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James Taylor Biography

 When people use the term “singer/songwriter” (often modified by the word “sensitive”) in praise or in criticism, they’re thinking of James Taylor. In the early ’70s, when he appeared with his introspective songs, acoustic guitar, and calm, understated singing style, he mirrored a generation’s emotional exhaustion after tumultuous times. Just as Bing Crosby’s reassuring voice brought the country out of the Depression and through World War II, Taylor’s eased the transition from ’60s activism and its attendant frustrations into the less political, more inward-looking ’70s. He was rewarded with a series of hit albums and singles (surprisingly, many of the latter were covers of old songs rather than his own compositions), and he managed to survive his initial fame to achieve lasting popularity. He continued to tour successfully for decades, and, starting with his 1970 breakthrough Sweet Baby James, all but one of his regular album releases for the rest of the century went gold or platinum, while his 1976 Greatest Hits album achieved a diamond certification reflecting sales of more than ten million copies.

Taylor was the son of Dr. Isaac and Gertrude Taylor. His three brothers Alex (1947-1993), Livingston, and Hugh - and his sister Kate - all became musicians and recorded albums of their own. In 1951, Dr. Taylor was appointed dean of the medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the family moved from New England to the South. Taylor studied cello as a child, but first took up the guitar in 1960. In 1963, he began attending Milton Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts. That summer, he met fellow guitarist Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar while staying on Martha’ s Vineyard, and the two formed a folk duo. Taylor dropped out of school at 16 and formed a band with his brother Alex. Having moved to New York, he suffered from depression and checked himself into McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Massachusetts, a stay that would inspire some of his early songs. While there, he earned a high school diploma. Upon release, he returned to New York in 1966 and formed a new group, the Flying Machine, with Kortchmar and Joel O’Brien. The band played in Greenwich Village and was signed to a fledgling record label, Rainy Day Records (the name taken from Taylor’ s song “Rainy Day Man”). It released one single, “Brighten Your Night with My Day” / “Night Owl,” both songs written by Taylor. The record was unsuccessful, and the band broke up in the spring of 1967.

By 1968, Taylor had become addicted to heroin. In an attempt to overcome his addiction, he moved to London, where he submitted a demo tape to Peter Asher, former member of Peter and Gordon, then working for the Beatles’ Apple Records label. As a result, Taylor was signed to Apple and recorded his debut solo album, James Taylor, released in the U.K. in December 1968 and in the U.S. in February 1969. Initially, it received little attention. A more pressing concern, however, was that Taylor had not been able to kick heroin. As a result, he returned to the U.S. and checked into the Austin Riggs Hospital in Massachusetts. By July 1969, he had recovered sufficiently to make his solo debut at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles, but soon after he was in a motorcycle accident and broke both of his hands, which put him out of commission for several months.

Freed of his Apple Records contract, Taylor signed to Warner Bros. Records, moved to California, and, retaining Asher as his manager and producer, recorded his second album, Sweet Baby James. It was released in February 1970 and became a major success during the course of the year, spurred by the single “Fire and Rain,” a song that reflected on his experiences in mental institutions, which peaked in the top five in October, the same month that Sweet Baby James achieved the same status on the LP charts. With that, interest in Taylor’s first album was re-stimulated, and it belatedly reached the charts along with the single “Carolina on My Mind,” as did James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine - 1967, a short collection of unfinished recordings made by his ’60s band. Sweet Baby James then spawned a second hit single, “Country Road,” which peaked in the Top 40 in March 1971. The same month, Taylor appeared on the cover of Time magazine, touted as the founder and leading proponent of the “singer/songwriter” trend in popular music.

Meanwhile, Taylor had acted in a feature film, Two-Lane Blacktop, co-starring with the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson. It was not successful, and Taylor never pursued an acting career, though it has been well-reviewed subsequently. Taylor also worked on a new album, returning to record stores in April 1971 with Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. As he toured the U.S., the LP spent the summer in the Top Ten, eventually peaking just below the top of the charts, paced by its first single, “You’ve Got a Friend,” written by Carole King, which hit number one in July and went gold. A second single, “Long Ago and Far Away,” reached the Top 40, and the album eventually sold more than two million copies. On March 14, 1972, Taylor won the 1971 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for “You’ve Got a Friend.”

Taylor took what was then considered a long time - more than a year and a half - to come up with his next album, One Man Dog, released in November 1972. On November 3, 1972, during an appearance at Radio City Music Hall in New York, he announced to the crowd that he had married singer/songwriter Carly Simon earlier in the day. Simon was already well known for the hits “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” and “Anticipation,” and would soon top the charts with “You’re So Vain.” One Man Dog marked a fall-off in Taylor’s record sales, though it went gold, reached the top five, and spawned a top 20 single in “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight.”

Taylor was next heard from in January 1974, when he sang a duet with his wife of “Mockingbird,” a cover of the 1963 hit by Inez and Charlie Foxx, on her Hot Cakes album. Released as a single, the recording reached the Top Five and went gold. That spring, Taylor launched a major tour in anticipation of his next album, Walking Man, released in June. Though it reached the Top 20, the album was a commercial disappointment, failing to go gold or produce a chart single. But Taylor bounced back the following year with the May release of Gorilla. Again, he succeeded by reviving an old hit, this time Marvin Gaye’s 1964 song “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),” which reached the Top Five, helping the album become a Top Ten, gold-selling hit.

In the Pocket, Taylor’s seventh album, was his third annual warm-weather release, appearing in June 1976. Its single was the singer’s own “Shower the People,” which reached the Top 40, while the album made the Top 20 and went gold. Nearing the end of his Warner Bros. contract, Taylor re-recorded a couple of his Apple songs for his Greatest Hits LP, released in November. It became a perennial seller. With that, in a major coup, he was signed by Columbia Records. His debut for the label, JT, was released in June 1977. Once again, a revival spurred its sales, as Taylor covered Jimmy James’ 1959 song “Handy Man” and took it into the top five, followed by a top 20 showing for his own “Your Smiling Face.” With such stimulation, JT reached the top five and sold over two million copies. On February 23, 1978, Taylor picked up a second Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, for “Handy Man.”

Along with Paul Simon, Taylor was a featured singer on Art Garfunkel’s cover of “(What A) Wonderful World,” previously a hit for Sam Cooke and Herman’s Hermits, which peaked in the Top 20 in March 1978. Taylor next became involved with the Broadway musical Working, based on Studs Terkel’s bestseller, writing three songs for it. The show ran a scant 25 performances after opening on May 14, 1978, but Taylor reclaimed “Millworker” and “Brother Trucker” for his next album. Meanwhile, his duet with Carly Simon on a revival of the Everly Brothers’ “Devoted to You” peaked in the Top 40 in September.

Flag, marking a nearly two-year break between albums, appeared in April 1979, its Top 40 hit single being a revival of the 1963 Drifters hit “Up on the Roof.” Despite the lack of a really big hit single, the LP reached the Top Ten and went platinum. That September, Taylor performed at Madison Square Garden in the No Nukes concerts, later being featured in the No Nukes triple-LP and in the No Nukes concert film.

Taylor embarked on a national tour in the summer of 1980, despite not having a current album to promote. From here on, recurrent touring became a regular part of his career and contributed to his longevity as an artist. That fall, he appeared on the children’s album In Harmony 2, singing “Jelly Man Kelly.” The album won the 1981 Grammy for Best Recording for Children. He toured extensively during 1981, releasing Dad Loves His Work in February. The album reached the Top Ten and went gold, spurred by the Top Ten success of the single “Her Town Too,” written by Taylor, J.D. Souther, and Waddy Wachtel, Taylor’s most successful original composition since “Fire and Rain.”

Taylor continued to tour frequently in the early 1980s, a period when his marriage to Carly Simon came to an end (they were divorced in 1983). Often, his performances took place overseas. In January 1985, he performed at the Rock in Rio concert in Brazil, a show that resulted in the Brazil-only release Live in Rio. His next studio album, following a gap of more than four years, was That’s Why I’m Here, released in October 1985. As usual, his record label issued a cover song as the single; in this case it was Buddy Holly’s “Everyday,” which didn’t get very far up the charts. Nevertheless, Taylor’s long career and constant touring had brought him a permanent audience ready to buy his records, and the album eventually went platinum. On December 14, 1985, he married for the second time, to Kathryn Walker; a month later, he was on tour in Australia.

Road work continued to be Taylor’s primary occupation in the mid-’80s, but he came off tour long enough to finish another album, Never Die Young, only a little more than two years after That’s Why I’m Here, released in January 1988. The title song, issued as a single, barely reached the charts, but Never Die Young was another million-seller. The late ’80s and early ’90s saw more extensive, worldwide touring. New Moon Shine, Taylor’s 13th regular album release, came in October 1991, the same month that he sold out six consecutive shows at the Paramount Theater in New York; the disc stayed in the charts nearly a year and sold a million copies.

Despite his consistent draw as a concert attraction, Taylor had never released a live album in the U.S. until the August 1993 appearance of (Live), a two-CD set that went platinum within months. Columbia Records, which had never had a Taylor compilation to promote, trimmed the album down to a single disc of hits for the 1994 release Best (Live). Taylor was divorced from his second wife in 1996. His next album, Hourglass, released in May 1997, demonstrated his continuing appeal by entering the charts in the Top Ten. On February 25, 1998, it won the 1997 Grammy for Best Pop Album. In October the same year, Columbia issued the DVD Live at the Beacon Theater while Billboard magazine was honoring Taylor with their highest accolade, the Century Award.

By 2000, Taylor’s first Greatest Hits collection had sold over 10 million copies, earning him the RIAA’s Diamond Award. Taylor was also inducted into both the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2000 and at the end of the year, Columbia issued Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, covering the years 1977-1997. Fans who had waited five years for new material were awarded with October Road in 2002, an album earned two Grammy nominations and eventually went platinum. A year later, The Best of James Taylor became the first compilation to cover material from his years with Apple, Warner Bros., and Columbia. In 2004, he appeared on the television show The West Wing, released a Christmas Record and sang the national anthem before game two of the World Series.

Tags: jazz, rock, jive, billy joel, jazz music, grammys, instruments, diva

Concert Review: George Clinton and his funky Mothership rock the Senator Theatre

The Mothership landed in Chico Saturday night, as George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic brought the funk to the Senator Theatre, courtesy of J-Max Productions.

Gone is the actual space ship stage set from the late 1970s, but the controlled chaos and many of the musicians remain, including lead guitarists Blackbyrd McKnight and Michael “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton, bassist Lige Curry, and the still diaper-clad Garry Shider, one of the most lasting images from the band’s heyday.

Clinton, the 67-year-old granddaddy of Funk, began his career in the late ’50s singing doo-wop. Since then and he has been at the cutting edge of changing musical styles, gliding through trends from Motown to acid rock and hip-hop.

Parliament Funkadelic, his musical collective since the 1970s, is one of the most sampled bands in music history, while Clinton stands as a major influence for Prince, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and countless others. Live shows are often three-hour spectacles: “Ain’t No Party Like a P-Funk Party, cause a P-Funk Party Don’t Stop.”

The Senator audience was certainly ready for the party. Some youngsters in the 21-and-over crowd were decked out in gaudy fake fur and their best Halloween pimp attire. Overall, though, the show attracted a nice demographic mix, all with one thing in common: funk.

To the chant of “We want the funk,” the number of people on stage steadily grew as the band worked through “Funkentelechy” and “Cosmic Slop.” Shider, Clinton’s longtime right-hand man, helped orchestrate the stage and kept the crowd going by occasionally commanding “Somebody say hell yeah,” and “Somebody scream,” which were dutifully obeyed.

When the grand master of funk first made his way to the front of the congested stage to greet the cheering multitude, he brought the band with him, step by step, up to its very edge, simultaneously pulling the throbbing audience closer and closer, while all shared the universal two-fingered rock and roll salute.

Then, to the brief strains of Prince’s “1999,” the audience was told to get ready to “Party like its 1979!” With that Clinton became ring master, leading the band through “Up for the Downstroke” and “Get Down Like James Brown.”

The ever-changing cast was incredibly tight, knowing when and where to step in, and rocked as hard as Metallica with sometimes six guitarists. At its height, no fewer than 19 musicians, singers and dancers were on stage, but everyone was given the chance to shine.

Kendra Foster took the lead on “Bounce 2 This,” before the band broke down into a rocking power trio for a nice bluesy jam. Clinton and the rest of the group soon returned to the stage for “Flashlight,” “Something Stank and I want Sum” and “Atomic Dog” before the Mothership took off again. One got the feeling, though, that the P-Funk party could have gone on all night.

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Tags: George+Clinton, Concert+Review, Funkadelic, funk

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Stone Temple Pilots Reunite For Ohio Festival

Stone Temple Pilots

February 12, 2008, 10:05 AM ET

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

The Stone Temple Pilots reunion first reported here last month will touch down for the first time at the Rock on the Range festival, to be held May 17-18 at Columbus, Ohio’s Columbus Crew Stadium.

Other acts confirmed for the AEG Live-steered event, which is expanding this year to two days, include Kid Rock, Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, Staind, Papa Roach, Seether, Flyleaf, Shinedown, Serj Tankian, the reunited Filter, Killswitch Engage and Finger Eleven.

The bill will be rounded out by Alter Bridge, Theory Of A Deadman, Sevendust, Default, 10 Years, Bobaflex, Red, Airbourne and Black Tide.

Rock on the Range will be Stone Temple Pilots‘ first show in more than seven years. Frontman Scott Weiland recently entered rehab but is expected to be ready to return to the road in time for Rock on the Range. Other STP shows have yet to be announced.

Tickets go on sale Feb. 23. VIP packages are available that include hotel, merchandise and other perks.

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Winehouse, West Win Big At 50th Annual Grammys

Amy Winehouse

Alicia Keys “dueted” with a vintage performance by Frank Sinatra of “Learnin’ the Blues” to kick off the 50th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but the real magic came from leading nominees Amy Winehouse and Kanye West.

Winehouse led the field with five wins, while West scored four. But both were shut out of the album of the year Grammy, which unexpectedly went to Herbie Hancock’s Joni Mitchell covers album, “River: The Joni Letters,” in the biggest upset of the night.

Winehouse, who was nominated for six Grammys, won best new artist and song of the year for “Rehab.” The artist’s performance via satellite from London was the most anticipated of the evening, and she did not disappoint, belting out “You Know I’m No Good” and “Rehab” in her trademark beehive hairdo and high heels.

Immediately afterward, she won record of the year for “Rehab,” breaking down in tears as she was mobbed by members of her backing band and her family.

Winehouse has been plagued by substance abuse issues in recent weeks, for which she entered rehab. Her visa to attend the Grammys in person was initially denied by the American embassy in London, who reversed their decision late last week, but not in time for Winehouse to make it to Los Angeles.

West, who led the field with eight nominations, won four Grammys, including best rap album for “Graduation.” “A lot of people said hip-hop is dead,” he said. “The art form wasn’t popping like that anymore. I wanted to cross the genres and show people we can still express ourselves with something fresh and new.”

Music’s biggest night got underway as Keys sang and played piano along with the performance by Sinatra, who appeared in black and white on a video screen, a pairing reminiscent of Natalie Cole’s “duet” with her late father, Nat King Cole. “Here’s to the next 50 years,” Keys told the crowd afterward, introducing a performance of “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood.

Within minutes, Keys was back on stage to accept the best female R&B performance Grammy for “No One” from Prince. The song won best R&B song during the pre-telecast. Other multiple winners included Bruce Springsteen and the Clark Sisters with three, and Carrie Underwood and Justin Timberlake with two.

An early highlight was a reunion performance by pop/funk outfit the Time, who performed their 1984 hit “Jungle Love.” The group was then joined by Rihanna for a medley of her pop smashes “Umbrella” and “Don’t Stop the Music.” “Umbrella,” which features Jay-Z, took home the best rap/sung collaboration Grammy, Rihanna’s first.

West performed “Stronger” with help from Daft Punk, who he samples in the track, and then shifted into a heartfelt, sung tribute to his mother Donda, who died suddenly last fall. Tina Turner and Beyonce teamed for a glitzy segment, culminating in a duet on “Proud Mary,” while the Foo Fighters were accompanied by the fan-voted My Grammy Moment contest winner, violinist Ann Marie Calhoun, on “The Pretender.”

The Foos then won best rock album for “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” which features “The Pretender.” “This doesn’t get old. You know that, right?,” said frontman Dave Grohl as he accepted.

The Beatles’ “Love,” which served as the soundtrack to a Cirque du Soleil production in Las Vegas, won best compilation soundtrack album for motion picture, television or other visual media. The award was accepted by surviving Beatle Ringo Starr and original Beatles engineer Sir George Martin, who created the “Love” music with his son Giles.

Starr and Eurythmics principal Dave Stewart bestowed the best country album Grammy to Vince Gill’s “These Days,” a four-disc project which is also nominated for album of the year. “I just had an award given to me by a Beatle! Have you had that happen to you yet, Kanye?,” Gill joked.

Burt Bacharach, the Band, Cab Calloway, Doris Day, Itzhak Perlman, Max Roach and Earl Scruggs all received Lifetime Achievement Grammys.

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Partial List of Grammy Winners

Partial list of winners at Sunday’s 50th Annual Grammy Awards:

Song of the Year: “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse).

New Artist: Amy Winehouse.

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson.

Pop Vocal Album: “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse.

Female Pop Vocal Performance: “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse.

Male Pop Vocal Performance: “What Goes Around…Comes Around,” Justin Timberlake.

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: “Makes Me Wonder,” Maroon 5.

Pop Collaboration With Vocals: “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On),” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.

Pop Instrumental Album: “The Mix-Up,” Beastie Boys.

Pop Instrumental Performance: “One Week Last Summer,” Joni Mitchell.

Traditional Pop Vocal Album: “Call Me Irresponsible,” Michael Buble.

Alternative Music Album: “Icky Thump,” The White Stripes.

Rock Song: “Radio Nowhere,” Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen).

Solo Rock Vocal Performance: “Radio Nowhere,” Bruce Springsteen.

Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: “Icky Thump,” The White Stripes.

Hard Rock Performance: “The Pretender,” Foo Fighters.

Metal Performance: “Final Six,” Slayer.

Rock Instrumental Performance: “Once Upon a Time in The West,” Bruce Springsteen.

Rap Solo Performance: “Stronger,” Kanye West.

Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: “Southside,” Common, featuring Kanye West.

Rap Song: “Good Life,” Aldrin Davis, Mike Dean, Faheem Najm & Kanye West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters) (Kanye West Featuring T-Pain).

Country Song: “Before He Cheats,” Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood).

Female Country Vocal Performance: “Before He Cheats,” Carrie Underwood.

Male Country Vocal Performance: “Stupid Boy,” Keith Urban.

Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: “How Long,” Eagles.

Country Collaboration With Vocals: “Lost Highway,” Willie Nelson & Ray Price.

Country Instrumental Performance: “Throttleneck,” Brad Paisley.

R&B Album: “Funk This,” Chaka Khan.

R&B Song: “No One,” Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys).

Contemporary R&B Album: “Because of You,” Ne-Yo.

Female R&B Vocal Performance: Alicia Keys.

Male R&B Vocal Performance: “Future Baby Mama,” Prince.

R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: “Disrespectful,” Chaka Khan, featuring Mary J. Blige.

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: “In My Songs,” Gerald Levert.

Urban/Alternative Performance: “Daydreamin’,” Lupe Fiasco, featuring Jill Scott.

Dance Recording: “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows,” Justin Timberlake, Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, mixers.

Electronic/Dance Album: “We Are the Night,” The Chemical Brothers.

Bluegrass Album: “The Bluegrass Diaries,” Jim Lauderdale.

Traditional Blues Album: “Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas,” Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins, Robert Lockwood Jr. & David “Honeyboy” Edwards.

Contemporary Blues Album: “The Road to Escondido,” JJ Cale & Eric Clapton.

New Age Album: “Crestone,” Paul Winter Consort.

Contemporary Jazz Album: “River: The Joni Letters,” Herbie Hancock.

Jazz Vocal Album: “Avant Gershwin,” Patti Austin.

Jazz Instrumental Solo: “Anagram,” Michael Brecker, soloist.

Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: “Pilgrimage,” Michael Brecker.

Large Jazz Ensemble Album: “A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina),” Terence Blanchard.

Latin Jazz Album: “Funk Tango,” Paquito D’Rivera Quintet.

Latin Pop Album: “El Tren De Los Momentos,” Alejandro Sanz.

Latin Rock or Alternative Album: “No Hay Espacio,” Black:Guayaba.

Latin Urban Album: “Residente O Visitante,” Calle 13.

Tropical Latin Album: “La Llave De Mi Corazon,” Juan Luis Guerra.

Mexican/Mexican-American Album: “100 (Percent) Mexicano,” Pepe Aguilar.

Tejano Album: “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” Little Joe & La Familia.

Norteno Album: “Detalles Y Emociones,” Los Tigres Del Norte.

Banda Album: “Te Va A Gustar,” El Chapo.

Traditional Folk Album: “Dirt Farmer,” Levon Helm.

Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: “Washington Square Serenade,” Steve Earle.

Native American Music Album: “Totemic Flute Chants,” Johnny Whitehorse.

Hawaiian Music Album: “Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar,” Various Artists, Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku Jr., Paul Konwiser & Wayne Wong, producers.

Zydeco or Cajun Music Album: “Live! Worldwide,” Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience.

Reggae: “Mind Control,” Stephen Marley.

Traditional World Music Album: “African Spirit,” Soweto Gospel Choir.

Contemporary World Music Album: “Djin Djin,” Angelique Kidjo.

Polka Album: “Come Share the Wine,” Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.

Gospel Performance: “Blessed & Highly Favored,” The Clark Sisters; “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” Aretha Franklin & Mary J. Blige (Featuring The Harlem Boys Choir). (Tie.)

Gospel Song: “Blessed & Highly Favored,” Karen Clark-Sheard, songwriter (The Clark Sisters).

Rock or Rap Gospel Album: “Before the Daylight’s Shot,” Ashley Cleveland.

Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: “A Deeper Level,” Israel and New Breed.

Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: “Salt of the Earth,” Ricky Skaggs & The Whites.

Traditional Gospel Album: “Live — One Last Time,” The Clark Sisters.

Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: “Free to Worship,” Fred Hammond.

Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Love (The Beatles) George Martin & Giles Martin, producers (Apple Records/Capitol Records).

Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: “Ratatouille,” Michael Giacchino, composer.

Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: “Love You I Do (From Dreamgirls),” Siedah Garrett & Henry Krieger, songwriters (Jennifer Hudson).

Musical Show Album: “Spring Awakening,” Duncan Sheik, producer; Duncan Sheik, composer; Steven Sater, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast With Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele & Others).

Musical Album for Children: “A Green and Red Christmas,” The Muppets.

Spoken Word: “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream,” Barack Obama.

Spoken Word Album for Children: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” Jim Dale.

Comedy Album: “The Distant Future,” Flight of the Conchords.

Instrumental Composition: “Cerulean Skies,” Maria Schneider, composer (Maria Schneider Orchestra).

Instrumental Arrangement: “In a Silent Way,” Vince Mendoza, arranger (Joe Zawinul).

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die,” John Clayton, arranger (Queen Latifah).

Engineered Album, Non-Classical: “Beauty & Crime,” Tchad Blake, Cameron Craig, Emery Dobyns & Jimmy Hogarth, engineers (Suzanne Vega).

Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: “Bring the Noise (Benny Benassi Sfaction Remix),” Benny Benassi, remixer (Public Enemy).

Surround Sound: “Love,” Paul Hicks, surround mix engineer; Tim Young, surround mastering engineer; George Martin & Giles Martin, surround producers (The Beatles).

Classical Album: “Tower: Made in America,” Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Tim Handley, producer; Tim Handley, engineer/mixer (Nashville Symphony).

Orchestral Performance: “Tower: Made in America,” Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Nashville Symphony).

Producer of the Year, Classical: Judith Sherman.

Engineered Album, Classical: “Grechaninov: Passion Week,” John Newton, engineer (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale).

Opera Recording: “Humperdinck: Hansel & Gretel,” Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor; Rebecca Evans, Jane Henschel & Jennifer Larmore; Brian Couzens, producer (Sarah Coppen, Diana Montague & Sarah Tynan; New London Children’s Choir; Philharmonia Orchestra).

Choral Performance: “Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem,” Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Thomas Quasthoff & Dorothea Roschmann; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Berliner Philharmoniker).

Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra): “Barber/Korngold/Walton: Violin Concertos,” Bramwell Tovey, conductor; James Ehnes (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra).

Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra): “Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 3,” Garrick Ohlsson.

Chamber Music Performance: “Strange Imaginary Animals,” Eighth Blackbird.

Small Ensemble Performance: “Stravinsky: Apollo, Concerto in D; Prokofiev: 20 Visions Fugitives,” Yuri Bashmet, conductor; Moscow Soloists.

Classical Vocal Performance: “Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs,” Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (James Levine; Boston Symphony Orchestra).

Classical Contemporary Composition: “Made in America,” Joan Tower (Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Nashville Symphony Orchestra).

Classical Crossover Album: “A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane,” Turtle Island Quartet.

Short Form Music Video: “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” Johnny Cash.

Long Form Music Video: “The Confessions Tour,” Madonna.

Recording Package: “Cassadaga,” Zachary Nipper, art director (Bright Eyes).

Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: “What It Is!: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (1967-1977),” Masaki Koike, art director.

Album Notes: “John Work, III: Recording Black Culture,” Bruce Nemerov, album notes writer.

Historical Album: “The Live Wire — Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949,” Nora Guthrie & Jorge Arevalo Mateus, compilation producers; Jamie Howarth, Steve Rosenthal, Warren Russell-Smith & Dr. Kevin Short, mastering engineers (Woody Guthrie).

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Music cannot change the world, says Neil Young

Canadian folk rock legend Neil Young said he has lost all hope that music can change the world, as he presented a documentary about his 2006 anti-war concert tour at the Berlin film festival on Friday.

“I know that the time when music could change the world is past. I really doubt that a single song can make a difference. It is a reality,” Young told reporters.

“I don’t think the tour had any impact on voters.”

But the silver-haired frontman of the sixties supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young nonetheless dealt US President George W. Bush a stinging, back-handed insult and said his own “naive” urge to make people think remains intact.

“What is wrong with George Bush? That would take a really long time. Let’s talk about what is right with him, it is a much shorter answer.

“He is a very good physical specimen. He shows that a man his age can stay in physical condition,” said Young, who is 62.

He made no distinction between the Vietnam War, during which CSNY first earned their reputation as political activists, and the US-led war in Iraq which their tour condemned with songs like “Let’s Impeach The President”.

“It is all the same war and it hurts everybody. It’s a wrong way to solve a problem,” he said, adding that Americans were deluded if they thought they were liberating Iraq.

“We just don’t have to go and spread democracy around the world.”

Young said he deliberately included interviews with unimpressed critics and soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan in the documentary of his band’s “Freedom of Speech” reunion tour, which earned them both praise and death threats.

“Otherwise I thought it would just feel like a bunch of old hippies. And nobody would care. I would not, I would have left,” said Young, who directs his films under the pseudonym Bernard Shakey.

“I wanted to serve the people who came to see the shows, to serve the soldiers who fought in the war and to serve the people who started the war. It sounds naive but everybody has to make a decision in their hearts about how they want to live.”

“CSNY: Deja Vu”, which borrows its title from an album the band released in 1970, had its world premier at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

It is screening in the Berlinale Special section of the Berlin festival, which has this year made music a headline act by bringing The Rolling Stones, Madonna and rock poetess Patti Smith to town.

Martin Scorcese’s Stones concert film “Shine A Light” opened the festival with a bang on Thursday night and the Oscar-winning director said he wanted to pay tribute to the vintage rockers as they had inspired his work from “Mean Streets” through to “The Departed.”

Coming days will see screenings of Madonna’s directorial debut, “Filth and Wisdom,” movies about Sudanese hip-hop artists and Argentinian tango and “Om Shanti Om”, the Bollywood song and dance blockbuster.

Patti Smith will attend a screening of a documentary on her career and play a sold-out concert on the festival sidelines.

Young, who managed the quirky feat of singing every line of dialogue in his 2003 film “Greendale” said music was a “primal subject” for the movies.

But the genre has changed little in his time, he added.

“I have not seen tremendous growth, any evolution really. From the Sinatra years, The Who’s ‘The Kids Are Alright’ … directors have always made films about music culture. There have been some great ones though.”

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