Stevie didn't release an album in 1975 and they gave the 'Album of the Year' award to Paul Simon,who got up onstage and thanked Stevie for not putting out an album

What? Talking Book didn't win one? Must've been a helluva year.

whodknee said:

Nope, Talking Book didn't win the Big Four, but it did win a couple for the songs on that album.

This is THEE best grammy presentation ever



Less yakkity yak and more singing, just the way I like it

whodknee said:

Talking Book was released a little more than 9 months before Innervisions. Because of the Grammy cutoff period, they were eligible the same year (1974). The TB singles won awards (Best Male Pop Vocal for "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" & Best Male R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song for "Superstition").

AlexdeParis said:

Music of My mind Should've been eligible then.

Sandino said:

Talking Book was released in late October of 1972 making it ineligible for the 1973 Grammys so in a way that album and Innervisions were more closer together.

Sandino said:

It was eligible, but it wasn't nominated.

Nominees:
The Concert for Bangla Desh - George Harrison (winner)
American Pie - Don McLean
Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway Cast Recording)
Moods - Neil Diamond
Nilsson Schmilsson - Nilsson

Nevermind, I just read it was Ray Charles' Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music that was the first album by a black artist nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year...
[Edited 7/10/09 20:14pm]

Timmy84 said:

Marvin was never nominated for Album of the Year

Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, and Nat King Cole were all nominated years before. Shaft by Isaac Hayes was nominated 2 years before Stevie and Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack was nominated the same year.

Timmy84 said:

Actually, that honor would go to Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook.

AlexdeParis said:

That's right! Why did I forget Ella?

AlexdeParis said:

Thanks for that. It disgusts me Marvin wasn't nominated for Album of the Year at least for What's Going On. I read the interview he did in 1972 for Rolling Stone and he was disappointed when he found out he wasn't nominated.

Stevie was the first R&B artist to win Album of the Year, am I right?

Timmy84 said:

And he's tied with Frank Sinatra for most wins ever (3).

AlexdeParis said:

Ah gotcha!

I have Stevie Wonder burn out....seen way too much of him on tv.

Thumparello said:

Why because he's been everywhere since the election?

Here's the famous Paul Simon Acceptance Speech where he thanks Stevie for not putting out an album that year.



Watching these videos have been great. There were so many classic albums that were nominated for Album of the Year, but didn't win because of the geinus that is Steveland Hardaway Morris.

Hearing Livin for the City A/B next to that other shit really showed you how great he is.

I mean it's like a stripe of dayglo orange in a black and white painting.

Harlepolis said:

Wow! I wish award shows could be more like this – celebrations of great creativity and inspiration, rather than advertisements for cool.

AlexdeParis said:

These wonderful clips make it seem like the Grammys were much more hip than they actually were.

If Stevie had been seen in a slightly more controversial light, none of these great albums would have been honored.

And the 70s might have been the greatest time for music in this country, so you could've thrown a dart blindfolded and hit on some great choices.

Fortunately time has a way of shedding light on all that greatness that was missed in its time because it was too polarizing to the staid.