The Recording Academy has announced 14 new entries into the Grammy Hall of Fame. This collection provides an extraordinary syllabus for anyone interested in learning about the history of music over the past century, as well as the technological advancements that have allowed music to spread across the planet.
The Grammy Hall of Fame was established in 1973 to recognize recordings of significant artistic and historical value. The collection now contains 100s of singles and albums ranging from the Beatles’ Abbey Road to Fela Kuti & Africa ‘70’s Zombie.
From an undated Phonautograph recording of “Au clair de la lune,” thought to come from the early 1860s, to Santana’s 1999 album Supernatural, the GHOF includes music from virtually every genre. The only criterion beyond that loosely defined “significance” is that the recording be at least 25 years old.
So what was selected for inclusion this year?
New entries in the Grammy Hall of Fame
The first inductees into the GHOF were announced in 1974. There were five singles. The earliest was the Paul Whiteman Orchestra’s recording of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” from 1927. Oscar Levant's 1945 version of the same composition would be recognized in 1990.
Coleman Hawkins’ “Body and Soul,” Nat “King” Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” and Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” were also honored. Cole and Crosby would put several more songs into the Hall over the years, but they couldn’t touch a champion of them all.
The fifth inaugural inductee was a 1928 recording of “West End Blues” by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five. Armstrong – in various incarnations as bandleader, soloist, and feature guest performer – would show up amongst honorees a staggering 18 more times.
There was no official Louis Armstrong entry this year (more on that in a moment), but jazz was represented with Alice Coltrane’s 1971 album Journey in Satchidananda. It was one of nine new albums added to the Hall.
They range from the wildly successful pop of Janet Jackson’s multi-platinum Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) to the austere cult classic by Nick Drake, Pink Moon (1972), released just a few years before his death at the age of 26.
George Clinton’s iconic funk album Maggot Brain (1971) is now in the Hall. It was credited to the more political side of Clinton’s early explorations, Funkadelic, and features the crucial single “You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks.”
Heart’s platinum debut album Dreamboat Annie (1975), which launched the career of one of the most successful female-led rock bands of all time, is in. So are a couple of other groundbreaking works from female artists like Selena, whose 1994 album Amor Prohibito expanded the scope of traditional Tejano music and stands as a vital step in the evolution of Latin and World music in the USA.
Lucinda Williams’ breakout album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is simply elite-level, kick-ass country rock. Williams had been around for a while by the time it came out in 1998, but CWGR opened the door on an outstanding career that continues to this day.
The final two albums may be most beloved by music fans who came of age after rock & roll’s classic era. Radiohead’s third album, OK Computer, was released in 1997 and stood as a direct response to the Britpop and grunge that was already growing moldy on either side of the Atlantic.
It wasn’t for everyone, but much like The Velvet Underground & Nico (inducted into the GHOF in 2008), OK Computer’s influence on modern music vastly exceeded its initial record sales.
Finally, Hip Hop is recognized with two entries. One is the legendary album All Eyez on Me, released by Tupac Shakur (as 2Pac) less than a year before his death. The single “Paid in Full,” by Eric B. & Rakim from their 1987 album of the same name, is also honored, giving Hip Hop the only genre with multiple selections this year.
Four other early singles – Ella Jenkins’ 1966 children’s recording “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song,” The Rouse Brothers original version of the bluegrass standard “Orange Blossom Special (1939), the Soul Stirrers' (featuring Sam Cooke) 1950 gospel song "Jesus Gave Me Water," and Chippie Hill’s “Trouble in Mind” – round out the selections.
Hill, a pioneer of American blues, released her classic single “Trouble in Mind” in 1926, when she was 21 years old. One of the musicians backing her on the recording was Louis Armstrong on cornet.
Give a listen to any or all of this year’s inductees. It will be well worth the time.