Local couple attends Grammy Awards
The 56th annual Grammy Awards was held Jan. 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Chris Bell, chief engineer/ producer/mixer at Blade Studios in Shreveport, surprised girlfriend Charlotte Rice with a ticket. Just when she thought she had opened her last Christmas gift, “He told me he had one more present, and it’s ticket to the Grammy Awards, a plane ticket to go with it and a house in Malibu for the weekend! I was thrilled, but it was awkward. All I got him was a Rolling Stone subscription,” she said.
In addition to flying Rice out to L.A., Bell surprised her with a limo and full redcarpet treatment. “I wanted her to feel like a princess,” Bell said. “The first time you go, it’s special. I wanted to give her the whole experience.”
Bell was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1998 for Best Engineered Album and has worked on several Grammy-winning projects along with serving on the Texas Chapter Board of Governors for the Recording Academy. He currently serves on the Memphis Chapter. He has worked with U2, Erykah Badu, Earth, Wind & Fire, Destiny’s Child, Don Henley, EverClear, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Peter Gabriel and The Eagles’ No. 1 record, “Long Road Out of Eden.”
One extraordinary addition to this year’s awards was the collaboration of the two remaining Beatles – Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr – who have not shared a stage together in five years. The special event honored the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first arrival in America.
Daft Punk won four awards, including Album of the Year for “Random Access Memories” and Record of the Year with Pharrell Williams for “Get Lucky.” Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won four Grammys, including Best New Artist. Lorde’s “Royals” won for Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year. Carole King was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year.
As for Christmas next year, Rice is perplexed over what to get Bell. “I guess now to even the score, I’ll have to make friends with Richard Branson, so I can get him a ticket to outer-space or find a way to resurrect Jimi Hendrix and recreate ‘Monterey Pop 2015.’”
