Grammys on the Latin Beat.

• Author: Holston, Mark
• Position: Brief Article

COLOMBIA SINGER Carlos Vives and his group were on the stage of Los Angeles's glittering Staples Center, performing one of their rousing vallenato hits. So was Mexican crooner Alejandro Fernandez, decked out in full mariachi regalia, singing a poignant ranchera ballad. And Dominican pianist Michel Camilo was on hand to lead an all-star orchestra in a tribute to the late Tito Puente.

For television audiences in the U.S., it was a rare opportunity to enjoy a feast of Latin music. For musicians from throughout the Americas, the first-ever Latin Grammy Awards program signaled they had finally achieved a level of recognition that had to date proven illusive.

For decades, Latin musicians have straggled to win wider international recognition for their artistic contributions. Now, thanks to a new program initiated by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the organization that sponsors the annual Grammy Awards program for music excellence, diverse music idioms that emanate from Latin American countries and cultures have an opportunity to attain that rare status.

The September 2000 broadcast of the Latin Grammy Awards honored a wide range of popular, folkloric, and classical genres from throughout the Americas.

The growth of influence of Latin music in the Grammy Awards process in many ways mirrors the surge in popularity of Latin music styles in the U.S. in recent decades. However, it wasn't until 1975, the eighteenth year of the annual music awards program, that NARAS formally recognized the existence of a family of music styles that had long been entrenched in the cultural mainstream of the U.S. Initially, NARAS lumped all Latin styles into one category and presented a Grammy titled "Best Latin Recording." Puerto Rican salsa pioneer Eddie Palmieri captured the first two annual awards, giving rise to concerns in some quarters that the fledgling program would neglect to recognize other Latin styles present in the U.S. By the early 1980s, the awards were expanded to include categories for tropical, Mexican, and pop performances. A decade later, categories were created for Latin jazz and rock en espanol, among other styles. At the same time, efforts were trader way within the increasingly influential Latin music industry to encourage NARAS to establish a separate organization and program for Latin styles.

In 1997, the Latin Academy for Recording Arts and Sciences, or LARAS, cane into existence, and the first round of balloting...