We are living through a very politically contentious time. The country is deeply divided Some of the most prominent recording artists of all-time were unafraid to express themselves on the political and social issues of their day. My book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS, features many of these artists including the Band,  Joan Baez, the Beatles, David Bowie, James Brown,  Jackson Browne, CSN&Y, Johnny Cash, the Clash, Sam Cooke, Elvis Costello, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dire Straits, Bob Dylan, Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, Woody Guthrie, Merle Haggard, Jimi Hendrix, Billie Holiday,  Iron Maiden, Alicia Keys, B.B. King, Kendrick Lamar, John Lennon, Loretta Lynn, Bob Marley, Curtis Mayfield, Metallica, N.W.A, Nas, Randy Newman, Pink, Pink Floyd, Prince, John Prine, Public Enemy, Radiohead, Otis Redding, Jimmie Rodgers, the Rolling Stones, Pete Seeger, the Sex Pistols, Tupac Shakur, Paul Simon, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone,  Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Talking Heads, U2, the Velvet Underground, the Who, Stevie Wonder, and Neil Young. I hope you enjoy their music and my book which is widely available on Amazon, BookBaby, and other online sites. Thanks.

I watched the Grammys last night, as I always do. Like many older folks, my musical tastes generally run toward artists who were at their peak several decades ago. The Grammys help me catch up on what music is trending now! It wasn’t always so; at one time, when Grammy voters tended to be a bit older and grayer, they were often notoriously behind the day’s musical trends. For example, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band won the award for the 1967 Album of the Year— that was the first huge recognition of the sea change that had been occurring in popular music since, at least, 1955. Now, though, with a younger, more diverse, Recording Academy, I tune in to see the likes of the delightfully talented Chappel Roan (Best New Artist). In fact, the Grammys, in recent years, gave me my first look and listen to Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo.

I was very moved by the opening number “I Love L.A.”, Randy Newman’s classic, albeit with an appropriate lyrical makeover. Having spent most of the ‘70s and half of the ‘80s living in Los Angeles, and not too far from the fire zone, it was very moving to see the fund-raising efforts for the recent victims.

I realize that I may be in the distinct minority here, and I recognize that Kendrick Lamar is an enormous talent, one of the greatest hip-hop artists in history, but I don’t quite get the adulation heaped on his award winning (Song and Record of the Year) “Not Like Us”. It’s a brutal, hold nothing back, attack on the hugely successful Canadian rapper Drake, the most telling blow in the ongoing public feud between the two recording giants. I don’t know if the allegations that Kendrick and Drake have thrown at one another are true or not, but it seems to me that we are in dangerous waters, and we’ve seen before how these things can end.

Finally, I was happy to see Beyonce take home the coveted Album of the Year Grammy for Cowboy Carter. I know she took some flack in some circles, initially, for presuming to “go country”, but, as she and others have pointed out, genre is, too often, used to try and box artists in. Some of the all-time greats— Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon—sometimes defied expectations, and took heat for it, at the time, only to be recognized, years later, as ground breakers. Beyonce’s album is truly deserving, imho— a mixed genre tour-de-force that also helps shine a light on both African-American roots in the genre and on some of the Black country artists of yesteryear- DeFord Bailey, Charlie Pride, Linda Martell; even the great Ray Charles who ventured there.

My music history book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS, features many of the artists mentioned above, and remains available at Amazon, BookBaby, B&N, and other sites. Thanks for reading.