Too Cool To Boogie

A Taste of Honey :  Boogie Oogie Oogie

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On February 15, 1979 the Los Angeles disco band A Taste of Honey won the Grammy for Best New Artist, beating Elvis Costello, The Cars, Toto and Chris Rea. (Chic, criminally was not nominated). Given, "Boogie Oogie Oogie" was one of 1978's best disco songs and Janice–Marie Johnson is a marvel who can play a funky bass and sing at the same time, the win has largely been ridiculed. Best New Artist has always been a category music fans have used to show out of touch Grammy voters are. In 1978 Debby Boone won. In 1977, the year punk broke, it was the Starland Vocal Band. In 1975 Marvin Hamlisch beat Bad Company.

For a while there, winning a Best New Artist Grammy was a good way to ensure you'd be a one, at most two, hit wonder. Says Starland Vocal Band 's Taffy Danoff: "We got two of the five Grammys – one was Best New Artist. So that was basically the kiss of death and I feel sorry for everyone who's gotten it since."

The artists whose 1979 releases got them nominated are Rickie Lee Jones, Dire Straits, The Knack , The Blues Brothers and Robin Williams. 

40 Year Itch : The Grammys

Alice Cooper and Stevie Wonder

     On March 2, 1974 Stevie Wonder won four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year (Innervisions), Best Pop Vocal Male ( "You Are the Sunshine of My Life") R and B Performance Male ("Superstition") and R and B Song of the Year ("Superstition").

     Among the highlights of the night was the Jackson 5 ( with little Randy now filling in for Jermaine) singing the nominations for best R and B Performance by a Group:

Little Richard and Chuck Berry also sang the nominations for Best R and B Male Performance. Stevie Wonder gave the Grammy to his mother.



Just weeks from her divorce from Sonny, Cher showed up wearing an outfit that drew a lot of flashbulbs.

Best new artist went to Bette Midler. She beat out Deodato, Maureen McGovern, Marie Osmond and Barry White.

Other big winners included Charlie Rich and  Roberta Flack for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

  The biggest surprise may have been Aretha Franklin winning Best R and B Performance by a Female with the Quincy Jones produced "Master of Eyes". It was not a huge hit.

Here's How You Give Away a Grammy: 40 Years Ago Today

40 years ago today, on March 15, 1972, The Fifth Dimension sang songs from artists nominated for Best Pop Vocal Perfomance by a Duo Or Group. And the winner is....you'll just have to watch to find out.

This was a big night for Carole King and Tapestry. Best New Artist was Carly Simon. James Taylor won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. Simon and Taylor got married in November.