Not All Beatles Would Receive Grammys If 'Now and Then' Wins
Because John Lennon and George Harrison have each been dead for more than five years, they cannot meet the Grammy test for "new recordings."
The Recording Academy made Beatlemaniacs happy on Nov. 8, when The Fab Four’s “Now and Then” was nominated for two awards – record of the year and best rock performance. But only the two living Beatles — Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — are nominated for those awards. John Lennon, who died in 1980, and George Harrison, who died in 2001, are not.
Because Lennon and Harrison have each been dead for more than five years, they cannot meet the Grammy test for “new recordings” – “material that has been recorded within five years of the release date.” There is precedent for this. Nat “King” Cole was not nominated when daughter Natalie Cole won record of the year and best traditional pop performance in 1992 for their studio-created duet “Unforgettable.” He had died in 1965.
Lennon’s last Grammy nomination was at the 1985 ceremony – best spoken word or non-musical recording for Heart Play (Unfinished Dialogue), a collab with Yoko Ono. The album, which reached No. 94 on the Billboard 200, consisted of excerpts from a Playboy magazine interview done shortly before Lennon’s death.
Thus, Lennon was not included the last time the Beatles were nominated, 28 years ago, when the band won three awards – best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal and best music video, short-form, both for “Free as a Bird,” and best music video, long-form for The Beatles Anthology. (The other three Beatles were included because they were all alive to contribute to the work.)
Source: Paul Grein/billboard.com
