Carlos Santana to Receive Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Santana’s lifetime of achievements is being recognized…

The Recording Academy has announced the recipients of its 2026 Special Merit Awards, with the 78-year-old Mexican guitarist and founding member of the rock band Santana to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

For nearly six decades, Santana has been a pioneering force in music, fusing Afro-Latin, blues, rock, and jazz into a sound that transcends genre, culture and generation. He and his band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. They made Grammy history in 2000, receiving eight Grammys in a single night, tying Michael Jackson for the single-year Grammy record. Their haul included album of the year for Supernatural and record of the year for “Smooth,” a propulsive smash featuring Rob Thomas.

A 10-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy winner, Santana received Billboard‘s Century Award in 1996 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013.

His Las Vegas residency at House of Blues is now in its 14th year.

Santana will receive the lifetime achievement award alongside fellow honorees Chaka Khan, Cher, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon and Whitney Houston.

Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. Trustees Awards are presented to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording. Both are voted on by the academy’s national trustees.

“It’s a true honor to recognize this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres and the very foundation of modern music,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Each of these honorees has made a profound and lasting impact, and we look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements.”

The ceremony will be held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday January 31, the afternoon before the 68th annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in downtown L.A.

Mariah Carey Teaming Up with Anderson .Paak on New Music

Posted on May 4, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey has lined up a new collaboration…

The 56-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning songstress is working on new music with Anderson .Paak.

During a recent appearance on the social media series Track Star — where guests try to identify mystery songs —39-year-old singer-songwriter and producer .Paak correctly guessed Carey’s “Always Be My Baby,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1996.

“This would be Mariah Carey. The Mariah Carey,” said .Paak, who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Mariah’s face. “I remember in like 5th grade, or something, watching the music videos and having a huge crush. We’re working on some music on her new album.”

News of a musical collaboration between .Paak and Carey comes after the two were seen holding hands after the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March 2025, People reports. .Paak helped the superstar singer onto the stage as she accepted the icon award at the ceremony.

“Thank you iHeart for this incredible honor,” Carey said during her speech. “As a kid, I used to listen to my favorite artist on the radio and dream of being on the airwave myself. Now, for those of you who may not know what airwaves are, think of it as the non-Wifi version of streaming, OK?”

Around the same time, the pair were reportedly also spotted leaving a restaurant together in West Hollywood. Prior to that, .Paak and Carey were seen holding hands following the conclusion of her Christmas tour in December 2024, according to People.

Carey, recently nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, confirmed in an early April interview with the Associated Press that she’s working on a new album, but she didn’t share additional details. Her most recent studio album, Caution, was released in 2018.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey announced a special expanded edition of the album.

The upcoming release will include bonus tracks, unreleased remixes and collaborations, instrumentals, a cappella versions, and live recordings.

The two-disc vinyl edition is set to drop through Def Jam Records/UMe on May 30.

Miguel to Perform at 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Miguel is ready to rock (& roll)…

The 38-year-old half-Mexican American Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, whose full name is Miguel Jontel Pimentel, will appear during the 38th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Miguel joins a roster of presenters and performers that includes Olivia Rodrigo, Stevie Nicks, Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, Common, Ice-, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah and Sia.

Miguel will serve as a performer.

The induction ceremony is set for November 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

This year’s inductees are Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners, along with DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray for musical influence; Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin for musical excellence; and Don Cornelius for the Ahmet Ertegun Award (formerly known as the non-performers award).

The induction ceremony will be broadcast live coast-to-coast via Disney+ on Friday, November 3 (8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT) and will be available to stream following the ceremony. ABC will air a three-hour prime-time special, 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, featuring performance highlights and standout moments on Monday, January 1 (8-11 p.m. ET), available the next day on Hulu and Disney+.

This year’s show will be produced and directed by Joel Gallen and Tenth Planet Productions.

Apple Music will livestream audio from the ceremony on Apple Music 1 on Friday, November 3. A four-part audio series, Class of ‘23: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will also be available on Apple Music and Apple Podcasts leading up to the ceremony.

Here’s the full list of presenters and performers for the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony:

Adam Levine
Brandi Carlile
Carrie Underwood
Chris Stapleton
Common
Dave Matthews
Elton John
H.E.R.
Ice-T
LL COOL J
Miguel
New Edition
Olivia Rodrigo
Queen Latifah
Sia
Stevie Nicks
St. Vincent

Zack de la Rocha & His Rage Against the Machine Band Mates Nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Will the fifth time be the charm for Zack de la Rocha?

The 52-year-old Mexican American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and activist and his Rage Against the Machine band mates are among this year’s nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Known for their songs, which express revolutionary political views, the band has sold more than 16 million records worldwide.

de la Rocha and rock band members are among 17 artists who received a nomination this year. They’re joined by Dolly Parton, Pat Benatar, Dionne Warwick, Judas Priest, Beck, Eminem, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest and Duran Duran, among others.

Musicians become eligible for the Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album. Rage Against the Machine has been eligible since 2017.

They were previously nominated in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, though the bids failed.

“This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture,” said John Sykes, head of the foundation that runs the Rock Hall, in a statement.

A roster of five to seven successful inductees will be announced in May, with the annual ceremony to be scheduled for later this year.

This year’s nominees are:

A Tribe Called Quest
Beck
Pat Benatar
Kate Bush
Devo
Duran Duran
Eminem
Eurythmics
Fela Kuti
Judas Priest
MC5
The New York Dolls
Dolly Parton
Rage Against the Machine
Lionel Richie
Carly Simon
Dionne Warwick

Along with the official nominees, the Rock Hall today opened the annual “fan vote” balloting, available at the Rock Hall website. The five artists with the most votes by April 29 will be tallied with the Hall’s official ballots in selecting this year’s inductees.

Within several hours of the fan ballot opening, Pat Benatar, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Eurythmics and Carly Simon held the top five spots, with Benatar in a significant lead.

Adrian Quesada’s Black Pumas to Perform at Next Week’s NFL Draft

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Adrian Quesada’s music is on draft…

The 43-year-old Latino producer and guitarist and his Grammy-nominated Black Pumas band mates will perform at next week’s NFL draft in Cleveland

Quesada’s Black Pumas join a roster of performers that include the Grammy-nominated rock and soul duo Black Pumas and Cleveland’s own Machine Gun Kelly.

The league announced its musical acts for the second and third days of the draft, which is back on the road after being all virtual last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A massive stage has been constructed near FirstEnergy Stadium and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to host the three-day event from April 29 to May 1.

Black Pumas will perform after the third round is completed on April 30. Their self-titled debut album was nominated as album of the year at the 2021 Grammy Awards.

Rockers Kings of Leon will help kick off the draft on April 29 before Commissioner Roger Goodell tells the Jacksonville Jaguars they are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick.

Robert Trujillo & His Metallica Band Mates Earn Third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart as “S&M2” Debuts at No. 1

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Robert Trujillo’s hit albums keep on coming…

The 55-year-old half-Mexican American bassist and his Metallica band mates have scored their third No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums chart, as S&M2 debuts at the top of the ranking list dated September 12.

Recorded live on September 6 and 8, 2019, with the San Francisco Symphony, the set arrives with 56,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending September 3, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Of that sum, 53,000 units are via album sales.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-enshrined band now boasts three Top Rock Albums No. 1s since the chart began in 2006. Death Magnetic ruled for five weeks in 2008 and Hardwired… to Self-Destruct reigned for six in 2016-17.

The new set also debuts atop the Hard Rock Albums chart, where it’s Metallica’s third leader and the San Francisco Symphony‘s first. On Classical Albums, the LP likewise launches at No. 1, as Metallica earns its first leader; the orchestra also leads for the first time, as it ups its count to 11 top 10s.

On the all-genre Billboard 200, S&M2 bows at No. 4, marking Metallica’s 11th top 10. S&M2‘s predecessor, S&M, debuted and peaked at No. 2 in November 1999.

Metallica now becomes the first group, and the third act overall, with at least one new Billboard 200 top 10 in each of the last five decades. The band banked one top 10 in the ’80s (…And Justice for All, No. 6 in 1988); five in the ’90s (its No. 1 self-titled set in 1991; Load, No. 1 in 1996; Reload, No. 1 in 1997; Garage Inc., No. 2 in 1998; and S&M, No. 2 in 1999); two in the ’00s (St. Anger, No. 1 in 2003; and Death Magnetic, No. 1 in 2008); two in the ’10s (Metallica: Through the Never, No. 9 in 2013; and Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, No. 1 in 2016); and now one in the ’20s, with S&M2.

S&M2 debuted at No. 1 on Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart, Metallica’s seventh No. 1 album Down Under.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame