Neil Portnow News

Blues Singer Bobby Bland has died, CNN is reporting. Bobby Bland is widely credited as helping to create the modern soul-blues sound.

The Recording Academy announced today that recording artist and co-owner of MoonHouse Studio Christine Albert was elected Chair of the Board of Trustees

As the music business gathered at the annual NARM and Digitalmusic.org's Music Biz 2013 Conference today, The Recording Academy — a membership organization internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards and for advancing creators' rights — and Rhapsody International, the original on-demand music service, announced today that Rhapsody will be the first digital music service to support The Academy's 'Give Fans The Credit' initiative.

Guitarist and founding member of the heavy metal band Slayer Jeff Hanneman died May 2 of liver failure. He was 49. The Recording Academy's President and CEO Neil Portnow released the following statement.

The Recording Academy has released the following statement on the passing of Janos Starker.

The Recording Academy has released the following statement on the passing of George Jones.

The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (K – college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. A joint partnership and presentation of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation, this special award will be first presented at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony (Lifetime Achievement Awards, Trustee Awards, Technical GRAMMY) during GRAMMY Week 2014.

The Recording Academy — the organization internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards— will present its 2013 GRAMMYs on the HillAwards in Washington, D.C., tonight, April 17 at the Hamilton.

Deftones bassist Chi Cheng passed away yesterday, April 13, 2013, following complications from a 2008 car accident that left him in a coma. He was 42. The Recording Academy released the following statement in remembrance.

Comedian Jonathan Winters passed away of natural causes at his Montecito, California home at 6:45 p.m. PDT on April 11, 2013, surrounded by family and friends. The Recording Academy's President and CEO Neil Portnow has released the following statement about his passing.

The GRAMMY Foundation Grant Program announced today that more than $200,000 in grants will be awarded to 14 recipients in the United States to help facilitate a range of research, archiving and preservation projects on a variety of subjects. Research projects include a study that will investigate a potential core deficit in rhythm processing in developmental stuttering, combining behavioral and neuroimaging studies in children with studies in songbirds. Preservation and archiving initiatives include a project that will preserve and provide access to a unique organ recording collection of master organ player rolls and noteworthy arrangements produced in the 1920s; and an effort to preserve and digitize the audiovisual collections of imperiled media of the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, and Bob Hope, among others. A complete list of grant awards and projects is below. The deadline each year for submitting letters of inquiry is Oct. 1. Guidelines and the letter of inquiry form for the 2014 cycle will be available beginning May 1 at www.grammyfoundation.org/grants.

The ninth annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert will honor Chester Bennington, lead vocalist of two-time GRAMMY-winning band Linkin Park, and Tony Alva, legendary skateboarder, surfer, musician and original member of the skateboarding team Dogtown Z-Boys at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on May 30. Bennington will be honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund, and for his commitment to helping other addicts with the addiction recovery process. Alva will be the recipient of MusiCares' From the Heart Award for his unconditional friendship and dedication to the mission and goals of the organization. All proceeds will benefit the MusiCares MAP Fund, which provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation.

Legendary music producer Phil Ramone passed away this morning, March 30, 2013. He was 72. Ramone was hospitalized in New York City earlier this month after suffering an aortic aneurysm. Throughout his notable career, Ramone worked with talents such as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and more.

The GRAMMY Foundation (www.grammyfoundation.org) announced today that 10 schools nationwide have been selected as GRAMMY Signature Schools (www.grammyintheschools.com) for 2013 and have been awarded cash grants totaling $56,000.

The Recording Academy's President/CEO Neil Portnow and The Latin Recording Academy's President/CEO Gabriel Abaroa Jr. released today a joint statement about the passing of musician Bebo Valdes.

The Recording Academy — the organization internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards— will present its 2013 GRAMMYs on the HillAwards in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 17 at the Hamilton.

The GRAMMY Foundation (www.grammyfoundation.org) today announced that GRAMMY Camp — its signature music industry camp for U.S. high school students — will be held in Los Angeles and New York in summer 2013. This will be the ninth camp held in Los Angeles, and the third in New York.

Justin Timberlake announced that the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy are partnering to present their first-ever Music Educator Award to recognize music educators for their contributions to our musical landscape and their positive influence on their students' musical experiences.

On the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards broadcast live on the CBS Television Network, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation Neil Portnow, TV and radio host/producer and GRAMMY Foundation Honorary Board Chair Ryan Seacrest and multi-GRAMMY-winning artist Justin Timberlake announced that the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy are partnering to present their first-ever Music Educator Award to recognize music educators for their contributions to our musical landscape and their positive influence on their students' musical experiences.

Clive Davis and The Recording Academy presented the Pre-GRAMMY Gala, continuing the party that has been a Davis legacy for more than 30 years. This exclusive, star-studded celebration was attended by artists and industry VIPs in music, film and television and featured spectacular musical performances.