GRAMMYs on the Hill….

Hollywood

by Brendan Kownacki | on April 19th, 2015 |

HollywoodOn Productions: Janet Donovan & Berndan Kownacki
Photo Credit: Brendan Kownacki

It’s the kind of night that makes you want to burst into song, and some did exactly that at the annual GRAMMYs on the Hill celebration this past week in the Nation’s Capital. This year’s ceremony was bursting with surprises, good cheer and of course great music as 15 time GRAMMY winner Alicia Keys was presented with The Recording Academy’s Recording Artists’ Coalition Award.

Recording Academy President Neil Portnow, Alicia Keys and First Lady Michelle Obama

Alicia is a beacon in the music industry with a powerful sound and a career that would be hard to match for any. Hits like Girl on Fire, Fallin and Empire State of Mind have driven her up the music charts and earned her hundreds of major music awards including her 15 GRAMMYs. Her voice is often compared with other powerhouse vocalists like Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, too big to replicate for amateurs on singing shows, and it shows what a presence she has become in music.

Alicia Keys

So for such a luminary, it couldn’t be just any group of people on-hand to present her with this honor–this occasion got the attention of the best of the best, including First Lady Michelle Obama who joined in the ceremony to present Keys her award. “Let me be clear. Alicia doesn’t do the ‘just attend a fancy gala once a year kind of work,’ or the ‘just write a check and be done with it’ kind of work” noted the First Lady about Alicia’s drive and spirit to use her fame and music for good. She noted that Alicia was an ‘on the ground’ type of participant when it came to joining any cause. This sentiment was echoed by Record Academy President Neil Portnow who explained that Keys heard about GRAMMYs on the Hill and asked how she could get involved and then followed up on the request to really understand the issues facing music in the regulatory arena.

Ledisi

Celebrating Alicia called for booming voices like Angela Hunte and Ledisi who each toasted the singer as they performed one of her songs. Keys even joined in on the performance to sing the second verse of her own “Empire State of Mind” and got the house cheering along with every note she belted out.

Angela Hunte

Five time GRAMMY Nominee Hunter Hayes served as the Emcee for the evening and helped to keep pace in a room much different than his average–there weren’t quite the throngs of teenage girls screaming his name from the front row in this room, trade those in for advocates and a few dozen members of Congress, but he held his own position admirably. “I’m really excited to be here, this is special. I like hosting things, but this is beyond just hosting something” quipped Hayes to Hollywood on the Potomac. He said that as a music creator, it was a powerful image to see so many dedicated figures on hand in the name of music.

Hunter Hayes

The room reflected the Washington attitude though, always thrilled to see Hollywood talent but ready to support some of our own–this GRAMMYs on the Hill Award was presented to House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte and Rep. Jerrold Nadler and their were plenty of colleagues on hand to cheer them on. Nadler was excited about recently introducing a bill that would require fair pay to artists for all music plays, including those on radio, which would be a major shift for the industry but reflects what many think is the most accurate compensation structure needed for artists and songwriters. Nadler was ready to defend his proposal that royalties are income or a paycheck to artists and not a tax as some have described it. He even cited that Grover Norquist (right wing leaning head of Americans for Tax Reform) that this is fair and not a tax, “and to judge my devotion to this bill, imagine me accepting a testimonial from Grover Norquist.” Nadler is a firm democrat, further proving that protection of music needs to be a non-partisan issue.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler

House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte and 2015 Honoree

The evening also included a montage performance set from studio musicians who presented the importance of the background players on records that you may know their work but never know who they are. Imagine your favorite songs without the pivotal piano riff or saxophone solo and you’ll get an idea of just how many people contribute to a given song. The highlight may have been though when rock group American Authors brought dozens of Congressmen to the stage though to perform as their background players. Steny Hoyer on the maracas, Kevin McCarthy tapping a woodblock and many other members just clapping around got the whole room in the mood for music.