Swarms of men in tuxedos and women in party dresses invaded midtown Manhattan last week, drawn by the Grammy Awards and assorted peripheral events.
Piggybacked onto the Grammy extravaganza, which brought a quorum of performers and recording-company honchos to New York City, was another ceremony on Wednesday night: the fifth annual Pioneer Awards, presented by the Rhythm-and-Blues Foundation.This ceremony gave plaques and checks for $20,000 (for groups) or $15,000 (for individuals) to 12 rhythm-and-blues acts.
Some were as famous as Ben E. King; others were lesser known, like Earl Palmer, the New Orleans drummer who has played more than 11,000 recording sessions, and Mable John, who wrote "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" and led Ray Charles' Raelettes for six years. Other award winners included Otis Blackwell, Jerry Butler, Clarence Carter, the Coasters, Don Covay, Bill Doggett, Johnny Otis and Irma Thomas.
Performers sang, played and reminisced; the three surviving Shirelles harmonized together for the first time in 19 years, then burst into tears.
Beyond its awards, the Rhythm-and-Blues Foundation gives money to performers in need, handing out grants that pay rent, medical bills and funeral expenses; it remembers the forgotten musicians, the ones who signed away rights to songs that have since brought in millions of dollars.
The foundation, which is based in Washington, was founded in 1988 as the outgrowth of a suit by Ruth Brown to recover royalties from Atlantic Records. Under pressure, Atlantic changed its royalties policy for its early rhythm-and-blues roster, and also donated $1.5 million to start the foundation. Other recording companies have followed suit.
More than the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame, which doesn't favor obscure performers or dispense money, the Rhythm-and-Blues Foundation offers both recognition and concrete help for musicians who are often relegated to footnotes.
Thomas, the creamy-voiced New Orleans singer who first recorded "Time Is on My Side," put it plainly, "We're the ones who just keep plugging away and reaching for that ring and missing it."