The Recording Academy delighted Beatles fanatics on November 8 when the Fab Four’s “Now and Then” was nominated for two awards: Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance. But only two living Beatles – Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – were nominated for these awards. John Lennon, who died in 1980, and George Harrison, who died in 2001, were not.
Since both Lennon and Harrison had been dead for more than five years, they could not meet the Grammy test for “new recordings” (“material recorded within five years of its release”). There is precedent for this. In 1992, Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat “King” Cole, won Record of the Year and Best Music Awards for her studio-written duet “Unforgettable.” Traditional Pop Performance Award, but was not nominated. He died in 1965.
Lennon’s last Grammy nomination came in 1985 for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording Xinwan (unfinished dialogue), Collaboration with Yoko Ono. The album peaked at No. 94 on the Billboard 200 chart, with excerpts from playboy Magazine interview conducted shortly before Lennon’s death.
Harrison’s last Grammy nomination came at the 2004 ceremony, when Be brainwashedhis posthumously released 12th and final studio album, was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. Two songs from the album also won awards. “Marwa Blues” won Best Pop Instrumental Performance, while “Any Road” was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
McCartney co-produced “Now and Then” with Giles Martin, the son of legendary Beatles producer George Martin, who produced the band’s previous four albums of the year nominees, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Yesterday,” “Hey Jude,” and “Let It Be.” Martin also produced one of McCartney’s post-Beatles record of the year nominations, Ebony and Ivory, a 1982 collaboration with Stevie Wonder.
McCartney and Giles Martin were both nominated for Record of the Year as single producer, as were eight engineers/mixers and one mastering engineer, with the exception of John and George.
Bonus fact: If “Now and Then” wins Record of the Year, McCartney will complete his sweep of the four major awards, although it will take him longer than any other performance in Grammy history. He won Best Newcomer in 1965 (with the Beatles), Song of the Year in 1967 for “Michelle” (with Lennon), and the 1968 Song of the Year for the Beatles’ landmark album award Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
