"The Grammy turns 50"

from yahoo.com

Grammy CDs, book, TV special mark 50th anniversary

The Recording Academy has launched a multi-pronged campaign to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grammy Awards.

First up is a partnership with archival specialist Shout! Factory for a series of genre compilations from past Grammy winners. On November 27, it will issue two "Ultimate Grammy Collections": "Contemporary R&B" and "Contemporary Pop."

Shout! Factory hopes the series will get a boost from a two-hour Grammy documentary that airs November 30 on CBS.

Additionally, five collections -- "Contemporary Rock," "Contemporary Country," "Classic Country," "Classic R&B" and "Classic Pop" -- will arrive January 8, a month before the Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles.

The Recording Academy also has published a book authored by Rolling Stone contributing editor David Wild titled "And the Grammy Goes To . . .," which is available exclusively through the Borders chain. As part of that offering, Borders also carried its own versions of the Shout! Factory-issued "Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Pop" and "Classic R&B."

And either near the end of this year or in the new year, Starbucks will get its own two-CD version of an "Ultimate Grammy Collection" as well.

Reuters/Billboard