NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 9, 2006) — Yamaha artists and instruments celebrated a big night on Wednesday when the 48th Annual GRAMMY® Awards were held at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. Yamaha artists won GRAMMYS across multiple genres in everything from R&B to jazz to gospel, including three wins for newcomer
John Legend and two wins for superstar
Stevie Wonder.
"It was a wonderful night for all our Yamaha musicians who took home more than 20 GRAMMYS, and we sincerely congratulate them on their accomplishments. We are proud to work with and supply instruments to these amazingly talented artists who have helped define and enrich today's music industry," comments Chris Gero, corporate director of Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs.
Soul crooner John Legend walked away with this year's Best New Artist award, joining the storied list of other Yamaha artists, such as
Norah Jones and
Sheryl Crow, who have previously received the same honor. Playing a Yamaha
DCFIIIS concert grand piano, Legend belted out a powerful and emotional performance of "Ordinary People," for which he earned a Best Male R&B Vocal Performance trophy. Yamaha drum artist
Swiss Chris backed Legend during the number using an
Absolute Maple Nouveau drum kit in Apple Sparkle. Legend also picked up a Best R&B Album GRAMMY for
Get Lifted, his debut CD.
Yamaha artists Stevie Wonder and
Alicia Keys got the crowd going before the night's first award was announced with an impromptu rendition of Wonder's classic "Higher Ground." Wonder went on to add two more GRAMMYS to his collection with Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "From The Bottom Of My Heart" from
A Time to Love and Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals with Beyoncé Knowles for "So Amazing" from
So Amazing – An All Star Tribute To Luther Vandross.
R&B wasn't the only winning category for Yamaha artists. Gospel great
CeCe Winans was recognized twice for Best Gospel Performance for "Pray" and Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for
Purified. The ever-elegant
Tony Bennett earned a GRAMMY for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for
The Art of Romance, while legendary bandleader
Eddie Palmieri won Best Latin Jazz Album for
Listen Here! Josh Groban along with Glen Ballard & Alan Silvestri won Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for "Believe" from
The Polar Express.
U2 and Yamaha drummer
Larry Mullen Jr. were the big winners of the night walking away with five GRAMMYS, including the coveted Album of the Year for
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and Song of the Year for "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." Mullen played an
Absolute Birch Nouveau drum kit in White Mica when the band performed their high energy hit "Vertigo," and then their reflective "One" with R&B great Mary J. Blige.
Other Yamaha artists who received GRAMMYS include:
Burt Bacharach, Best Pop Instrumental Album for
At This Time;
Delbert McClinton, Best Contemporary Blues Album for
Cost Of Living;
Chuck Ainlay, Best Surround Sound Album as the surround mix engineer for
Brothers In Arms – 20th Anniversary Edition;
Will.I.Am with the Black Eyed Peas, Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Don't Phunk With My Heart" from
Monkey Business;
Matt Flynn of Maroon 5, Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for "This Love" from
Live – Friday The 13th and the late
Ray Charles, Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for Ray.
Yamaha artist and living legend
Sir Paul McCartney delighted the crowd with his first-ever GRAMMY performance singing "Fine Line" from
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard and the Beatles classic "Helter Skelter." In a surprise collaboration McCartney later paired with Jay-Z and Linkin Park on the crowd-pleasing "Yesterday."
Yamaha pianos were well represented in some of the night's most memorable numbers. A white
MPC3, a 6'1" grand MIDIPiano, accompanied the amazing Mariah Carey as she belted out her hit "We Belong Together" and the soul-stirring "Fly Like A Bird" with the 30-member Hezekiah Walker & Love Fellowship Choir. Two-time GRAMMY winner Kelly Clarkson was backed by both a Yamaha
MPC7, a 7' 6" Grand MIDIPiano, and a
CLP175, a clavinova grand style piano, when she sang the touching "Because of You."
In an old school soul and funk tribute to Sly & The Family Stone, Flynn of Maroon 5 played a Cherrywood
Absolute Birch drum kit, while
Ndugu Chancler played a Cherrywood
Hipgig drum kit. Other Yamaha artists lending their talents to the stimulating tribute included Legend, Will.I.Am,
Robert Randolph and
Randy Jackson, performing hits such as "Family Affair," "Everyday People," "If You Want Me to Stay," "Dance to the Music" and "I Want to Take You Higher."
Additionally,
Teddy Campbell played an Absolute Birch Nouveau drum kit in Oriental Gold while backing Herbie Hancock and Christina Aguilera on "A Song for You." Coldplay's
Will Champion played an
Absolute Maple Nouveau in Black Marine Pearl during the band's performance of "Talk."
Yamaha Corporation of America manufactures a complete line of musical instruments, professional audio products, customer-driven support products and computer-based products targeted to both the amateur and professional markets.
