by Antonio Mejías-Rentas
Little Joe
A winner at last week’s Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles complained that Chicano recording artists are being left out of the Latin music categories for the recording industry’s top awards.
Jose “Little Joe” Hernández, frontman for Little Joe y La Familia, was one of only three Latino winners who attended the pre-broadcast ceremony where most of the Grammy awards were announced. “I have a suggestion for the Academy… a wish, that they reconsider Mexican American music.”
Talking to the press backstage, Hernandez explained that Chicano musicians who do not record Tejano music are usually left out of the only category for which they currently qualify, labeled “Best Mexican/Mexican American Album.” He said his own submission in the category was rejected last year.
“There are a lot musicians like me, who are Mexican American and don’t consider themselves Tejano. They’re not into Texan music,” said Hernandez, who picked up his third career Grammy for Before Next Teardrop Falls’ a tribute to the late Tejano singer Freddy Fender. He pointed to nominees in this year’s “Mexican/MexicanAmerican” slot, a list that included four of Mexico’s top recording stars: Vicente Fernández, Pepe Aguilar, Cristian Castro and Paquita la del Barrio.
“Nothing against Vicente, who is a friend of mine, but there is no Mexican-American music in the MexicanAmerican category,” said Hernandez, a member of the Texas chapter of the National Academy of Recording Artists, which hands out the awards.
A spokesperson for the Recording Academy was not available to comment.
Hernandez’s first Grammy, in 1991, was in what was then known as the “Best Mexican-American Album” category.
“I didn’t change my music. They changed the category,” he said at the Feb. 10 ceremony.
Nomenclature has been an issue of discontent since the creation of the Latin music division in 1975. A single category was split into three in 1983, when the Mexican American category was created. In 1995 the category was renamed as Mexican American Tejano and then split into two categories in 1997. In 2000 it was again renamed “Mexican/Mexican American,” and it has since been dominated by artists from Mexico.
The eight categories in the Academy’s Latin field include two additions for Mexican genres: Banda and Norteño.
The 2000 winner for Mexican/Mexican American, Pepe Aguilar, was a third-time winner this year, scoring for an album titled 100% Mexicano. Aguilar, who also won the Grammy last year’ was not at the pre-broadcast ceremony when his award was announced.
The only other Latino winners to pick up their awards in person were Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra, who won in the Tropical category for La llave de mi corazón and Puerto Rican rockers Black:Guayaba, who won in the Latin Rock or Alternative category, for No hay espacio.
In the press room, Guerra dismissed a persistent complaint by Latin music nominees, whose categories are usually excluded from the prime-time, televised ceremony.
“I don’t complain, I’m grateful,” said Guerra, who won five Latin Grammy Awards last November.
Other Latino winners this year included Puerto Rican duo Calla 13 in the newly created Latin Urban category, for Rasidente o visitante, Los Tigres del Norte in Nonfar70 for Detalles y emociones, El Chapo de Slnaloa in Banda for Te va a gustar and Alejandro Sanz in Latin Pop, for El tren da los momentos.
Cuban saxophone player Paquito D’Rivera won the Grammy in the Latin Jazz category, for Funk Tango.
Latino performers had been nominated in a number of non-Latino categories—from World Music to Comedy—but only one picked up an award.
Colombian ethnomusicologist Jorge Arévalo Mateus was one of several Grammy winners in the Best Historic Album for Live Wire, a 1949 recording by folk artist Wood Guthrie. Arevalo Mateus heads the Woody Guthrie Foundation.
The 50th annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Staples Center and broadcast by CBS.
Hispanic Link.
