War and Treaty Photo by Leon Bennett
Kicking off GRAMMY® Week on Wed, Jan. 31, "A Celebration of Craft," held jointly by both the Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® and Songwriters & Composers Wing™, took place at the GRAMMY Museum® in Downtown Los Angeles. The celebration was a first-ever joint GRAMMY Week event for the Academy's craft Wings.
Representatives from a large range of top manufacturers, services and organizations pledged their support for the event and were in attendance to honor individuals who strive for songwriting and audio excellence, and who have championed creative freedom throughout their career. Recording and mixing engineer/producer Leslie Ann Jones, a seven-time GRAMMY winner, and the first woman Chair of the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees (1999-2001), was the evening's primary honoree. The event also saluted the year-round work of the Academy’s two Wings, highlighting the people working behind the scenes to create the year's best musical works — including a special recognition for the 2024 Songwriter Of The Year GRAMMY nominees.
Premier Sponsors included Iron Mountain Media and Archive Services (formally IMES) and Qualcomm Technologies, International, Ltd. Supporting Sponsors included Neumann.Berlin, Shure Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Louisiana Entertainment, Kobalt, Audio-Technica, Seeker Music, Sound Royalties, Lurssen Mastering, AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management – Recording Studio Program, Qobuz, SESAC, Fraunhofer, and SoundExchange.
Maureen Droney, Vice President of the Producers & Engineers Wing, began the evening's program from the Museum's Ray Charles Terrace with welcoming remarks and thank-you's to the sponsors, then introduced Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr., who noted the evening’s significance — it was the first time that a GRAMMY Week celebration brought together the Academy Wings of both Songwriters & Composers and Producers & Engineers. "The world needs more music right now," he said. "It needs more of what we do."
Songwriters & Composers Wing Senior Managing Director Susan Stewart and Chair Evan Bogart recognized this year’s Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical GRAMMY nominees Edgar Barrera, Jessie Jo Dillon, Shane McAnally, Theron Thomas, and Justin Tranter, celebrating the second year of this award for songwriters.
After remarks by P&E Wing co-chairs Chuck Ainlay and Ebonie Smith, Recording Academy Chair Tammy Hurt spoke to the many dedicated years of Recording Academy service performed by honoree Leslie Ann Jones, while Mason jr. emphasized her extraordinary career of more than 40 years. "She is a classicist, but also a forward thinker and a trailblazer," he said. "She sets the bar high in terms of passion, equality and inspiration — but she is also at the peak of her career, still leading the charge." Attendees were then treated to musical performances from GRAMMY® Award-winning singer-songwriter Brandy Clark and GRAMMY-nominated husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty.
"A Celebration of Craft would not have been possible without our sponsor partners," states Droney. “This evening celebrated the hard work of the talented individuals who labor behind the scenes to create the best of what our industry has to offer, and we thank our valued partners for making the event possible. We are enormously appreciative of their partnership in helping us to host this special evening."
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