In 1958, a group of record executives, alarmed by the explosive success of rock ‘n’ roll – and the threat rock posed to “quality” pop – launched the Grammy Awards. Their aim: to cultivate a higher standard of popular taste. From the start, the Grammys have been at odds with and often scornful of not only rock but every other wave of rebellious, street-bred music, from R&B to Woodstock, new wave, and rap.
Conservative Grammy voting has led to a long list of follies. Many, if not most, of the best recordings in the first forty years of Grammy history failed [more...]

Long before Prince became the artist known by a symbol, English poets signed their work with a symbol. In fact, only two Old English poets are known by name, Cynewulf and Caedmon.
Old English differed greatly from the English of today, it basically resembled modern German. In the 7th Century, an unlearned cowherd, Caedmon wrote some of the first English poems, of which only 9 lines survived. The second known poet Cynewulf, of the 8th century, also signed his work with a symbol. Cynewulf used a kind of cypher, or anagram, made up of ancient figures called runes, an alphabet used [more...]

The Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” does not stand for “LSD.” The title actually comes from John Lennon’s son Julian, who left his mark on more than one Beatles song. His drawing of a nursery school classmate, Lucy O’Donnell caught his father’s eye. When asked what it was called, Julian replied, “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.”
When John Lennon divorced Julian’s mother Cynthia, Paul McCartney composed a little song to cheer the boy up. Eventually the song Hey Jules evolved into Hey Jude.
Prior to being named “The Beatles” the band had several names. In the late 1950s, [more...]

Clint Eastwood, better known as a cowboy and “Dirty Harry,” also is a musician. In 1961, he cut a single called “Unknown Girl.” Two more singles followed in the next three years and the release of an LP titled “Rawhide’s Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites,” from the 60s TV series that brought him fame.
Eastwood also demonstrated his singing abilities in the musical picture Paint Your Wagon, and had a hit with “Burning Bridges,” the soundtrack to Kelly’s Heroes. He sang in several duets on his movie soundtracks, including “Barroom Buddies” with Merle Haggard, and on “Beers to you” with Ray [more...]

When Britney Spears performed Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” for executives from Jive Records, she was signed on the spot. But her road to becoming one of music’s biggest marketing machines wasn’t a lucky break.
Tiger Woods started playing golf as a toddler. Shirley Temple was just 6 years old when she won an Oscar. By the time McCauly Culkin reached 12 he had earned $8 million. Ricky Martin was member of boy band Menudo – they replace members when they turn 16. Like these stars, from a very young age Britney, with the support of her mother Lynne, worked long [more...]