Z & Nas)
"Best Friend" - Amala Zandelie Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Randall Avery Hammers, Diamonté Harper, Asia Smith, Theron Thomas & Rocco Valdes, songwriters (Saweetie Featuring Doja Cat)
"Family Ties" - Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Hykeem Carter, Tobias Dekker, Colin Franken, Jasper Harris, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald Latour & Dominik Patrzek, songwriters (Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar)
"Jail" - Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Brian Hugh Warner, Kanye West & Mark Williams, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z)
"M Y . L I F E" - Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph & Jermaine Cole, songwriters (J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray)

Best R&B Album:

"Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies" - Snoh Aalegra
"We Are" - Jon Batiste
"Gold-Diggers Sound" - Leon Bridges
"Back Of My Mind" - H.E.R.
"Heaux Tales" - Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Performance:

"Lost You" — Snoh Aalegra
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Damage" — H.E.R.
"Leave The Door Open" — Silk Sonic
"Pick Up Your Feelings" — Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Song:

"Damage" - Anthony Clemons Jr., Jeff Gitelman, H.E.R., Carl McCormick & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
"Good Days" - Jacob Collier, Carter Lang, Carlos Munoz, Solána Rowe & Christopher Ruelas, songwriters (SZA)
"Heartbreak Anniversary" - Giveon Evans, Maneesh, Sevn Thomas & Varren Wade, songwriters (Giveon)
"Leave The Door Open" - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
"Pick Up Your Feelings" - Denisia “Blue June” Andrews, Audra Mae Butts, Kyle Coleman, Brittany “Chi” Coney, Michael Holmes & Jazmine Sullivan, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)

Best Progressive R&B Album:

"New Light" — Eric Bellinger
"Something To Say" — Cory Henry
"Mood Valiant" — Hiatus Kaiyote
"Table For Two" — Lucky Daye
"Dinner Party: Dessert" — Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington
"Studying Abroad: Extended Stay" — Masego

Best Country Album:

"Skeletons" Brothers Osborne
"Remember Her Name" - Mickey Guyton
"The Marfa Tapes" - Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall & Jack Ingram"
"The Ballad Of Dood & Juanita" - Sturgill Simpson
"Starting Over" - Chris Stapleton

Best Country Solo Performance:

"Forever After All" - Luke Combs
"Remember Her Name" - Mickey Guyton
"All I Do Is Drive" - Jason Isbell
"Camera Roll" - Kacey Musgraves
"You Should Probably Leave" - Chris Stapleton

Best Country Song:

"Better Than We Found It" — Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Velz, songwriters (Maren Morris)
"Camera Roll" — Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
"Cold" — Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
"Country Again" — Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley & Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
"Fancy Like" — Cameron Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins & Shane Stevens, songwriters (Walker Hayes)
"Remember Her Name" — Mickey Guyton, Blake Hubbard, Jarrod Ingram &Parker Welling, songwriters (Mickey Guyton)

Best Americana Album:

"Downhill From Everywhere" - Jackson Browne
"Leftover Feelings" - John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band
"Native Sons" - Los Lobos
"Outside Child" - Allison Russell
"Stand For Myself" - Yola

Best American Roots Performance:

"Cry" - Jon Batiste
"Love And Regret" - Billy Strings
"I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" - The Blind Boys Of Alabama & Béla Fleck
"Same Devil" - Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile
"Nightflyer" - Allison Russell

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album:

"Subconsciously" - Black Coffee
"Fallen Embers" - ILLENIUM
"Music Is The Weapon (Reloaded)" - Major Lazer
"Shockwave" - Marshmello
"Free Love" - Sylvan Esso
"Judgement" - Ten City

Best Dance/Electronic Recording:

"Hero" — Afrojack & David Guetta
"Loom" — Ólafur Arnalds Featuring Bonobo
"Before" — James Blake
"Heartbreak" — Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
"You Can Do It" — Caribou
"Alive" — Rüfüs Du Sol
"The Business" — Tiësto

Best Rock Album:

"Power Up" - AC/DC
"Capitol Cuts - Live From Studio A" - Black Pumas
"No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1" - Chris Cornell
"Medicine At Midnight" - Foo Fighters
"McCartney III" - Paul McCartney

Best Rock Performance:

"Shot In The Dark" - AC/DC
"Know You Better (Live From Capitol Studio A)" - Black Pumas
"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Chris Cornell
"Ohms" - Deftones
"Making A Fire" - Foo Fighters

Best Alternative Music Album:

"Shore" — Fleet Foxes
"If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power?" — Halsey
"Jubilee" — Japanese Breakfast
"Collapsed In Sunbeams" — Arlo Parks
"Daddy‘s Home" — St. Vincent

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

"Generations" — The Baylor Project
"SuperBlue" — Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter
"Time Traveler" — Nnenna Freelon
"Flor" — Gretchen Parlato
"Songwrights Apothecary Lab" — Esperanza Spalding

Best Gospel Album:

"Changing Your Story" — Jekalyn Carr
"Royalty: Live At The Ryman" — Tasha Cobbs Leonard
"Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition" — Maverick City Music
"Jonny x Mali: Live In LA" — Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music
"Believe For It" — CeCe Winans

Best Latin Pop Album:

"Vértigo" — Pablo Alborán
"Mis Amores" — Paula Arenas
"Hecho A La Antigua" — Ricardo Arjona
"Mis Manos" — Camilo
"Mendó" — Alex Cuba
"Revelación" — Selena Gomez

Best Spoken Word Album (includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):

"Aftermath" — LeVar Burton
"Carry On: Reflections For A New Generation From John Lewis" — Don Cheadle
"Catching Dreams: Live At Fort Knox Chicago" — J. Ivy
"8:46" — Dave Chappelle & Amir Sulaiman
"A Promised Land" — Barack Obama

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:

"Cruella" - Various Artists
"Dear Evan Hansen" - Various Artists
"In The Heights" - Various Artists
"One Night In Miami..." - Various Artists
"Respect" - Jennifer Hudson
"Schmigadoon! Episode 1" - Various Artists
"The United States Vs. Billie Holiday" - Andra Day

Best Music Film:

"Inside" — Bo Burnham
"David Byrne‘s American Utopia" — David Byrne
"Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles" — Billie Eilish
"Music, Money, Madness. . .Jimi Hendrix In Maui" — Jimi Hendrix
"Summer Of Soul" — Various Artists

Best Music Video:

"Shot In The Dark" — AC/DC
"Freedom" — Jon Batiste
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Lil Nas X
"Good 4 U" — Olivia Rodrigo

Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical):

Jack Antonoff
Rogét Chahayed
Mike Elizondo
Hit-Boy
Ricky Reed

STILL OVER IT

The Atlanta born and raised, Summer Walker is one of the hottest artists in r&b at this moment. Her debut album, "Over It" in 2019 first brought her international attention with the help of the singles, "Playing Games", "Stretch You Out", "Come Thru" and a remix of "Girls Need Love" that featured Drake. The album found it's way on several Best Albums of the Year critic's lists, won Best Album at the 2020 Soul Train Music Awards, was the most streamed album by a female artist on Apple Music and would go on to sell over two million copies in the U.S.

Now the twenty-five year old singer has released a direct follow-up, "Still Over It", another solid collection of contemporary soul with touches of '90's hip-hop and trap running through her sound. The focus of this record is the end of her relationship with London on da Track, an artist and producer on her debut which happened not long after giving birth to their daughter. Through each song, Walker makes it clear that she's not one to mess with and unwilling to put up with any nonsense. There is an impressive line-up of performers (which includes Cardi B, JT of City Girls, SZA, Ari Lennox, Pharrell Williams, Omarion, and Ciara) and producers who have contributed to the album. And most impressively, "Still Over It" debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Album chart. Here are a few of my favorite tracks from the reigning queen of r&b, Summer Walker:

NEW SOUNDS

BEYONCE

While we have been anxiously awaiting for the return of new music by Beyoncé, what we have received is a song for the soundtrack of "King Richard", an upcoming bio-pic on the story of how a determined Richard Williams (played by Will Smith) helped his daughters, Venus and Serena become two of the greatest players in tennis. After watching an early screening of the film, the singer was moved and inspired by their story, offering to contribute the song, "Be Alive" which she co-wrote and produced with Dixson. This power-ballad contains uplifting words of empowerment with a beautiful, emotional vocal that only Beyoncé can deliver. This is a wonderful treat until she decides to release a complete album.



MITSKI

It's been three years since Mitski broke out with her fifth studio album, "Be The Cowboy", a thrilling collection of art-pop that found it's way on several best albums of 2018 lists. Now the Japanese-American artist, born Mitsuki Laycock, has released a new single, "The Only Heartbreaker", a delicious slice of '80's inspired synth-pop that the performer has made sound simultaneously retro and fresh. This is the second song from her upcoming album, "Laurel Hell" (due out in February and once again produced by her longtime collaborator, Patrick Hyland) with most of the tracks written by Mitski not long after her last album release yet completed during the lockdown last year. Be sure to catch Mitski on the road as she plans for an extensive tour throughout North America and Europe to support the album shortly after it's release.



U2

And about three years have passed since we last heard from the Irish rock band, U2 however, there isn't an album arriving. It's a new song that's part of the soundtrack to the sequel of the 2016 animated film, "Sing" due out in theaters on Christmas day. And I'm sure you might be wondering why U2 is involved with this movie? It turns out that Bono, the lead vocalist of the band, will be lending his voice to a new character, Clay Calloway, a famous rock star lion who is now a recluse with the koala, Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) and his crew of singing animals trying to lure him out to help them with their quest to start a new show in a flashy theater. The song, "Your Song Saved My Life" is a moving ballad that I'm sure will play an important part of the story. Other classic U2 songs ("Where the Streets Have No Name", "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For", "Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of") will find there way in to the movie, covered by the harmonizing critters in this CGI-animated jukebox musical.

TAKE TWO: LAURA NYRO

During her career, Laura Nyro released ten studio albums. These recordings have gone on to become greatly admired and widely inspirational to listeners and other musicians yet the singer/songwriter was unable to achieve wider recognition as a performer. But it was her songs, atmospheric works filled with alluring, poetic imagery, that have endured to bring her worldwide fame. Nyro used her life experiences, imagination and deep love for all genres of music to share her specific view of the world that many could find a connection.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Laura Nigro immersed herself into her own special world created through music when she was very young, using this largely as a way of coping through a challenging childhood. Finding inspiration through her father, Louis Nigro, a jazz musician and the classical records that her mother loved, she taught herself how to play the piano, wrote songs and poetry. As a teen, Nigro attended the High School of Music & Art and sang wherever she could; parties, street corners and subways.

After deciding to pursue a career in music, Nigro considered several stage names before settling on "Laura Nyro". Through her father's contacts, Nyro met Artie Mogull and Paul Barry who would become her first managers. They helped the twenty year old get signed to the Verve Forecast label and released her debut album, "More Than a New Discovery" in 1967. Nyro wrote all of the songs and while the album received some critical acclaim, it failed to generate much attention. But some of the songs, "And When I Die", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Blowin' Away" and "Stoney End" would go on to greater success for other artists a few years later.

After an appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, Nyro caught the attention of David Geffen. In short order, he became her new manager, helped get her out of her recording contract, got her signed to a major label, Columbia Records, purchased the publishing rights to her early music and started a publishing company with Nyro, receiving half of the royalties from future compositions. Now with more artistic control as a co-producer, Nyro released her follow-up album, "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession" in 1968 with her insisting that the lyric sheet in the album be perfumed (not a cheap endeavor, I'm sure). The album, with it's lush production, featured r&b inspired, pop songs that touched on her singular thoughts on love, death and drugs. And while it did help bring more attention to the young singer, the record still failed commercially although once again, some songs ("Sweet Blindness", "Eli's Comin'", "Stoned Soul Picnic") would gain popularity later through other artists.

While her follow-up, "New York Tendaberry" would be her highest charting release, reaching number thirty-two on the Billboard 200, and considered one of the greatest of Nyro's recordings, the album still wasn't able to deliver the performer to much of a wider audience. More songs from the record ("Save The Country", "Time and Love") would go on to be find success with versions by other performers. Nyro would continue to record (including an album featuring soul covers produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, a live album and a jazz-pop collection) without much commercial success but her ethereal songs made her very popular amongst other artists and hardcore fans. As time went on, she became more political with her music, writing songs involving feminism, animal rights and Native American rights.

Late in 1996, Nyro was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and sadly succumbed on April 8, 1997 at the age of forty-nine. The legacy of Laura Nyro has grown tremendously since her passing with a greater appreciation for not only her songs but her gift as a performer. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Here are two songs made famous by other artists (the 5th Dimension and Barbra Streisand, respectively) but listen to what Nyro brings to these songs, expressing the joy and pain in her own remarkably, heartfelt style.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith made up the English pop-rock band, Tears For Fears who found fame in the mid-1980's most notably with the songs, "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". After working together for ten years, the duo ended their musical relationship with a nasty split in 1991. While Orzabal kept Tears for Fears going as a one-man project (releasing a couple of albums) and Smith made his own solo album, the men would make amends in 2000. The reunited Tears For Fears released another album together, "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending" in 2004. And while Orzabal and Smith would tour occasionally over the ensuing years, there was no new music. That has changed as Tears For Fears have released a song, "The Tipping Point" which is the working title of their upcoming seventh studio album due out in February. The sixty year old musicians have been working on this project over the last ten years and the haunting, mid-tempo ballad deals with Orzabal's struggles with grief over the tragic loss of his wife, Caroline who died in 2017 after thirty-five years of marriage.



Please enjoy this collection of videos of new music by a few LGBTQ artists (and one long-time ally):









Kelis is back with a new single, "Midnight Snacks", the latest song by the artist that follows a theme on the art of eating. Following her 2014 album, "Food", a cookbook and a Netflix series on cooking with Cannabis, the forty-two year old performer is going in on what do when you have cravings late at night. And I'm pretty sure she's referring to food. . .

And for his thirty-second studio album, Elton John has released "The Lockdown Sessions", a duets collection that was recorded largely during the pandemic lockdown after the seventy-four year old performer was forced to put the brakes on his final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road. This is an impressive line-up of musicians who have participated on this album; we have John's musical peers like Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and the late Glen Campbell. There are contemporary performers Miley Cyrus, Rina Sawayama, Charlie Puth and Olly Alexander of Years & Years on board. And we have Young Thug, Nicki Minaj and Lil Nas X to bring some hip-hop to the record. "The Lockdown Sessions" features covers and new material with the first single, "Cold Heart", a duet with Dua Lipa and remixed by by the Australian dance music trio, Pnau who combines elements of John's singles "Rocket Man", "Sacrifice" and "Kiss the Bride" on the track.

2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

The musical artists inducted in to this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be Foo Fighters, the Go-Go's, Jay-Z, Carole King, Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner. In order for a performer to be considered, at least twenty-five years must have passed since the musician’s first recordings were released, ensuring that their contribution to music has stood the test of time.

The induction ceremony will be held this year in-person on October 30th at Rocket Mortgage Field-House in Cleveland. The event will air on SiriusXM satelite radio and will be broadcast on HBO and HBO Max at a later date.

FOO FIGHTERS

After the tragic death of front man Kurt Cobain brought an end to the band, Nirvana in 1994, drummer Dave Grohl began a one-man project with him playing every instrument and performing all vocals during the recording of the tracks. He came up with the name "Foo Fighters" from a World War II term for "unidentified flying objects". Signing with Capitol Records, Grohl formed a band in order to go on tour to support the album with him now playing lead guitar and recruiting bassist, Nate Mendel, drummer William Goldsmith and Nirvana touring guitarist, Pat Smear joining as second guitarist. Now an official band, Foo Fighters began work together on a second album, "The Colour and the Shape" but during the recording, Grohl was unhappy with Goldsmith's work, replacing most of his drumming with Grohl's own. Not surprisingly, Goldsmith decided to leave the band with longtime touring drummer, Taylor Hawkins joining to replace him.

While tastes in genres have changed in popular music over the years, Foo Fighters have successfully kept the spirit of grunge-rock alive, recording ten albums with their latest, "Medicine at Midnight" released last February. And even though they also just released a side-project as Dee Gees with "Hail Satin", a five-song collection of their version of disco songs by Bee Gees and Andy Gibb, Foo Fighters are still all about rock & roll.



THE GO-GO'S

While the Go-Go's may be hailed as being the first all-female band who wrote their own material and played their own instruments to top the U.S. Billboard album chart (and it is quite noteworthy), they really should be remembered for being just a great rock band. And while I think it's shameful that it took this long for them to be inducted, I am glad this deserving group is finally part of the Hall. Rising from the L.A. punk scene in the late 1970's, the Go-Go's first came together with vocalist, Belinda Carlisle, guitarist, Jane Wiedlin, bassist, Margot Olavarria and Elissa Bello on drums. Charlotte Caffey joined later playing lead guitar and keyboards and Gina Schock replaced Bello on drums in 1978. After Olavarria had to drop out of the band due to illness (or forced out, depending on who you ask), Kathy Valentine would fill in as bass guitar. It was during this time that the Go-Go's began to move away from punk and shifted to a power pop-rock sound.

A British tour as an opening act for SKA bands, The Specials and Madness helped the Go-Go's gain a cult following and a demo of "We Got The Beat" first started circulating. The Go-Go's signed to I.R.S. Records in 1981 and their debut album, "Beauty and the Beat" topped the U.S. charts for six weeks, selling over two million copies. Their follow-up albums, "Vacation" in 1982 and "Talk Show" in 1984 were well received but certainly did not reach the same heights as their debut. But the pressures of fame, creative differences and an overindulgence in drugs by some members would cause the Go-Go's to disband in 1985. However, time tends to heal all wounds and The Go-Go's first reunited in 1990 for a benefit concert before recording new tracks for a retrospective album in 1994. The band has continued to tour over the years and recorded one more studio album in 2001, "God Bless the Go-Go's". And a documentary film, "The Go-Go's" about the history of the band was released last year, directed by Allison Ellwood.



JAY-Z

Born Shawn Carter in New York City, he became known known professionally as Jay-Z, bringing exciting and influential sounds to rap beginning in the 1990's. Carter had an interest in music at an early age, freestyling and writing lyrics. Known as "Jazzy" in his neighborhood, he would later take on the name, "Jay-Z" in honor of his mentor, Jaz-O, a local rapper in Brooklyn. Jay-Z worked hard trying to make his career in music happen but couldn't get a record deal, even selling homemade CDs out of his car until he formed his own label, Roc-A-Fella Records with Damon Dash and Kareem Burke in 1995.

He released his debut album, "Reasonable Doubt" the following year with the popular record bringing him plenty of attention and critical acclaim. With a new distribution deal in place with Def Jam Records, Jay-Z would release a follow-up in 1997 with "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1." that was produced by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and became another million seller. His next album, "Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life" would become his biggest success with the hit singles, "Can I Get A...", "Nigga What, Nigga Who" and "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (which features the unexpected sample of "Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway musical, "Annie") helping the album sell over five million copies. He has become one of the world's best-selling music artists, selling over 125 million records and has won twenty-three career Grammy Awards. In addition to his remarkable achievement in music, Jay-Z realized that in order to gain even greater success, he should invest his wealth in other ventures. This lead him to creating a business empire that ranges from clothing lines, adult beverages, real estate, sport teams and media tech companies that has impressively made Jay-Z a billionaire.



CAROLE KING

Carole King began her career in music as a songwriter with then husband, Gerry Goffin as they wrote songs together at home following their day jobs. Their first hit was "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (performed by the Shirelles) which reached number one on the U.S pop chart in 1960, allowing the couple to quit those day jobs. The New York-based team (with King composing the music and Goffin writing the lyrics) went on to write dozens of pop hits as one of the staff songwriters at the Brill Building which included "The Loco-Motion", "Up on the Roof", "I'm into Something Good", "One Fine Day", "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". The ending of her marriage to Goffin in 1968 and a move to Los Angeles lead King to begin writing and recording her own songs as an artist.

After being a part of a short-lived rock group and the commercial disappointment of her debut album, "Writer" in 1970, King broke through in a major way with her follow-up, "Tapestry". The album became an instant classic with new songs, "It's Too Late" and "I Feel the Earth Move" and her versions of previous hits she had co-written, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". King would enjoy more success as a recording artist, live performer, film composer and a bit of acting. A musical based on King's life and career, "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" opened on Broadway in 2013 and became a popular hit. Having already been inducted in to the Hall (along with Goffin) as a writer back in 1990, this amazing talent is finally being recognized for her outstanding work as a solo performer.



TODD RUNDGREN

The prolific musician, songwriter and producer, Todd Rundgren developed a great love of music, having been exposed to a wide range from a very early age. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he taught himself how to play the guitar and after he graduated from high school, joined a local blues rock band. But Rundgren left after several months to form his first rock band, Nazz in 1967. The band was signed to Atlantic Records and recorded three albums ("Nazz", "Nazz Nazz" and "Nazz III") with their most notable songs being the Rundgren composed, "Open My Eyes" and "Hello, It's Me" from their debut. But by 1969, Rundgren had outgrown this band, moving towards piano-driven material after being inspired by singer/songwriter, Laura Nyro, and Nazz came to an end.

Rundgren moved to New York, getting involved in the club scene in the village, and met producer, Albert Grossman who offered him a job as a recording engineer. The then-twenty-one year old impressed with his skills and worked his way in to some record production. Rundgren soon wanted to return to performing and recorded his debut solo album, "Runt" in 1970. His first charting song was "I Saw The Light" from his 1972 album, "Something/Anything?", reaching the top-twenty on the U.S. pop chart. But the biggest hit song in his solo career was the follow-up single; a new version of the Nazz tune, "Hello, It's Me" that made it to number five. Rundgren went on to start another band, Utopia in 1973 with the progressive rock group recording nine studio albums with their most high-profile songs included "Love is the Answer" (made popular as a cover by England Dan & John Ford Coley in 1979), "Set Me Free" and "The Very Last Time". In addition to his distinguished career as a musician, Rundgren had become a sought-after producer having worked on albums for Hall & Oates, New York Dolls, Cheap Trick, XTC, The Tubes and Grand Funk Railroad.



TINA TURNER

Previously inducted in 1991 with her former musical partner and husband, Ike Turner, Tina Turner is being honored for her work as a solo artist. Following the end of her well-documented, tumultuous marriage to Ike in 1976, Turner was left heavily in debt and essentially had to start over. She appeared on television shows, played conventions and Vegas to settle what was owed but Turner still had a dream; she wanted to be a rock & roll artist. She struggled with her recording career, releasing a couple of albums on United Artists Records which included a brief foray in to disco that failed to chart, but kept her name out there by touring extensively. In 1979, Roger Davies agreed to manage Turner's career after catching a performance and worked towards making her become seen as a viable musical artist instead of a nostalgia act.

First, she recorded covers of the Temptations' "Ball Of Confusion" and Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" that found great success in Europe. Based on this, Capitol Records decided to sign her, giving her only two weeks to record the album that would become "Private Dancer". The first single, "What's Love Got To Do With It" (a song Turner disliked but was talked in to recording) became her major breakthrough song, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. "Private Dancer" would go on to sell over ten million copies across the globe and win Turner three Grammy Awards including Record of the Year. Turner continued to have great success as a recording artist and performer with many popular tours including her final one in 2009, "Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour". The singer retired from performing at the end of that tour, which was one of the highest-grossing of all time, bringing an extraordinary end to an incredible career.

ADELE: EASY ON ME

After an agonizingly long delay, Adele has finally reemerged with new music. It's understandable that the singer would want to take a break following the massive, global success of her Grammy-Award winning album, "25" but I didn't imagine it would take five years. The British singer first created some buzz last year when she made an appearance on an October episode of "Saturday Night Live" as the host. Yet surprisingly, she was not the musical guest and ultimately had nothing new to promote.

Then last week, Adele dropped a new single, "Easy On Me". This low-key, soulful ballad reteams the singer with Greg Kurstin, the co-writer and producer of "Hello", the low-key, soulful first single from "25". On the surface, this may not feel like much of a stretch and a relatively safe re-entry back in to the pop-music scene yet it's still a powerfully effective, welcome return. The emotionally moving song deals with a plea to her child to be easy on her as she tries to get a handle on their lives together post-divorce.

The music video for "Easy On Me" also has a feeling of continuation with Canadian filmmaker, Xavier Dolan, who was behind the clip for "Hello", returning to direct this new song. Utilizing the same location and black & white cinematography, Adele now is moving out of the house and drives off in a truck, with sheet music papers flying out of its windows.

And with "Easy On Me", Adele has broken the Spotify and Amazon Music single day streaming records. This is the first taste of Adele's fourth studio album which will be titled, "30", a continuation of naming her albums after the age when she begins the recording. The album, due out on November 19th, will examine the changes in the thirty-three year old singer's life; the divorce from her husband, Simon Konecki, motherhood, the challenges of fame, moving in to adulthood and perhaps the dramatic change in her physical appearance. In addition to Kurstin, previous collaborators from "25", Max Martin and Shellback will provide production assistance on the forthcoming album along with some new partners, award-winning, Swedish composer, Ludwig Göransson, Inflo of the British music collective, Sault and Tobias Jesso Jr. There will also be a concert special airing on CBS on November 14th called, "Adele: One Night Only" which will feature an interview of the singer by Oprah Winfrey.