GRAMMY AWARDS Producer Apologizes For 'In Memoriam' Snubs

A producer of this year's Grammy Awards has apologized for the exclusion of a number of notable names from the televised portion of the ceremony's "In Memoriam" segment.

After the 2022 Grammy Awards were broadcast on Sunday, April 3 live on CBS from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, many hard rock and heavy metal fans took to Twitter to air out their frustrations with the event's organizers who failed to recognize SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar, Megaforce Records co-founders Jon and Marsha Zazula, and THE MOODY BLUES co-founder Graeme Edge in the televised portion of "In Memoriam". However, the Recording Academy didn't completely forget about Jordison, the Zazulas, LaBar and Edge as they were listed — along with several hundred other musicians and folks important to the industry — on the Grammy.com web site under the "The Recording Academy Remembers The Music People We've Lost: Grammy In Memoriam" section.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Grammy producer Ken Winston acknowledged that it was impossible to include every person who died in the televised portion of "In Memoriam" but didn't completely accept the blame for the snubs, explaining that "a committee of members" decides who should be honored in the segment.

"Well, firstly, I think that anybody who feels left out or feels almost snubbed by an 'In Memoriam', I think that from the bottom of our hearts there can only be apologies, because we go into this show only ever wanting to bring joy and love to people with music and then with an 'In Memoriam' just remember people in the best way possible," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "So no excuses, no… only other than sympathy to anybody who feels that.

"I think the practicalities of running a live show… usually, the 'In Memoriam' contains between 45 and 60 people every year," he continued. "There were 60 people in that 'In Memoriam' montage. And the Recording Academy have a committee of people, and I don't know the ins and outs of it, I have to be honest with you, 'cause it doesn't necessarily fall under us in any way. The Recording Academy have a committee of a variety of members, and they go through the hundreds of members who sadly pass away every year, and they decide who should be honored in the 'In Memoriam'. I don't know the ins and outs of the process [so] it wouldn't be right for me to speak on it. All I would add is just sympathy to anybody who feels that they weren't mentioned.

"It's tough, making a show like this, and you're always gonna be open to criticism of stuff, and we hear that criticism and we take it," he added. "It's a really difficult one for us, but there is a process that doesn't involve the producers of the show. That means that people are really considered and thought of as thoughtfully as can be done."

A list of musicians honored during the televised portion of the Grammy Awards 2022 ceremony's "In Memoriam" segment:

* Taylor Hawkins (FOO FIGHTERS drummer)
* Marilyn Bergman (Songwriter)
* Virgil Abloh (hip-hop fashion designer)
* Gary Brooker (PROCOL HARUM)
* Walter Yetnikoff (Music Industry Executive)
* Sarah Dash (LABELLE, X-PENSIVE WINOS)
* Ken Kragen (Artist Manager)
* Dottie Dodgion (Jazz Drummer)
* Paddy Maloney (THE CHIEFTAINS)
* Jim Steinman (Singer, Producer)
* Biz Markie (Raper, DJ, Producer)
* Marilia Dias Mendonca (Brazilian Singer, Songwriter)
* Clarence "Mac" Macdonald (Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Producer)
* Rusty Young (POCO)
* Connie Bradley (Country Industry Executive)
* Stonewall Jackson (Country Singer)
* Roger Hawkin (Muscle Shoals Drummer)
* Betty Davis (Funk Singer, Songwriter)
* George Wein (Newport Jazz, Newport Folk, New Orleans Jazzfest)
* Johnny Ventura (Salsa and Merengue Singer, Bandleader)
* Lisa Roy (Audio Production Executive)
* Charlie Watts (Drummer, THE ROLLING STONES)
* Wanda Young (THE MARVELETTES)
* Meat Loaf (Rock Singer)
* Al Schlesinger (Music Attorney, Recording Academy President)
* Lee "Scratch" Perry (Jamaican Producer, Singer)
* Don Everly (THE EVERLY BROTHERS)
* Robbie Shakespeare (Reggae Bass Guitarist, Producer)
* Michael Lang (Woodstock Co-Creator, Producer, Manager)
* Ronnie Spector (THE RONETTES)
* Ralph Emery (Country DJ/TV Personality)
* Young Dolph (Rapper)
* Nanci Griffith (Singer-Songwriter)
* Jesse D (FORCE MDS)
* Mark Lanegan (SCREAMING TREES)
* Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs (rapper)
* Vicente Fernandez (Mexican Ranchera Singer)
* Jeremy Lubbock (Arranger, Composer, Producer)
* Tom Parker (THE WANTED)
* Dusty Hill (ZZ TOP)
* Ethel Gabriel (Record Producer, Music Executive)
* Lloyd Price (R&B Singer-Songwriter)
* Al Schmitt (Engineer, Producer)
* Ron Tutt (Drummer)
* Joe Simon (Soul/R&B Singer)
* Malcolm Cecil (Electronic/Jazz Musician, Producer)
* Jon Lind (Songwriter, A&R Executive)
* Greg Tate (Music Writer, Musician, Producer)
* Elliot Mazer (Engineer, Producer)
* Bobbie Nelson (Pianist, WILLIE NELSON AND FAMILY)
* BJ Thomas (Pop, Country, Gospel Singer)
* Earl "DMX" Simmons (Rapper)
* Dallas Frazier (Country Singer, Songwriter)
* Bhaskar Menon (Music Industry Executive)
* Ronnie Wilson (THE GAP BAND)
* Marshall Gelfand (Business Manager)
* Michael Nesmith (Singer-Songwriter, THE MONKEES)
* James Mtume (Jazz/R&B Musician, Songwriter)
* Tom T. Hall (Country Singer-Songwriter)
* Chucky Thompson (Hip-Hop, R&B Producer)
* Stephen Sondheim (Composer, Lyricist)

Grammy Awards 2022's complete list of musicians and folks important to the industry whom we've lost in the past year and a half — including Jordison, the Zazulas, LaBar, Edge, CHILDREN OF BODOM leader Alexi Laiho, former TROUBLE singer Eric Wagner, METAL CHURCH vocalist Mike Howe and former ENTOMBED frontman Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov — can be found on Grammy.com.