Grammy Award for Best Rock Album
Gilded gramophone trophy presented to Grammy Award winners
Awarded for	quality albums in the rock music genre
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Country	United States
First awarded	1995
Last awarded	2012
Official website	grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,^[1] to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".^[2]

The award for Best Rock Album was first presented to the band The Rolling Stones in 1995, and the name of the category has remained unchanged since then. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented to "vocal or instrumental rock, hard rock or metal albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded material".^[3] Since 1996, award recipients have often included the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists.

The band Foo Fighters holds the record for the most wins in this category, with four. Two-time winners include Sheryl Crow, Green Day, and U2. American artists have been presented with the award more than any other nationality, though it has been presented to musicians or groups from the United Kingdom three times, from Ireland twice, and from Canada and Mexico once. Neil Young holds the record for the most nominations, with six. Young also holds the record for the most nominations without a win.

Recipients[link]

Two-time award winner Sheryl Crow

Carlos Santana of the 2000 award-winning band Santana

Four-time award-winning band Foo Fighters

Two-time award-winning band U2, performing in 2005 during the Vertigo Tour

2003 award winner Bruce Springsteen, performing in 2008

Chris Martin of the 2009 award-winning band Coldplay

Year[I]	Performing artist(s)	Nationality	Work	Nominees	Ref.
1995	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	Voodoo Lounge !Voodoo Lounge	Pearl Jam – Vs. R.E.M. – Monster Soundgarden – Superunknown Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Sleeps with Angels	[4]
1996	Morissette, AlanisAlanis Morissette	Canada	Jagged Little Pill !Jagged Little Pill	Chris Isaak – Forever Blue Pearl Jam – Vitalogy Tom Petty – Wildflowers Neil Young – Mirror Ball	[5]
1997	Crow, SherylSheryl Crow	United States	Sheryl Crow !Sheryl Crow	Dave Matthews Band – Crash No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom Bonnie Raitt – Road Tested Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Broken Arrow	[6]
1998	Fogerty, JohnJohn Fogerty	United States	Blue Moon Swamp !Blue Moon Swamp	Aerosmith – Nine Lives Foo Fighters – The Colour and the Shape The Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon U2 – Pop	[7]
1999	Crow, SherylSheryl Crow	United States	The Globe Sessions !The Globe Sessions	Dave Matthews Band – Before These Crowded Streets John Fogerty – Premonition Garbage – Version 2.0 Hole – Celebrity Skin	[8]
2000	Santana	Mexico  United States	Supernatural !Supernatural	Melissa Etheridge – Breakdown Limp Bizkit – Significant Other Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Echo	[9]
2001	Foo Fighters	United States	There Is Nothing Left to Lose !There Is Nothing Left to Lose	Bon Jovi – Crush Matchbox Twenty – Mad Season No Doubt – Return of Saturn Rage Against the Machine – The Battle of Los Angeles	[10]
2002	U2	Ireland	All That You Can't Leave Behind !All That You Can't Leave Behind	Ryan Adams – Gold Aerosmith – Just Push Play PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory	[11]
2003	Springsteen, BruceBruce Springsteen	United States	The Rising !The Rising	Elvis Costello – When I Was Cruel Sheryl Crow – C'mon C'mon Robert Plant – Dreamland Tonic – Head on Straight	[12]
2004	Foo Fighters	United States	One by One !One by One	Audioslave – Audioslave Evanescence – Fallen Matchbox Twenty – More Than You Think You Are Nickelback – The Long Road	[13]
2005	Green Day	United States	American Idiot !American Idiot	Elvis Costello and the Imposters – The Delivery Man Hoobastank – The Reason The Killers – Hot Fuss Velvet Revolver – Contraband	[14]
2006	U2	Ireland	How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb !How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb	Coldplay – X&Y Foo Fighters – In Your Honor The Rolling Stones – A Bigger Bang Neil Young – Prairie Wind	[15]
2007	Red Hot Chili Peppers	United States	Stadium Arcadium !Stadium Arcadium	John Mayer Trio – Try! Tom Petty – Highway Companion The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers Neil Young – Living with War	[16]
2008	Foo Fighters	United States	Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace !Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace	Daughtry – Daughtry John Fogerty – Revival Bruce Springsteen – Magic Wilco – Sky Blue Sky	[17]
2009	Coldplay	United Kingdom	Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends !Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends	Kid Rock – Rock n Roll Jesus Kings of Leon – Only by the Night Metallica – Death Magnetic The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely	[18]
2010	Green Day	United States	21st Century Breakdown !21st Century Breakdown	AC/DC – Black Ice Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood – Live from Madison Square Garden Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King U2 – No Line on the Horizon	[19]
2011	Muse	United Kingdom	21st Century Breakdown !The Resistance	Jeff Beck – Emotion & Commotion Pearl Jam – Backspacer Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Mojo Neil Young – Le Noise	[20]
2012	Foo Fighters	United States	Wasting Light	Jeff Beck – Rock 'n' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul) Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown Red Hot Chili Peppers – I'm with You Wilco – The Whole Love

^{^[I]} Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

See also[link]

Rock music portal

• List of Grammy Award categories

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site of the Grammy Awards

Grammy Awards
54th Grammy Awards
The Grammy awards are named for the trophy: a small, gilded gramophone statuette.
Awarded for	Outstanding achievements in the music industry
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Country	United States
First awarded	1959
Official website	grammy.com
Television coverage
Network	NBC (1959–1970) ABC (1971–1972) CBS (1973–present)

A Grammy Award (originally called Gramophone Award) – or Grammy – is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards of more popular interest are presented in a widely viewed televised ceremony. It is the music equivalent to the Emmy Awards for television, the Tony Awards for stage performances, and the Academy Awards for motion pictures.

The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, and it was set up to honor musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Following the 2011 ceremony, NARAS overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The 54th Grammy Awards were held on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

History[link]

The Grammy Awards had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s.^[1][2] As the recording executives chosen for the Walk of Fame (Tabinda Walk) committee worked at compiling a list of important recording industry people who might qualify for a Walk of Fame star, they realized there were many more people who were leaders in their business who would never earn a star on Hollywood Boulevard. The music executives decided to rectify this by creating an award given by their industry similar to the Oscars and the Emmys. This was the beginning of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. After it was decided to create such an award, there was still a question of what to call it; one working title was the Eddie, to honor the inventor of the phonograph, Thomas Edison. They finally settled on using the name of Edison's invention, the gramophone, for the awards, which were first given for the year 1958.^[3][4][5]

Gramophone trophy[link]

The gold-plated trophies, each depicting a gilded gramophone, are made and assembled by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990 the original Grammy design was revamped, changing the traditional soft lead for a stronger alloy less prone to damage, and making the trophy bigger and grander.^[6] The trophies with the recipient's name engraved on them are not available until after the award announcements, so "stunt" trophies are re-used each year for the broadcast.^[7]

As of February 2009, 7,578 Grammy trophies had been awarded.^[8]

Categories[link]

Bonnie Raitt holding the Grammys she won at the 1990 Grammy Awards.

The "General Field" are four awards which are not restricted by genre.

• Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a full album.
• Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the production team of a single song.
• Song of the Year is awarded to the writer(s)/composer(s) of a single song.
• Best New Artist is awarded to a performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording that establishes the public identity of that artist (which is not necessarily their first proper release).

Other awards are given for performance and production in specific genres, as well as for other contributions such as artwork and video. Special awards are given for longer-lasting contributions to the music industry.

Because of the large number of award categories (78 in 2012), and the desire to feature several performances by various artists, only the ones with the most popular interest are presented directly at the televised award ceremony.

2012 category restructuring[link]

On April 6, 2011, The Recording Academy announced a drastic overhaul of many Grammy Award categories for 2012.^[9] The number of categories were diminished from 109 to 78. The most important change is the elimination of the distinction between male and female soloists and between collaborations and duo/groups in various genre fields (pop, rock, R&B, country, and rap). Also, several categories for instrumental soloists were discontinued. Recordings in these categories now fall under the general categories for best solo performances.

In the rock field, the separate categories for hard rock and metal albums have been combined and the Best Rock Instrumental Performance category were be eliminated due to a waning number of entries.

In R&B, the distinction between best contemporary R&B album and other R&B albums has been eliminated. They now feature in one, general Best R&B Album category.

In rap, the categories for best rap soloist and best rap duo or group have been merged into the new Best Rap Performance category.

The most eliminations occurred in the roots category. Up to and including 2011, there were separate categories for various regional American music forms, such as Hawaiian music, Native American music and Zydeco/Cajun music. Due to the consistently low number of entries for these categories, The Recording Academy decided to combine all these music variations into the new Best Regional Roots Music Album, including polka, which lost its own separate category in 2009.

In the same genre field, the traditional and contemporary blues categories and the traditional and contemporary folk categories each were consolidated into one per genre, due to the number of entries and given the challenges in distinguishing between contemporary folk and Americana, and contemporary and traditional blues. In the world music genre field, the traditional and contemporary categories have also been merged.

In the classical genre field, its main category Best Classical Album has been discontinued because most recipients in this category had also won in one of the other classical categories for the same album. Classical recordings are now eligible for the main Album of the Year category.

There are also a few minor name changes to better reflect the nature of the separate categories. It was determined by the Recording Academy that the word "gospel" in the gospel genre field tends to conjure up the images and sounds of traditional soul gospel and leaves out the current contemporary Christian music (CCM). Therefore the genre field and some categories have been renamed as Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music.

Nomination process[link]

Record companies and individuals may submit recordings to be nominated. Nominations are made online and a physical copy of the work is sent to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Once a work is entered, reviewing sessions are held, by more than 150 experts from the recording industry, to determine whether the work is eligible and entered in the correct category for official nomination.

The resulting list is circulated to all NARAS members, each of whom may vote to nominate in the general field (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) and in no more than nine out of 30 other fields on their ballots. The five recordings that earn the most votes in each category become the nominees. There may be more than five nominees if there is a tie in the nomination process.

Whereas members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are generally invited to screenings or are sent DVDs of movies nominated for Oscars, NARAS members do not receive nominated recordings.

After nominees have been determined, final voting ballots are sent to Recording Academy members, who may then vote in the general fields and in no more than eight of the 30 fields. NARAS members are encouraged, but not required, to vote only in their fields of expertise. Ballots are tabulated secretly by the major independent accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.^[10] Following the tabulation of votes the winners are announced at the Grammy Awards. The recording with the most votes in a category wins and it is possible to have a tie. Winners are presented with the Grammy Award and those who do not win are given a medal for their nomination.

In both voting rounds, Academy members are required to vote based upon quality alone, and not to be influenced by sales, chart performance, personal friendships, regional preferences or company loyalty. The acceptance of gifts is prohibited. Members are urged to vote in a manner that preserves the integrity of the academy.

The eligibility period for the 2012 Grammy Awards was October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011.

Venue[link]

Prior to 1971, the Grammy Award ceremonies were held in different locations on the same day. Originally New York City and Los Angeles were the host cities. Chicago joined being a host city in 1962, and then Nashville became the fourth location in 1965.

The 1971 ceremony, held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, was the first to take place in one location. The ceremony was then moved to Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum in New York City, and then Nashville's Tennessee Theatre in the following two years. Then from 1974 to 2003, the Grammys were held in various venues in New York City and Los Angeles. Notable locations included New York City's Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall; and Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, the Staples Center and the Hollywood Palladium.

In 2004, the Staples Center became the permanent home of the award ceremonies. The Grammy Museum was built across the street from Staples Center in LA Live to preserve the history of the Grammy Awards. Embedded on the sidewalks at the museum streets are bronze disks, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring each year's top winners, Record of the Year, Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.

Leading winners[link]

With 31 Grammy Awards, Sir Georg Solti is the artist with the most Grammy wins.^[11] Alison Krauss is the biggest winner among female artists with 27 awards.^[12] U2, with 22 Grammy Awards, holds the record for most awards won by a group.

Criticism[link]

The Grammy Awards has received criticism from various recording artists and music journalists.

When his band Pearl Jam won a Grammy in the category Best Hard Rock Performance in 1996, singer Eddie Vedder commented on stage: "I don't know what this means. I don't think it means anything."^[13] Glen Hansard, leader of the Irish rock group The Frames, stated in 2008 that the Grammys represent something outside of the real world of music "that's fully industry based." He said he wasn't that interested in attending that year's ceremony, even though he had been nominated for two different awards.^[13] Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of metal band Tool, did not attend the Grammy Awards ceremony to receive one of their awards. He explained his reasons:

It has also been criticized for generally awarding or nominating more commercially successful albums rather than critically successful albums.^[15][16] In a 2011 article, Los Angeles Times writer Randall Roberts was critical of the nominations for the 54th Grammy Awards, particularly for the Album of the Year category, noting the exclusion of Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, "the most critically acclaimed album of the year, a career-defining record", as a snub in favor of nominating less substantial albums.^[17] Roberts went on to criticize the Grammy Awards for being "mired in the past" and out of touch with "new media" and trends amongs music listeners such as music sharing, stating:

In an article for Time, journalist Touré also responded to the snub and expressed his general displeasure with the awards, stating "I don’t pretend to understand the Grammys. I have never been able to discern a consistent logic around who gets nominated or who gets statues. I comprehend the particular logic of the Oscars, but not the big awards for music. My normal state of confusion around what drives Grammy decisions was exponentialized this week when, to the shock of many, Kanye’s masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was not nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year."^[18] He went on to compare understanding the Grammy Awards to Kremlinology and commented on The Recording Academy's exclusion of more "mature" hip hop albums as Album of the Year nominees, noting that it occasionally opts to nominate "pop-friendly" hip hop albums instead.^[18]

In a 2011 profile for The New York Times following the 53rd Grammy Awards, frontman Justin Vernon of indie band Bon Iver was asked his opinion of the Grammys and how he would react to a nomination for his group, to which he responded, "You know I was thinking about that a couple of months ago, someone asked me that, and I was like 'I would go and I would' – and I don’t think the Bon Iver record is the kind of record that would get nominated for a Grammy – 'I would get up there and be like, ‘This is for my parents, because they supported me,’' because I know they would think it would be stupid of me not to go up there. But I kinda felt like going up there and being like: 'Everyone should go home, this is ridiculous. You should not be doing this. We should not be gathering in a big room and looking at each other and pretending that this is important.' That’s what I would say."^[19] He reaffirmed this sentiment and felt the Grammys are held in too, saying:

98 percent of the people in that room, their art is compromised by the fact that they’re thinking that, and that they’re hoping to get that award. And who is that award given by? It’s like they think it’s literally handed down by the musical-history gods. And I don’t know who the voters are. Like, I have a friend who’s a voter who was like, “I had to be a voter because I don’t trust the other voters.” And I was like, “Me either!” And it’s just not important and people spend too much time thinking about it.^[19]

—Justin Vernon

Bon Iver subsequently received four nominations in November for the 54th Grammy Awards.^[19] After winning the award, Vernon said in his acceptance, "It's really hard to accept this award. There's so much talent out here [...] and there's a lot of talent that's not here tonight. It's also hard to accept because you know, when I started to make songs I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, so I'm a little bit uncomfortable up here."^[20]

In his article "Everything Is Praised Again", Jon Caramanica of The New York Times criticized Grammy voters for being "conservative" and disregarding more "forward-looking" music, and wrote in response to the 54th Grammy Awards, "for the umpteenth time, the Grammys went with familiarity over risk, bestowing album of the year honors (and several more) on an album that reinforced the values of an older generation suspicious of change."^[21] He cited the Grammy successes of Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation (1999), Norah Jones' Come Away with Me (2003), and Adele's 21 (2011) as examples of "the Grammys dropp[ing] a boatload of awards on a young female singer-songwriter and her breakthrough album." Of Kanye West's absence from the ceremony, Caramanica stated, "He didn’t even bother to show up for the broadcast, which was well enough, because hip-hop was almost completely marginalized".^[21]

In an article for The Huffington Post, music executive and author Steve Stoute criticized the Recording Academy and the Grammy Awards for having "lost touch with contemporary popular culture" and noted "two key sources" for it: "(1) over-zealousness to produce a popular show that is at odds with its own system of voting and (2) fundamental disrespect of cultural shifts as being viable and artistic."^[22] Stoute accused them of snubbing artists with more cultural impact, citing respective loses by the critical and commercial successes in Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and Kanye West's Graduation (2007) in the Album of the Year category, and stated:

As an institution that celebrates artistic works of musicians, singers, songwriters, producers and technical specialists, we have come to expect that the Grammys upholds all of the values that reflect the very best in music that is born from our culture. Unfortunately, the awards show has become a series of hypocrisies and contradictions, leaving me to question why any contemporary popular artist would even participate. [...] While there is no doubt in my mind of the artistic talents of Steely Dan or Herbie Hancock, we must acknowledge the massive cultural impact of Eminem and Kanye West and how their music is shaping, influencing and defining the voice of a generation. It is this same cultural impact that acknowledged the commercial and critical success of Michael Jackson's Thriller in 1984.^[22]

—Steve Stoute

TV broadcasts and ratings[link]

Prior to the first live Grammys telecast in 1971 on American Broadcasting Company (ABC), a series of taped annual specials in the 1960s called The Best on Record were broadcast on National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The first Grammy Award telecast took place on the night of November 29, 1959, as an episode of the NBC anthology series Sunday Showcase, which was normally devoted to plays, original TV dramas, and variety shows. Until 1971, awards ceremonies were held in both New York and Los Angeles, with winners accepting at one of the two. Pierre Cossette bought the rights to broadcast the ceremony from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and organized the first live telecast.^[23] CBS Broadcasting bought the rights in 1973 after moving the ceremony to Nashville, Tennessee; the American Music Awards were created for ABC (by Dick Clark) as a result.

The Recording Academy announced on June 21, 2011 that it had reached a new deal with CBS to keep the awards show on the network for another 10 years. CBS also broadcasted the annual nominations concert special on November 30, 2011 from Los Angeles. The Grammys aired on February 12, 2012. The 2011 Grammy Award show had 26.6 million viewers.

See also[link]

• National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
• Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
• Latin Grammy Awards
• Grammy Museum

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

Look up Grammy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Official website
• Grammy Awards winners at Grammy.com (searchable database)

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Gustavo Cerati
Background information
Birth name	Gustavo Adrián Cerati Clark
Born	(1959-08-11) August 11, 1959 (age 52) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genres	Rock, alternative rock, electronic rock, experimental rock, neo-psychedelia, art rock, post-punk, New Wave, electronic music, pop rock, indie rock
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, composer, producer
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, sampler
Years active	1982–2010.
Labels	Sony Music
Associated acts	Soda Stereo, Tweety González, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Roger Waters, Andy Summers, Shakira
Website	www.cerati.com
Notable instruments
PRS Custom G&L Legacy HB Gibson ES-335 Jackson Soloist

Gustavo Cerati^[1] (Born Gustavo Adrián Cerati Clark on August 11, 1959),^[2] is a singer-songwriter, composer, and rock producer. He is primarily known as the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Soda Stereo (1982–1997), considered by many to be one of the most important and influential bands of Latin Rock.^[3] His work inside and outside of Soda Stereo makes him one of the most recognizable figures in Ibero-American rock.^[4][5] His solo career began in the early 1990s when on hiatus from Soda Stereo Cerati recorded his first solo album Amor Amarillo (Yellow Love).

Cerati has experimented with various musical genres, including electronic music (Plan V) and symphonic music. Throughout his career Cerati has been nominated for various Grammy, MTV, and Gardel awards. In 2007, Cerati reunited with Soda Stereo for a reunion tour Me Veras Volver Tour. On the 15th of May 2010 Cerati suffered a cerebral stroke after a show in Venezuela. Since then he remains in a coma under respiratory aide.^[6]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Cerati was born on the 11th of August 1959 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the oldest son of the engineer and accountant Juan José Cerati, and Lilian Clark.^[7] From an early age Cerati showed an interest in music. His first incursion into music was a broomstick band that he formed in elementary school. Besides music, Cerati enjoyed drawing. He would spend long hours drawing superheroes such as “Superbrain" (similar to Superman, minus the predilection to kryptonite). He was an able athlete who practiced swimming and athletics. He won second place in a competition for the Billiken magazine after running 100 meters in an intercollegiate competition. One of Cerati’s main activities during his youth was directing the choir for the College, where he was suspended for burping during mass (he was later pardoned after winning a singing competition). As a teenager he worked as a medical assistant at the Boehringer laboratory in Argentina in 1981. A few years later he served in the Argentinian military.

His first musical influences were groups like The Police –Cerati recorded “Bring on the Night” for a tribute album featuring Andy Summers on guitar and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. Queen, (whom he covered with Soda Stereo), The Cure, David Bowie, Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple.

In High School Cerati won a Christmas themed songwriting contest sponsored by Channel 9 (Argentina). He played in different bands including, "Savage," a rock and blues group, "Vozarron," a fusion band, and a trio called "Triciclo" (tricycle). "Savage" was made up of two British singers who would also perform at a cabaret in front of Parque Centenario (Centennial Park).^[8]

Soda Stereo[link]

Cerati performing live with Soda Stereo in 2007.

Main article: Soda Stereo

In 1982 Cerati established a close relationship with Héctor "Zeta" Bosio, which was to prove decisive in the future of both. They knew each other from the advertising major at the University of Salvador in Buenos Aires. Their relationship was cemented in the summer of 1982 in Punta del Este, Uruguay where they were playing with their respective bands. They decided to return to Buenos Aires to form a band. Zeta and Gustavo shared the same musical tastes and had the same aspirations. They wanted to integrate the new wave sound of The Police (which had toured Argentina earlier that year), with their own sound. And they wanted to sing in Spanish. Charly Alberti was recruited as drummer and they formed Los Estereotipos. After a brief period in which various configurations were tested, including one with Daniel Melero, Richard Coleman, and others, they decided to remain as a trio and changed their name to Soda Stereo.

From the beginning the group worked on building their image, aided by Alfredo Lois (college roommate), who took care of the aesthetic details; makeup, hairstyles, and so forth. The first concerts were held in July of 1983 at the disco Airport and at Stud Free Pub. Following those early shows Soda toured the pub circuit with obligatory stops at Cafe Einstein and Zero, which at the time, represented the less commercial scene of the moment.

Along with Soda Stereo Gustavo Cerati recorded seven studio albums: Soda Stereo (1984), Nada Personal (1985), Signos (1986), Doble Vida (1988), Canción Animal (1990), Dynamo (1992), Sueño Stereo (1995).

Solo career[link]

Cerati recorded two solo albums while playing with Soda Stereo. These albums are:

• Colores Santos (1991) A project with Daniel Melero. Notable songs from the álbum include "Vuelta por el Universo", "Tu Medicina" and "Colores Santos".
• Amor Amarillo (1994) Cerati’s very first solo album which included Hector (Zeta) Bosio, ex-bass player for Soda Stereo, contributing bass on the song "Amor Amarillo" ("Yellow Love"). Notable singles from the album include "Lisa", "Te llevo para que me lleves", "Pulsar" and "Bajan".

Cerati's solo albums since the breakup of Soda Stereo are:

• Bocanada (1999) Considered his first official solo album, Bocanada is marked by heavy use of electronic samples and beats. Some outstanding songs from this album include "Engaña", "Río Babel", "Bocanada", "Puente" and "Paseo Inmoral". During an interview, Cerati said that he would like to name this album "Cerati Iluminado" in regards of the lyrics and music they arranged for the records.
• +Bien (2001) Soundtrack of the movie of the same name, directed by Eduardo Capilla, in which he also stars and makes his acting debut. Another soundtrack he produced was for the movie "Solo Por Hoy".
• 11 Episodios Sinfónicos (2001) A live recording of Cerati singing with a classic orchestra performing some of the most popular songs from his own catalog and that of Soda Stereo.
• Siempre es Hoy (2002) The third non-instrumental album of his solo career, it marks a new perspective for his music and sound. Some highlights include "Karaoke", "Cosas Imposibles" and "Artefacto".
• Siempre es Hoy / Reversiones (2003) A compilation of remixes from the album "Siempre es hoy" performed by several artists of the ambient electronica around the world.
• Ahí vamos (2006) Probably his most rock-oriented album to date, Ahí vamos is an album that combines Cerati's guitar roots and a melodic style. It includes songs such as "Un lago en el cielo", "Crimen", "La excepcion", "Uno entre mil", "Adios", "Me quedo aqui" and "Medium". Hector Castillo and Tweety Gonzalez were responsible for the sound engineering of the album.
• Fuerza Natural (2009) Released on September 1, 2009, the album is Cerati’s fifth solo album and features a folk sound with acoustic guitars and presence of mandolins. The first single from the album was "Déjà vu". It also includes songs such as "Fuerza Natural", "Rapto", "Magia".

Cerati is known for his lead and rhythm guitar talents and for his ability to play intricate lead solos on guitar while singing in key. In his album Ahí vamos his guitar playing is featured prominently as opposed to the heavy use of electronic samplers as in Bocanada. Ahí Vamos was certified platinum in Argentina in only one day.

Cerati has several electronic music alter egos as well, namely Plan V, Ocio and Roken. He has produced albums for other artists, most notably Sueños en Tránsito for Nicole and Mar for Leo García as well as for the band Friccion. He is a contributing artist on several albums for artists such as Caifanes, Los Calzones, and Shakira.

Despite stating that the Grammys do not matter to him. He attended the Latin Grammys ceremony on November 2, 2006 where he won for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song.^[9]

On March 10, 2007 Cerati played a free concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The show was held in a popular square and main streets were closed. The concert was the closure of the Summer Programme of the city government. The government estimated that between 150,000^[10] and 200,000^[11] people attended.

On July 7, 2007 he performed at Live Earth with Shakira in Germany.

Gustavo Cerati won Best Rock Album for Fuerza Natural and Best Rock Song for Deja Vu during the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards.^[12]

Personal life[link]

Cerati was married to Chilean model Cecilia Amenábar from 1992 until 2002. They had two children: Lisa and Benito. Amenábar contributed vocals and double bass to Cerati's first solo album, Amor Amarillo.

Stroke[link]

On May 15, 2010, Cerati suffered a stroke^[13] due to a decompensation after his performance in Caracas, Venezuela. He was hospitalized in Centro Médico La Trinidad in Caracas under medical surveillance. Three days later, according to the Venezuelan media,^[14] Cerati underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain due to the ischemic stroke he suffered.

On June 7, 2010, Cerati was finally transferred to Argentina and hospitalized in the FLENI Neurological Institute in Buenos Aires.^[15] Doctors there began treatment with antibiotics due to a respiratory tract infection.^[16] The following day, doctors reported extensive brain damage due to the stroke, according to the Agence France-Presse.^[17] Cerati currently remains in a coma.

While performing at Rock in Rio Madrid on June 5, 2010, Colombian singer Shakira, a close friend of Cerati, debuted a new song, the title track from her upcoming Spanish album "Sale el Sol" (The Sun Comes Out), dedicated to Gustavo Cerati. The song states that the sun will rise even after the storm and that there is light at the end of the tunnel.^[18]

A month after the stroke, Claudio E. Pensa M.D., medical director of the FLENI Neurological Institute, issued a statement to the press stating that Cerati's medical condition remained unchanged and that he would only provide new information if changes were to occur.^[19]

Viejas Locas singer Cristian “Pity” Alvarez, during a performance in Cordoba on June 20, 2010, claimed that Cerati was already dead, but his decease was withheld due to financial issues.^[20] On June 21, Álvarez and the rest of Viejas Locas issued a statement expressing their wishes for Cerati's full recovery.^[21]

On Cerati's official webpage his family issued two statements, with the first on June 20, 2010 thanking and acknowledging the medical staff in Venezuela for their work, as well as the efforts of the personnel of Evenpro and Cerati's roadies and musicians.^[22] On June 27, 2010 the family's second statement was released, which affirmed that Cerati is receiving good medical care and asked fans to disregard any malicious rumors related to his health.^[19]

On December 2, 2010 a statement was issued by ALCLA Clinic's medical director stating that, neurologically, Cerati is reacting to thermal stimuli.^[23]

The Irish rock band U2 remembered Gustavo Cerati in one of their concerts in La Plata, Argentina, on March 2011 during the intro of their song "Moment of Surrender". Bono said "We would like you to think about Gustavo Cerati. We send him our love and respect, and he will hear our voices tonight", earning a standing ovation from 60,000 fans at the Único Stadium.^[24]

Guitars[link]

Cerati with his PRS Custom.

Gustavo has an extensive collection of guitars. The guitar he uses most is the PRS Custom Multifoil, which he has used for more than 20 years and is his characteristic guitar, but unlike other musicians that only use one or just a few guitars, he uses several, varying them depending on the song that he's playing in order to achieve the right sound. The guitars he most uses are:

• PRS Custom Multifoil
• G&L Legacy HB, Black finish
• Gibson ES-335, Cherry finish
• Fender Telecaster, Cherry finish
• G&L ASAT Classic, Cherry finish
• Jackson Soloist, Blue finish
• Fender Electric XII, Sunburst finish
• Gibson Les Paul, White / Black finish
• Gibson Chet Atkins SST
• Parker Fly Deluxe
• Pensa Custom MK1, Black quilt finish

Discography[link]

Gustavo Cerati has released five solo albums and with Soda Stereo he released seven studio albums and three live albums.

Solo releases[link]

• Amor Amarillo (1993)^[25]
• Bocanada (1999)
• Siempre es Hoy (2002)
• Ahí vamos (2006)
• Fuerza Natural (2009)

Soda Stereo[link]

LPs

• Soda Stereo (1984)
• Nada Personal (1985)
• Signos (1986)
• Doble Vida (1988)
• Canción Animal (1990)
• Dynamo (1992)
• Sueño Stereo (1995)

EPs, remixes

• Languis (1989)
• Rex Mix (1991)
• Zona de Promesas (1993)

Live

• Comfort y Música Para Volar (1996)
• El Último Concierto (1997)
• Gira Me Verás Volver (2008)

Other albums[link]

• Colores Santos (featuring the Argentine musician Daniel Melero) (1991)
• +Bien (Movie Soundtrack) (2001)
• 11 Episodios Sinfónicos (Live with Symphonic Orchestra) (2001)

Compilations[link]

• Chau Soda (1997)
• Siempre es Hoy: Reversiones (2003) (Double CD- Remixes Compilation)
• Canciones Elegidas 93-04 (2004) (European edition)
• Canciones Elegidas 93-04 (2004) (American edition) (CD + DVD)
• Me Verás Volver (2007)

Other projects[link]

• Fricción (with Richard Coleman) (1985)
• Colores Santos (with Daniel Melero) (1992)
• Colores Santos, the Remixes (1995)
• Plan V (with Andrés Bucci, Guillermo Ugarte, Christian Powditch, and Hugo Chávez) (1996)
• Plan Black V Dog (with Black Dog) (1998)
• Ocio - Medida Universal (with Flavius E.) (1999)
• Ocio - Insular (2000)
• Roken (with Flavius E., Leandro Fresco) (only live presentations, no album or record was done) (2004)
• Nicole - Sueños en tránsito (Producer) (1997)
• Leo García- Mar (Producer) (2000)

Collaborations[link]

Cerati Gustavo has done a lot of collaborations with other artists, some of the highlights are:

• The Child Will Fly - Roger Waters, Shakira, Eric Clapton, Pedro Aznar and Gustavo Cerati. In March 2008, Gustavo Cerati reunited with Roger Waters in New York to collaborate on a track to benefit the Alas Foundation. The session took place in the Looking Glass studio belonging to the renowned minimalist composer Philip Glass. There, Gustavo Cerati and Roger Waters worked under the command of Hector Castillo, recording engineer Here we go. Filming for the music video has begun.^[26]
• Outlandos D'Americas - Tribute to The Police, with Andy Summers, song "Tráeme la noche" ("Bring on the Night")
• Tribute to Queen (Soda Stereo, song "Algún Día" ("Some Day One Day")
• Los Durabeat (Beatles Tribute)
• Shakira - Fijación Oral Vol. 1 + 2 ("Día Especial", "No"), Sale el Sol ("Mariposas" "Devoción" "Tu Boca")
• No lo Soporto - Avión, song "Nunca Iré"
• Plasticos from Los Calzones-tribute to Argentine rock songs made in ska version (en la ciudad de la furia)
• Bajofondo - Mar Dulce, song "El Mareo"
• "Savage" guitar solo on Los Brujos debut LP's song "Fin de Semana Salvaje". He also co-produced this album with Daniel Melero.
• "Caifanes Vol. 1" - Guitar on "la Bestia Humana".

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gustavo Cerati's official website
• Soda Stereo official website
• 2006 Interview with Cerati by Patrick Ambrose at The Morning News