Convention '96
Preview
"Music In America" Celebrates
Our Industry's Diversity
Program At Constitution Hall Is Finale For
Washington, DC Event
A program entitled “Music In America: Celebrating Our
Indus-try’s Diversity” will conclude NARM’s 38th Annual Convention in
Washington, DC this month. In collaboration with the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA), the event will take place at historic Constitution Hall from 7-9 PM on
Monday, March 25.
“Convening in Washington, DC will provide our members
with an opportunity to interact and strengthen contacts with government officials and
share valuable information about the contributions our industry makes not only in America,
but all around the world,” explains NARM Executive VP Pamela Horovitz.
Hosted by Jane Alexander, Chairman of the National
Endowment for the Arts, the rich and varied tapestry that is American music will be
celebrated at Constitution Hall through Blues, Classical, Country, Pop, R&B, and Soul
performances given by artists presented courtesy of RIAA member companies.
“Facts about the economic and social impact of our
industry, which has stores and ware-houses, pressing plants, distribution centers,
musicians, and recording studios throughout the country, will also be shared during the
evening,” adds Horovitz. “Our industry has many faces and we want them to be
recognized.”
Participants Listed In Alphabetical Order
Host
JANE
ALEXANDER
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
Jane Alexander was nominated by President Clinton to become the sixth Chairman of the
National Endowment for the Arts. After unanimous confirmation by the U. S. Senate, she was
sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on October 8, 1993.
Since becoming Chairman, she has visited more than 130 communities in all 50 states and
Puerto Rico. In more than 150 speeches, she has outlined her vision for the agency and how
the arts can contribute to education reform and community building. Chairman Alexander has
been active in the arts for more than 35 years as an award-winning actress, producer and
author. She received a Tony Award for The Great White Hope, an Emmy for Playing For Time,
and the Television Critics Circle Award for portraying Eleanor Roosevelt.
Featured Performers
KATHLEEN
BATTLE
Sony Classical
Kathleen Battle’s lyric soprano voice and unique artistry have captivated audiences
around the world, making her one of the most acclaimed singers of our time. She has
appeared on the stages of the world’s leading opera houses and has performed with the
world’s great orchestras. With a stage repertoire spanning the centuries—from
Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare to Richard Strauss—Battle is equally at home
performing Mozart’s Susanna in Le nozze de Figaro as she is in the bel canto operas
of Rossini.
A distinguished recording artist with a wide range of
opera, concert, choral, and solo releases on all major labels, Battle is the winner of
five Grammy Awards, including three as Best Classical Vocal Soloist and two for Best Opera
Recording. Battle’s appearance on the PBS broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera’s
1991 season opening gala won her an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a
Classical Program. Her first crossover album, So Many Stars, released in September 1995 by
Sony Classical, is a collection of lullabies, spirituals and folk songs.
BUDDY
GUY
Silvertone Records
A product of the Louisiana Delta, guitarist/singer/songwriter Buddy Guy was raised on the
electric Blues of Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, and Sonny Boy Williamson, whose music
symbolized the migration in the ’30s and ’40s of African-Americans looking for
freedom from the biases and cultural constrictions of Southern ruralism. Beginning in the
late ’50s, he endured career frustrations and setbacks over the next 30 years that
would somehow help form his art.
Guy’s April 16 Silvertone Records release, Live! The
Real Deal, featuring G. E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band, is his first
“live” recording in more than two decades. The album finds Guy in blazing good
form, howling out lyrics and tearing solo after solo out of his trademark polka-dot Fender
Stratocaster. He won Grammy Awards in 1991 for Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues, 1993
for Feels Like Rain, and this year for 1994’s Slippin’ By. He also received
Billboard magazine’s 1993 Century Award for distinguished creative achievement.
RICHARD
MARX
Capitol Records
Richard Marx has gained not only critical acclaim, but overwhelming chart and sales
success as well. His 1987 self-titled debut went triple platinum; 1989’s Repeat
Offender doubled the sales of its predecessor; 1991’s Rush Street bolted his total
album sales to 15 million. His stellar compositions included such “Top 10”
singles as “Don’t Mean Nothin’,” “Should’ve Known
Better,” “Endless Summer Nights,” and “Right Here Waiting.” His
fourth album, Paid Vacation, included the AC chart-topping emotional ballad “Now And
Forever.” Marx is currently in the studio recording his fifth album, Flesh and Bone.
The album will highlight a fresh musical direction, incorporating his signature
songwriting, vocals, and bottom line groove. Internationally, Marx is following up his
greatest worldwide sales achievement to date with more than 3.5 million units sold outside
of North America on his last project.
THE
FOUR TOPS
Motown Records
The Four Tops unleashed some of the most monumental music America has ever known. They
were the voice of experience, knowledgeable and trustworthy.
Their shaman was lead singer Levi Stubbs, and during the
nation’s darkest hour in the 1960s, his brothers Lawrence Payton, Renaldo
“Obie” Benson and Abdul “Duke” Fakir were a beacon of light that
reached out to a divided America. Starting with “Baby I Need Your Loving” in
1964, The Tops cast a cool, calming spell.
Propelled by Holland-Dozier-Holland, they cut a swath
across the Pop charts: “I Can’t Help Myself,” “It’s The Same Old
Song,” “Standing In The Shadows of Love,” and “Bernadette” were
fully realized records, dizzying in their majesty, the essence of Motown. But nothing
captured the tenor of the times like “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” Haunting,
harrowing, it was their masterpiece. Levi’s huge, all-encompassing voice made the
process sound so simple, but the reality is that The Tops struggled for their salvation.
THE
TEMPTATIONS
Motown Records
Memories of The Temptations stretch back a long and winding road: the impossibly sweet
tenor of Eddie Kendricks, the honeyed soul shout of David Ruffin, the beautiful baritone
of Paul Williams, the heart of the group, Melvin Franklin, and the engine that made it all
run, Otis Williams. Quickly their hits came rushing out of Detroit and onto the charts:
“The Way You Do The Things You Do,” “My Girl,” “Get Ready,”
“Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” and
“I Can’t Get Next To You.” As the years went by, the tireless group became
like a piece of Americana. Turn the clock ahead to 1996. Veteran Otis Williams and the
group’s current members Ali-Olie Woodson, Ron Tyson, Theo Peoples, and Ray Davies pay
homage to their predecessors and carry the legacy forward with their newest recording, For
Lovers Only: The Tribute To Melvin Franklin.
TRISHA
YEARWOOD
MCA Nashville
Trisha Yearwood’s most recent MCA Nashville album, Thinkin’ About You, came
about after more than a year of song-searching and recording. The result is a blend of
tasteful music and heartfelt performances that meets her meticulous standards. She
recently recorded a hit TV movie theme song, “XXXs and OOOs (An American Girl),”
and put her tasteful touch on a Christmas album, The Sweetest Gift.
Yearwood’s 1991 single debut, “She’s In Love
With The Boy,” shot up the charts, spending two weeks at #1. She won new artist
awards from the Academy of Country Music, the American Music Awards and Pollstar, a
concert industry award. Her second album, Hearts In Armor, went platinum. Her third, The
Song Remembers When, also went platinum, and the title cut became an across-the-board #1
single.