Santa Monica, U.S.A. — The Recording Academy announced its Special Merit Awards recipients on December 12, and this year’s honorees are: Glenn Gould, Charlie Haden, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Carole King, Patti Page, Ravi Shankar and the Temptations as Lifetime Achievement Award recipients; Marilyn & Alan Bergman, Leonard & Phil Chess and Alan Livingston as Trustees Award honorees; and Ikutaro Kakehashi & Dave Smith and Royer Labs as Technical GRAMMY Award recipients.

A special invitation-only ceremony will be held during GRAMMY Week on Saturday, February 9, 2013, and a formal acknowledgment will be made during the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards  telecast, which will be held at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 10, 2013, and broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.

“Each year, The Academy has the distinct privilege of honoring those who have greatly contributed to our industry and cultural heritage, and this year we have a gifted and brilliant group of honorees,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “Their exceptional accomplishments, contributions and artistry will continue to influence and inspire generations to come.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording while the Trustees Award recognizes such contributions in areas other than performance. Both awards are determined by vote of The Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of The Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing Advisory Council and Chapter Committees, as well as The Academy’s Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.

About the Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees 
A prodigy and four-time GRAMMY winner, Glenn Gould became one of the best known and most celebrated classical pianists of his time with a style of playing that was deeply expressive and rhythmically precise. In 1956 he earned international recognition with his first Columbia release, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, but his repertoire went on to include such works by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schoenberg, and Strauss. Gould, who was also a composer, conductor, broadcaster and writer, often offered original, deeply personal and shocking musical interpretations filled with extreme tempos, odd dynamics and finicky phrasing that made him a unique talent.

A three-time GRAMMY winner Charlie Haden is an all-American jazz musician best known for his signature lyrical bass lines and his ability to liberate the bassist from an accompanying role. In addition to his groundbreaking work as an original member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet, he has collaborated with such jazz artists as Chet Baker, Ed Blackwell, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Billy Higgins, Art Pepper, and Archie Shepp. Throughout his five decade career, Haden has revolutionized the harmonic concept of bass playing and has covered such genres as free jazz, Portuguese fado and vintage country.

Lightnin’ Hopkins was a Texas country/blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist whose career spanned more than six decades. He recorded approximately 1,000 songs, including such hits as “T-Model Blues,” “Tim Moore’s Farm” and “Mojo Hand.” Hopkins gained recognition with his intense mournful style and his distinctive fingerstyle playing, earning him a spot on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

Carole King is one of the most significant and talented singer/songwriters in the modern era. King, along with songwriting partner Gerry Goffin, was honored with a Recording Academy Trustees Award in 2004 for having written such prolific hits as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “The Loco-Motion,” “Chains,” and “I’m Into Something Good.” In 1971 King released Tapestry, which included the songs “I Feel The Earth Move,” “It’s Too Late,” and “You’ve Got A Friend.” The album garnered four GRAMMY Awards including Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year, and was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 1998. In 2010, King joined friend and fellow singer/songwriter James Taylor during the successful “Troubadour Reunion” tour.  In 2012, she released her New York Times best-selling autobiography A Natural Woman.

Throughout her seven-decade career, Patti Page has recorded a number of hits, including “(How Much Is That) Doggie In The Window” and “I Went To Your Wedding.” Her unique and smooth vocal style seamlessly blended country and pop music. Page’s version of “Tennessee Waltz” was a best-selling single, and landed her concurrently on the top of the pop, country, and R&B charts. Her Live At Carnegie Hall — The 50th Anniversary Concert album garnered her a GRAMMY in 1998 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance. In 2009, Page published This Is My Song: A Memoir.

As one of the world’s most renowned sitar players, three-time GRAMMY winner Ravi Shankar is a true ambassador for international music. As a performer, composer, teacher and writer, he is considered a pioneer in bringing Indian music to the West. With a performance career spanning more than 80 years, he has influenced a variety of musicians, including the Beatles, John Coltrane, Philip Glass and his daughters, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar. A humanitarian and philanthropist, in 1971 Shankar, along with George Harrison, organized the Concert for Bangladesh, which paved the way for many other fundraising charity concerts.

Recognized for their slick choreography, distinct harmonies and flashy attire, the Temptations are one of the most influential R&B acts in music. A Motown staple, the Temptations pioneered their sound by focusing on songs that reflected social change, politics, love and a strong connection to their audience. In 1968, the group earned a GRAMMY Award for their performance of the hit “Cloud Nine.” Additionally; their hits “My Girl” and “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” have been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, with the latter recording garnering two GRAMMYs in 1972.

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Charlotte, U.S.A. — The Belk Bowl is thrilled to announce Country Music Awards’ 2011 Vocal Group of the Year, Lady Antebellum, will be the featured act at the 2012 Belk Bowl this coming December. The 11th annual Belk Bowl will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 27 at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. and will feature a matchup of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East Conference.

“Bowl games are always a lot of fun whether your favorite team is playing or not,” said Lady Antebellum. “This is going to be our New Year’s Eve pre-party celebration in Charlotte!” The group’s record breaking third disc “Own the Night” debuted at the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top 200 chart in October 2011, becoming the biggest first week debut by a country artist last year.

The album has already produced two No. 1 singles—”Just a Kiss” and “We Owned the Night.” The band has now tallied six No. 1 hits since its debut in 2007. The current single, “Wanted You More”, is now being played on country radio stations and is making its ascent up the charts. The trio’s previous two albums, “Lady Antebellum” and “Need You Now”, have sold more than five million albums across the globe, spawned four No. 1 hits, scored six GRAMMYs and more than a dozen other awards.

The group received five nominations for the 2012 Academy Of Country Music Awards and won the Group of the Year award for the third straight year. Additionally, the group received a 2012 Grammy award for Country Album of the Year. Past wins include Vocal Group of the Year at the 45th Annual CMA Awards, Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group for the 2011 American Music Awards and being one of CMT’s five Artists of the Year for 2011.

“College football season is our favorite time of the year,” said the band members of Lady Antebellum. “When we’re out on tour, we make sure a TV is set up so we can all hang out and watch the Saturday games together.” This year’s FanFest event is free to the public and will begin at 1:00 p.m. with Lady Antebellum scheduled to begin their performance at 4:30 p.m.

Individual tickets for the 2012 Belk Bowl will go on sale in early October and will be available through TicketMaster and the participating schools. Fans can visit the official website, www.BelkBowl.com, for more information about the game and surrounding events.

Image Courtesy of  DFree / Shutterstock.com

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In our everyday lives, we have loved ones that go through many emotional hardships, some of them romantic. A song does little except express the emotions that rages within us as we struggle through our day to day lives. This small collection is about forgiveness and growing strength, not hopelessness and despair.

Kelly Clarkson: Dark Side

Many fans of Kelly Clarkson vocally support “Dark Side” as the single that should have been released on Clarkson’s 2011 Album “Stronger.” Featuring her powerful vocals, the song itself talks about the dark side of someone’s personality and how it affects their relationship. In part, the song talks about showing a loved one a secret that could potentially hurt them while another part asks ‘please accept me for me’.  The true heart of the song asks the other partner to stay, and accept all that they are and build a beautiful life together.

The appeal of the song is universal in the sense that each and every one of us has a dark side to ourselves. The song could be talking about a personal and private disorder, an addiction or an obsession, it does not matter. All it needs to do is ask that question that is universal to every relationship, that is, will you stay here with me despite knowing my secret or will you run away?

SafetySuit: Get Around This

In every relationship, there are mistakes that are made and songs that sing about tackling these obstacles and rising above them. “Get Around This” is the titled single for the 2012 release from SafetySuit. Relatively unknown, this Nashville-based band has the vocal chops to hang with the top artists in the rock genre as they make powerful ballads and rock anthems.

“Get Around This” is a song about mistakes and forgiveness. It’s a song about moving past the events that have damaged a relationship and going back to square one. The rise and fall of the vocal and the instrumental serve to elevate the song as well as provide much needed energy to an otherwise straight forward set of lyrics.

Kelly Rowland: Rose Colored Glasses

“Rose Colored Glasses” was one of two lead singles off of Kelly Rowland’s summer 2011 album “Here I Am.” With nearly six Million hits on her Vevo page, fans are recognizing that the former Destiny’s Child singer still has plenty to offer.

This R&B song with a splash of pop thrown in speaks to relationships and female empowerment. The song starts off talking about the perception of friends and family on the outside looking into a seemingly perfect relationship. The song awakens the memories in all of us about looking at relationships through rose colored glasses.

Whether helping a friend through a tough breakup or trying to heal ourselves, this song makes the listener see that the real face of a relationship is nothing like what we expect. The song makes us realize that sometimes, reality and fantasy collide and those glasses shatter.

Daughtry: Spaceship

For the dreamer and the young at heart in all of us, “Spaceship” by Daughtry is a ballad for the modern man about getting back the girl of his dreams after a break up. Somewhat whimsical with its theme of throwing bottles at the moon and going into outer space and leaving everything behind, this song asks the question ‘won’t you come away with me’ in that Romeo and Juliet sense.

The hopeful and romantic tone of the song is marred by the apparent loneliness of the lyrics. He mentions how it’s his fault for putting thoughts into her head and how he needs a sign from her that she cares.

The ‘let’s run away’ mood of the song coalesces into a hearty guitar solo that is so authentically rock that hearts will soar and air guitars are sure to break out. With great energy this song is great for road trips or just a walk in the park. The rest of the “Break the Spell” album is similarly full of powerful songs that are sure to please fans of any romantic sentiment.

David Guetta ft Sia: Titanium

By now fans will know that despite not singing one word in any of his music, David Guetta is a bona fide superstar. “Titanium” features the same head-nodding beats that Guetta is known for with the unmistakable voice of Sia, who was also recently featured on Flo Rida’s song “Wild Ones.”

With every major artist from Jessie J to Chris Brown on this album, it’s no wonder his summer 2011 album “Nothing But the Beat” was nominated for a Grammy Award. The song echoes that of the childhood theme ‘sticks and stones’ and matures it into words where verbal bullets that hit but cause no pain.

Strength is the message in this song as the beat charges forward with lyrics that continue to send encouragement to the listener. This song over all should appeal to those that are having a tough time with love. In a similar vein to ‘I am woman hear me roar’, ‘shoot me down I am titanium’ is an ‘I dare you’ to the world that has hurt us all.

Image Courtesy of   John Steel / Shutterstock.com

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Cast members from The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil performed live at the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center. All 60 dancers and acrobats from Love performed to a specially edited track by Producer Giles Martin, featuring songs from the two-time Grammy Award-winning Love album.

Iconic artist and philanthropist Paul McCartney was honored as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year at this special event celebrating his exceptional artistic achievements as well as his philanthropic work. The sold-out tribute to McCartney benefits MusiCares’ emergency financial assistance and addiction recovery programs.

Proceeds from the annual Person of the Year tribute — now in its 22nd year — provide essential support for MusiCares, which ensures that members of the music community have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need.

Additional performances included multi-Grammy winning artists and current Grammy nominees Tony Bennett, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, and Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas; Grammy winning artist Duane Eddy; multi-Grammy winning artists Norah Jones, Alicia Keys and James Taylor; two-time Grammy winning artists Diana Krall and Neil Young with Crazy Horse; two-time Latin Grammy winning artist Sergio Mendes; and current Grammy nominee Katy Perry.

The evening also featured a special performance by 14-time Grammy winning artist and 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year Paul McCartney. Love, a Cirque du Soleil creation and co-production with Apple Corps Ltd., celebrates the musical legacy of The Beatles and is presented exclusively at The Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

This joint artistic venture marks the first time that The Beatles company, Apple Corps, has agreed to a major theatrical partnership. The project was born out of a personal friendship and mutual admiration between the late George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte.

Since its June 2006 premiere, Love has performed over 2,000 shows for more than 4.3 million people. Recently named “Best Show in Las Vegas” by USA Today, Love has been voted “Best Show in Las Vegas” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal for four consecutive years and continues to be a celebrity favorite.

In February 2011, The Beatles’ Grammy Award-winning Love album and ‘All Together Now’ documentary made their digital debuts, exclusively on iTunes.

Image Courtesy of Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com

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A match offer from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation proved to be the motivating factor in nearly $1 million in personal financial contributions – from more than 8,000 donors across the country – and helped to provide more than 26 million meals this holiday season through Feeding America’s “Give A Meal” campaign.

The campaign was launched this past holiday season and proved to be an overwhelming success. The program was a collective effort to fight the pressing issue of hunger in large and small communities through combined personal donations via Feeding America and Bank of America websites.

As the campaign’s signature partner, Bank of America, through its Gift for Opportunity fund, contributed $2 for every $1 donated via feedingamerica.org/BankofAmerica or bankofamerica.com/give.  Combined with Bank of America’s initial $1 million donation to Feeding America at the outset of the campaign, the successful outcome is a final donation of $2.5 million towards hunger-relief in the United States.

At a time when many individuals and families are struggling to put food on the table, the opportunity for donors to contribute funds locally to food banks, and extend this support through the company’s matching donation, helped motivate and increase donations to the fight against hunger.

Jennifer Mason, who owns the Best Ink Store in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has given to her local food bank (the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia) in the past, but when she saw the chance to more than double her donation; she immediately jumped on the opportunity.

“The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia serves one in four people in our community who do not know where their next meal is coming from.  As a supporter of the food bank, I wanted to leverage my gift of $5,000 and activate Bank of America’s matching donation to generate more revenue to the food bank in support of their programs to feed the hungry,” she said.

Similar stories of motivated donors were heard from across Feeding America’s network of more than 200 member food banks nationwide.

“With one in nine residents in eastern Massachusetts now at risk of hunger, we are grateful to Bank of America’s efforts to help The Greater Boston Food Bank end hunger in our community,” said Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO, The Greater Boston Food Bank. “Their support not only helped to raise additional funds, but also helped to raise more awareness around the critical issue of hunger in America. With their help, we can end hunger here.”

Bank of America’s support of the “Give A Meal” campaign stems from its longstanding commitment to serve pressing needs in the communities it serves.  “Give A Meal” provided an opportunity to engage individuals – on a local level –to help fight hunger in the United States.

“We are thrilled with the response to the Gift for Opportunity fund, and more importantly we are pleased that a significant number of families in need will have access to meals thanks to the generous contributions of individuals across the country,” said Kerry Sullivan, president of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. “With nearly 49 million people in America struggling with hunger, we continue to look for meaningful ways to be part of the solution to help those at risk of hunger and other critical needs.”

Along with Bank of America, a number of other corporate partners, such as Dillard’s, HMSHost, Honey Baked Ham, and Winn-Dixie teamed up with Feeding America for the initiative.

Emmy Award winning talk show host Rachael Ray, celebrity Chef Mario Batali, host of ABC’s The Chew, Australian chef and television star Curtis Stone, rock sensations Benji and Joel Madden, Entertainment Tonight correspondent Samantha Harris, Grammy Award winning singer Monica, Food Network star Ellie Krieger, chef and TV host Sara Gore, TV food critic and host Katie Lee, Extra Virgin husband and wife hosts actress Debi Mazar and chef Gabriele Corcos, and the platinum selling band OneRepublic also lent their name to the effort.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica

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Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) on February 07, 2012 announced the signing of Nathan Chapman to an exclusive, worldwide publishing agreement.

Two-time Grammy award-winning songwriter/producer Nathan Chapman is widely known for his production work with Taylor Swift. Chapman credits his love of songwriting and songwriters as the key ingredient that drives his production and songwriting, resulting in over 30 major label cuts.

“We are incredibly excited to have such a special songwriting talent as Nathan join our Universal Music Publishing family,” said Evan Lamberg, President, Universal Music Publishing Group, North America, “With Kent Earls now leading UMPG Nashville and great creative executives such as Ron Stuve signing Nathan, we look forward to partnering with him in all of his creative and songwriter endeavors.”

“We are honored and excited Nathan has entrusted this UMPG team to further his already illustrious career,” said Kent Earls, Executive Vice President/General Manager, Universal Music Publishing Group, Nashville. “Nathan’s musical knowledge, immense talent and impressive work ethic make him a tremendous asset not only for Nashville but all of Universal Music Publishing.”

Chapman produced three, multi-platinum albums with Taylor Swift – her self-titled debut, Fearless, and Speak Now. Chapman holds two Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year along with CMA and ACM Album of the Year awards (Fearless).

Fearless also spent several weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and Country Albums charts. Chapman has been working with Swift since her debut single “Tim McGraw,” which hit Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and has continued to produce her chart-topping songs such as “Our Song,” “White Horse,” “You Belong With Me,” “Mean,” “Back To December” and “Love Story,” to name a few.

Chapman also produced The Band Perry’s single, “All Your Life,” which is currently No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Chapman is producing two songs on the upcoming Lionel Richie album, Tuskegee, dropping on March 27th which features Shania Twain on “Endless Love” and Jennifer Nettles on “Hello.” Chapman also recently worked with Lauren Alaina on her first single “Like My Mother Does.” Other artists he has worked with include, Colbie Caillat, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, and Jewel.

Nathan Chapman joins UMPG Nashville’s prolific staff of current songwriters, who deliver hits for today’s country music elite - Keith Urban , Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood , Kenny Chesney , Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill to name a few. Artists of all genres seek to work with this versatile staff.

The UMPG Nashville catalog spans the entire chasm of the musical landscape: the 1940′s Folk/Blues of the Delmore Brothers; the 1950′s and 1960′s classics of Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly; through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s with Don Williams, Waylon Jennings, The Judds, Alabama and George Strait.

It also includes country classics from Webb Pierce, Brenda Lee, Mel Tillis, Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill and Shania Twain. UMPG Nashville owns and administers many prominent catalogs including Bob McDill, Rivers Rutherford, Gary Burr, Pat Alger, Kent Robbins, Dickey Lee, Kostas, Troy Verges, Luke Laird, Marijohn Wilkin, John D. Loudermilk, Stephanie Bentley, David Lee, Craig Wiseman, Keith Urban and more.

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