Queen’s 1976 rock opera “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Marvin Gaye’s 1973 album “Let’s Get It On” and Simon & Garfunkel’s signature 1965 song “Sounds of Silence” are among 33 recordings that have been added to the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame. The Hall, which was formed in 1973, now includes 639 titles.
“This year’s inductees span nine decades and represent a diverse array of genres from classical and show tunes to blues, jazz and rock’n’roll,” said Academy president Neil Portnow in a statement. “They exemplify the best qualities that make the recording arts such a vital part of our culture — and each not only uniquely reflects the zeitgeist of its time, but also possesses the enduring power of transcending time.”
Other songs added in this year’s induction include the Everly Brothers’ 1958 recording of “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” B.B. King’s 1955 song “Everyday I Have the Blues,” Glen Campbell’s 1967 single “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” Carly Simon’s 1973 hit “You’re So Vain,” the Beatles’ 1970 classic “Let It Be” and the 5th Dimension’s 1969 composition “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.”
The slate of albums includes folk hero Joni Mitchell’s 1974 set “Court and Spark,” Johnny Cash’s live 1969 document “Johnny Cash at San Quentin,” the Miles Davis Sextet’s 1958 album “Milestones,” Led Zeppelin’s self-titled 1969 debut and the soundtracks to “Walt Disney’s Fantasia” (1956), “West Side Story” (1961), “Saturday Night Fever” (1967) and “Funny Girl” (1964).
Frank Sinatra is represented in this year’s crop by both the 1953 single “I’ve Got the World on a String” and the 1958 album “Come Fly With Me.”
Grammy Hall of Fame selections must be at least 25 years old, and are selected by a special Academy member committee. The oldest recording among this year’s inductions is Al Jolson’s 1918 song “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody,” while the most recent are a song and an album from 1978: Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” and the classical album “Golden Jubilee Concert: Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3,” featuring Vladmir Horowitz and Eugene Ormandy conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Source billboard.com.
