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February 8, 2006
We're having a great time so far. Besides having to wait in line for 2 hours to get our tickets,
this has been quite an experience, so far. And it only promises to get better.
We attended the Merit Awards ceremony and Nominee Appreciation Dinner last night. We got to
see some incredible people at the ceremony like; Bono, Richard Pryor's widow, Robert Johnson's son, and granson, the Weavers,
and the incredible, Jessye Norman.
The reception was absolutely as wonderful. Besides the wide array of food; baked fish, grilled
chicken, snow crab legs, boiled shrimp, roast beef, roast pork, a wide assortment of vegetables, and a bunch of deserts, there
were also many stars in the crowd as well. Incidentally, I tried all of the afforementioned foods, except for the deserts.
We ran into all of the Tejano stars, Richord Pryors widow, the Weavers, Jeff Lorber, several
others that I can't recall.
To our surprise, as nominees, we were given a gold medallion, had our picture taken, with
the medallion of course, and received a free poster of the Grammy Event.
We were also treated to some very good music, courtesy of the finest high school musicians
that this country has to offier. There was a big jazz band, comprising of 5 trumpets, 4 trombones, 6 saxes, piano, upright
bass, guitar and drums. In the other room there was a jazz group consisting of keyboards, electric bass, guitar and drums,
along with about 5 vocalists. On that same stage, there was an ensemble of classical vocalists, accompanied by a string quartet.
Followed by a quintet of woodwind instruments playing classical music.
Overall, it was an incredible evening. I'm sure today will be no different; well maybe
a little, especially if we win.
I wish you all could be here with us.
As most of you by now, we did not win the Grammy. The Grammy was awarded to Little Joe who
is truly a legend and an icon in our genre. Kudos to Joe and his entire organization.
Just as I imagined, the second day was ever more spectacular than the first.
We began the day by attending the pre-telecast ceremony which was held at the Los Angeles
Convention Center. As we entered the facility the aroma of food really grabbed your attention, Unfortunately for me, fortunately
for them, I was not hungry and did not eat. Fear not, I would take advantage later.
Following the pre-telecast ceremony,
we made our way to the Staples Center for the "live" telecast. The show was tremendous. Madonna opened the show with a spectacular
number. From there it got better and better. U2, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Kelly Clarkson, Sir Paul McCartney,
Keith Urban and Faith Hill, Fantasia, Sly and the Family Stone, Bruce Springsteen, etc., etc.
The two most memorable performances were Mariah Carey and Kanye West. Mariah was absolutely
awesome. I am a big Mariah fan anyway, but seeing her perform live was totally awesome. You could really feel the electricity
in the air.
The Kanye West, featuring Jamie Foxx was truly a production. From the marching bands, the
scenery, the dancers, the effects; it was incredible.
We were also able to catch glimpses of a few stars such as Matt Dillon, Tom Hanks, Jerome
Bettis, Evander Hollyfield, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, etc.
Following that, we made our way back to the Convention Center for the after party. Basically
it was divided into two rooms. Me made our way into the Grammy Celebration Jazz Lounge. We caught performances by
Kermit Ruffins and Dave Koz. Dave Koz's band was awesome, full of energy. Add to that guest artists such as Jeff Lorber, Jonathan
Butler, Kirk Whalum, Waymon Tinsdale and Patti Austin, and it was incredible.
Mike,
I'll talk about the food later.
The other room was called the Grammy Celebration Garden Room. It featured performances by
Big and Rich, String Theory and the legendary Earth, Wind and Fire. EWF aldo had some guest artists such as; Will.I.Am (Black
Eyed Peas), Kelly Rowland (Destiny's Child), Sleepy Brown, Floetry, Raphael Saadiq and Brain McKnight.
OK Mike. This is for you.
Both rooms featured a variety of foods including roast beef, salmon, baked chicken, bbq ribs,
an assortment of vegetables and a wide variety of deserts. I am proud to say that I tried them all, (just for you
Mike).
I forgot to mention, that in every corner they were serving FREE liqour. Much to the chagrin
of some of our members, I won't mention any names, the only alcohol that was being served was by that of the sponsors; Heineken
and Patron. That being said, a few of our members enjoyed the gratis libations, and I won't mention any names again, as much
as I did the food.
In total, this week was an experience that we will not soon forget. The only regret is that
we could not bring home the prize for our much deserved fans.
One of the things we came away with was a new found drive to make not only our next CD even
better, but our live performances as well. That being said, we are commited to bringing our supporters, both new and old,
even bigger and better things.
February 10, 2006
We finally made it back to Houston last night, tired, somewhat disappointed,
but very grateful that we even had the chance to have been invited to attend and participate in such a prestigious event.
As and added bonus, we were on the same plane as was the family of the great and legendary blues guitarist, Robert Johnson;
who incidentally was awarded a Lifetime Acheivement Grammy this year. We were surprised to know that his Grammy was sitting
5 feet from us. I offered to help the family with the bag containing the trophy, but was quickly told that they could handle
it themselves. Oh well, I tried.
Something I forgot to mention about the "live" show yesterday, was the amount
of work it takes to make it happen. Besides watching the performances on stage, it was also an eye-opening experience to see
what happens behind the scenes; and that's just from our vantage point. I'm sure back stage is even more hectic. It sure gives
you a real respect for the production managers, team and especially the crew, that work non-stop, for the entire event.
The sound system, lights and big screens were also sensational. I think I also forgot
to mention that we got see Big and Rich perform; they put on a very high energy show.
Our Grammy experience was nothing short of phenominal and something that
I will never forget. As I mentioned before, our goal now is to be even better and hopefully not only to return to the Grammy's,
but to bring one home.
At a time like this you realize how many, and who, your real supporters
are. The messages, calls, emails, that we have been receiving are very welcome and uplifting. I'll offer a couple of messages
that were sent to us:
"Bea's Island Club is so proud of you guys for your nomination
as far as we are concerned you have won "THE HOUSTON'S GRAMMY AWARD'' We love you guys, looking forward to having you at Bea's
for your coming home party!!!!!!! Ms Bea, Ruben, Grace and all our staff......."
"You were nominated and that was an honor. But,
you know what? You are still in good company - Elvis was nominated and he never won."
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Go to Tejano Magazine for an article with Little Joe. It is a detailed report of the Grammy he took home this year. Click on the banner
below.
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