Success at music business shindig

Dave Chappelle and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic were among the winners at the Grammy Awards last night.

Chappelle’s double release Equanimity & The Bird Revelation was named best comedy album at the Los Angeles ceremony. The two specials were originally released on Netflix in December 2017 as part of the comic’s multi-million-dollar comeback.

Equanimity, recorded in Washington, last year received an Emmy Award for outstanding variety special, while The Bird Revelation was  taped at the Comedy Store in LA. 

Chappelle saw off competition from Patton Oswalt’s Annihilation, Jim Gaffigan’s Noble Ape,  Fred Armisen’s Standup For Drummers and Chris Rock’s Tamborine.

It is his second successive Grammy, having won the same category for for The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas last year.

Meanwhile,  Yankovic won the award for ‘best boxed or special limited edition package’ for his complete works release Squeeze Box.

The 15-disc set, released on both CD and vinyl, came in a box that looked like his accordion, and fanned out to reveal the albums. One of the discs was unreleased material and it came with a 100-page book of rare photographs.

But it came with a $200 (£155) price tag for the cheapest CD option – or $475 (£368) for the high-end vinyl version.

Yankovic tweeted: ‘So excited that I finally get to join the Five-Timers Club!  Thank you, #Grammy voters!’

The song parodist previously won the comedy category for Mandatory Fun in 2014, Poodle Hat in 2003, I’m Fat in 1988 and Eat It in 1984.

Atlanta star Donald Glover made history at the awards last night,  with This Is America,  by his alter-ego Childish Gambino, becoming the first rap song to win song of the year and record of the year.

Published: 11 Feb 2019