The 64th Annual Grammy Awards is finally here, but there are many Black artists we’ve lost in the past few decades who could not grace this year’s Red Carpet. Each of them influenced our current nominees in some way.
Ella Fitzgerald opened the door first, winning both of her nominations at the first ever Grammy Awards ceremony. Not every Black artist following Fitzgerald got to take home the gold, shiny record player. However, we remember their influence and contributions to American music and culture as a whole.
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)
Poitier won the award for Best Spoken Word Album in the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards and was nominated for Best Spoken Word Album (Includes, Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling) in the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.
James Mtume (1946-2022)
Mtume was nominated for Best Rhythm & Blues song for “Never Knew Love Like This Before” in the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards and won.
Betty Davis (1944-2022)
Though Davis did not receive a Grammy nomination, she was noted on the Grammy website to have inspired Grammy award-winning artists such as Prince, Erykah Badu and Janelle Monáe.
Little Richard (1932-2020)
Richard was not a Grammy nominee. However, he is remembered for reminding the audience of the 30th Annual Grammys that he was “architect of Rock n Roll” and influenced the many of the artists who were nominated that night.
DMX (1970-2021)
Earl Simmons, known as DMX, was nominated for four Grammy Awards in the 43rd, 44th and 64th Annual Grammy Awards. His last nomination was for Best Rap Song with “Bath Salts.”
Charley Pride (1934-2020)
Pride won three Grammy awards and landed 13 nominations. Pride had been nominated since the 9th Annual Grammy Awards, dominating the Country/Western Vocal Performance category.
Malik Abdul Basit (1972-2020)
Malik B., founder of the Roots, won one of his two Grammy nominations. His win was for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “You Got Me” featuring Erykah Badu.
McCoy Tyner (1938-2020)
Tyner landed 12 Grammy nominations and won five awards. His last win was at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.
Diahann Carroll (1935-2019)
Carroll was nominated twice, once for Best Solo Vocal Performance, Female in 5th Annual Grammy Awards and once for Best Recording for Children in 8th Annual ceremony.
Nipsey Hussle (1985-2019)
Hussle was nominated for five Grammy awards and won two for Best Rap Performance with “Deep Reverence” and Best Rap/Sung Performance with “Higher” in the 62nd annual awards.
Lashawn Daniels (1977-2019)
Daniels won one Grammy award and landed nine nominations in the Gospel categories. His last win was for Best Gospel Performance/Song with “Come Together.”
Toni Morrison (1931-2019)
Morrison was Grammy nominated for Best Spoken Word Album with “Beloved” and Best Spoken Word album for Children with “Who’s Got Game? The Ant or The Grasshopper? The Lion Or The House? Poppy Or The Snake?”
Art Neville (1937-2019)
Neville won two Grammy awards out of four nominations spanning across the R&B, Rock and Pop categories. His last win was for Best Traditional R&b Vocal Performance with “Valence Street,” the album.
Melvin Edmonds (1954-2019)
Edmonds, brother of Babyface, was nominated for two Grammy awards including Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Short Form Music Video.
Kofi Burbridge (1961-2019)
Burbridge received two Grammy nominations and won both in the Best Blues Album and Best Contemporary Blues Album categories.
Aretha Franklin (1954-2018)
Franklin won 18 Grammy awards and landed 44 nominations dating all the way back to the 10th Annual Grammy Awards. Her last win was for Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals with “You’ve Got A Friend” at the 53rd annual ceremony.
Prince (1958-2016)
Prince won seven awards out of his 38 Grammy nominations. He won Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for “Purple Rain.”
Natalie Cole (1950-2015)
Cole won nine Grammy Awards and landed 21 nominations. Her last win was for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for “Still Unforgettable.”
Whitney Houston (1963-2012)
Houston won six Grammy awards and landed 25 nominations. Her last win for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay.”
Etta James (1938-2012)
James was nominated 17 times and won three Grammy awards. Her last win was for Best Traditional Blues with “Blues To The Bone” at the 47th Annual Grammy awards.
Donna Summer (1948-2012)
Summer landed 18 Grammy nominations and took home five awards, three of which she won back-to-back. Her last win was for Best Dance Recording with “Carry On” at the 40th annual ceremony.
Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
Jackson won 13 Grammy awards and landed 38 nominations from the 13th Annual Grammy Awards all the way to the 53rd annual ceremony where he landed a posthumous nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance with “This is It.”
James Brown (1933-2006)
Brown landed eight Grammy nominations and won three awards in the 8th, 29th and 34th Annual Grammy Awards. Brown’s last win in the 34th annual ceremony was for Best Album Notes with “Star Time.”
Luther Vandross (1951-2005)
Vandross landed 33 Grammy nominations, 12 of them back-to-back and won eight awards in the R&B categories.
Ray Charles (1930-2004)
Charles won 17 Grammy Awards and landed 37 nominations dating all the way back to the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards. His last win was at the 47th annual ceremony for Record of the Yea with “Here We Go again.”
Aaliyah (1979-2001)
Aaliyah Haughton was nominated for five Grammy awards, landing each nomination nearly one year after the other. Her last nomination was for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “More Than A Woman.”
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
Fitzgerald won 13 Grammy awards of her 20 nominations dating back to the first ever Annual Grammy Awards ceremony where she took home two awards for the Best Jazz Performance and Best Female Vocal Performance categories.
Nat King Cole (1919-1965)
Cole won Best Performance by a Top ‘40′ Artist in the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards and landed seven nominations overall.
Billie Holiday (1930-1959)
Holiday was nominated for Best Female Solo Vocal Performance in the 4th Annual Grammy Awards and Best Spoken Word Recording in the 16th Annual Grammys.
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