Recording Arts Sciences

Grammy officials who have worked hard in recent years to improve the organization's rock credibility may experience a sinking feeling as they watch the taping of the "Grammy Living Legends" television show tonight at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The two-hour program, which will air Friday at 9 p.m. on CBS-TV, was designed to honor artists "who have shaped and advanced music, influenced society and are still at the height of their careers." The problem? No rock artists are being honored, yet two performers from the world of Broadway show music--Liza Minnelli and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber--are being toasted.

Harvey Geller, 86, a lyricist and former vice president and West Coast editor of Cash Box magazine, died March 12 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills after a brief illness, said his daughter, Alix. During a music career that he began as a song plugger in New York City in the mid-1950s, Geller also worked as a columnist, feature writer, reviewer and sales executive for Billboard magazine and Daily Variety. He served for many years on various selection committees of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

Well, it looks as if the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences has done it again--another embarrassment at the Grammys. The academy voters have bestowed the honor of 1991's song of the year to "Unforgettable," a song written in 1951. Granted, the song is regarded as a timeless classic, and Natalie Cole's performance is wonderful, but can the song itself be called 1991's greatest achievement in songwriting? In each of other Grammy categories, nominees are restricted to music made commercially available for the first time during the eligibility period for that year.

What is the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences thinking (Pop Eye, Nov. 29)? Including veteran recording artists in this season's list of nominees up for the best new artist Grammy? No offense to Lucinda Williams and Massive Attack, but new artists they are not. When NARAS first changed the rules in this category, at least some progress was made in nominating critically acclaimed artists over lesser acclaimed or novelty acts. This new rule is a slap in the face to artists who've released their debut recordings during the Grammy eligibility period--which I believe defines the category best new artist.

Harvey Geller, 86, a lyricist and former vice president and West Coast editor of Cash Box magazine, died March 12 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills after a brief illness, said his daughter, Alix. During a music career that he began as a song plugger in New York City in the mid-1950s, Geller also worked as a columnist, feature writer, reviewer and sales executive for Billboard magazine and Daily Variety. He served for many years on various selection committees of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

What is the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences thinking (Pop Eye, Nov. 29)? Including veteran recording artists in this season's list of nominees up for the best new artist Grammy? No offense to Lucinda Williams and Massive Attack, but new artists they are not. When NARAS first changed the rules in this category, at least some progress was made in nominating critically acclaimed artists over lesser acclaimed or novelty acts. This new rule is a slap in the face to artists who've released their debut recordings during the Grammy eligibility period--which I believe defines the category best new artist.

Hooray for Jack Jones for echoing the sentiments of artists such as myself, and I'm sure, countless others ("Grammy Voting Changes Are Just a Form of Ageism," Calendar, March 11). I was never fortunate enough to win a Grammy, but I have been nominated three times in the jazz category, and sat on the board of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences various times, starting in 1978 through the 1980s. I remember being sadly disappointed when the organization decided to abandon the separate vocal categories of best jazz female, best jazz male and best vocal or duo, and just have one to include all of the above.

When the phone rings in the Chatoff kitchen, it could be a credit-card pitch--or it could be a well-known actress with emotional problems less well-known to her fans. "Trust the process," Steven Chatoff counsels in a firm, soothing voice. "Trust it." Translation: Take your medication. The problem right now isn't the business. The problem is you. From his Thousand Oaks home, Chatoff routinely delivers such messages to entertainment figures--particularly rock musicians--on both coasts.

In 10 years, C. Michael Greene has transformed the Grammy Awards from a minor industry ritual into the global television event airing Wednesday night before an audience of 1.5 billion. Along the way, the 49-year-old Greene, chief executive of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, has transformed himself into one of the most powerful and controversial figures in the music industry. Once a struggling Atlanta saxophonist, Greene now lives in a $1.

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences may have honored such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, but Grammy watchers can't forget these milestones.

Hooray for Jack Jones for echoing the sentiments of artists such as myself, and I'm sure, countless others ("Grammy Voting Changes Are Just a Form of Ageism," Calendar, March 11). I was never fortunate enough to win a Grammy, but I have been nominated three times in the jazz category, and sat on the board of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences various times, starting in 1978 through the 1980s. I remember being sadly disappointed when the organization decided to abandon the separate vocal categories of best jazz female, best jazz male and best vocal or duo, and just have one to include all of the above.

Well, it looks as if the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences has done it again--another embarrassment at the Grammys. The academy voters have bestowed the honor of 1991's song of the year to "Unforgettable," a song written in 1951. Granted, the song is regarded as a timeless classic, and Natalie Cole's performance is wonderful, but can the song itself be called 1991's greatest achievement in songwriting? In each of other Grammy categories, nominees are restricted to music made commercially available for the first time during the eligibility period for that year.

Grammy officials who have worked hard in recent years to improve the organization's rock credibility may experience a sinking feeling as they watch the taping of the "Grammy Living Legends" television show tonight at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The two-hour program, which will air Friday at 9 p.m. on CBS-TV, was designed to honor artists "who have shaped and advanced music, influenced society and are still at the height of their careers." The problem? No rock artists are being honored, yet two performers from the world of Broadway show music--Liza Minnelli and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber--are being toasted.

Musical memories aren't the only way to relive the almost four-decade history of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. These photos are typical of the hundreds kept on file in the academy's Santa Monica headquarters.

Mark the Calendar: Feb. 25, 1992, is the date set for the 34th annual Grammy Awards telecast, it was announced Wednesday by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Inc. The broadcast on CBS will air live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.