Michael Bolton, Ronstadt Win Pop Grammys

Michael Bolton was named top pop male vocalist over the late Roy Orbison, the evening’s sentimental favorite, and Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville were cited for best vocal by a pop duo as the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards telecast got under way Wednesday evening at the Shrine Auditorium.

Jazz great Miles Davis was certain of one award even before the three-hour CBS program began. Along with former Beatle Paul McCartney, the celebrated trumpeter was to be honored with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

But Davis, who has won four previous Grammys, also picked up his fifth and sixth Grammys.

During pre-telecast ceremonies--in which 61 of the evening’s 77 awards were announced--Davis was saluted for best jazz instrumental performance by a big band during 1989 and for best jazz instrumental by a soloist, both in connection with his album, “Aura.”

The Recording Academy was also scheduled to give two posthumous Lifetime Achievement Awards during the telecast to singer Nat King Cole and pianist Vladimir Horowitz. Dick Clark was to be presented with a Trustees Award, for achievements in the non-performing side of the industry.

Grammy winners are chosen by the nearly 6,000 active members of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, a nonprofit organization formed to represent all segments of the recording industry.

Bonnie Raitt was one of the evening’s other multiple winners. She was saluted for best female rock vocal and traditional blues recording, sharing the latter with John Lee Hooker for their duet on “I’m in the Mood.”

Other artists who received multiple awards included British soul-dance group Soul II Soul and composer-arranger Dave Grusin.

Soul II Soul won the R&B; group vocal award for the single “Back to Life,” and the R&B; instrumental Grammy for “African Dance,” a selection from the group’s “Keep on Movin’ ” album. The group, however, lost in the more-prized best new artist category to the duo Milli Vanilli.

Grusin, winner of three previous Grammys, picked up three more. They were for the background score of the film “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” instrumental arrangement for the suite from the film “The Milagro Beanfield War” and instrumental arrangement with a vocal for the rendition of “My Funny Valentine” in “‘Baker Boys.”

The Traveling Wilburys, the veteran rock superstar quintet that was widely viewed in the recording industry as the betting favorite in the competition for key album of the year, were also honored during the pre-telecast portion of the program for the best group vocal in rock.

The group consists of rock veterans Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Orbison.

Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality” single was named best hard rock performance of 1989, shutting out the controversial Los Angeles-based hard-rock band Guns N’ Roses. The latter group had been widely criticized for allegedly racist remarks in a song, “One in a Million,” that was included in its “GN’R Lies” album, which was a contender in the hard-rock category.

About 10 members from the Los Angeles chapter of the Guardian Angels, the self-styled crime fighters, marched in front of the Shrine on Wednesday, handing out leaflets that branded “One in a Million” as racist for its use of racial epithets, and New York rap group’s Public Enemy’s “Welcome to the Terrordome” as anti-Semitic.

Public Enemy--whose “Fight the Power” single was a nominee in the rap category--has been criticized by Jewish leaders and others for possible anti-Semitic attitudes since a controversial interview by Professor Griff, the group’s former “minister of information,” that appeared last May in the Washington Times newspaper.

Both Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns N’ Roses, and Chuck D., the leader of Public Enemy, have denied racist or bigoted attitudes.

Harry Connick Jr.’s victory in the male jazz vocal category Wednesday is likely to stir criticism from the purist wing of the jazz community that has tended to think of Connick primarily as a cabaret or pop singer. In picking up his first Grammy for his contributions to the “When Harry Meets Sally” film sound track album, Connick defeated past jazz Grammy winners Joe Williams and George Benson.

Two names more commonly associated with pop and rock, Dr. John and Rickie Lee Jones, were also honored for best jazz vocal by a duo or group. They teamed up on a version of “Makin’ Whoopee.”

Veteran Ruth Brown, a star over the years in jazz, blues and rock fields, was named best female jazz vocalist for her album, “Blues on Broadway.”

The Pat Metheny Group was honored for jazz fusion performance for the fifth time since the category was initiated in 1979.

Chick Corea, who had won seven previous Grammys, was honored for best jazz group instrumental for his album, “Chick Corea Akoustic Band.”

Bobby Brown was named best male R&B; vocalist, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” was named best R&B; song.

In the country field, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume Two” was associated with three awards. The band itself won a Grammy for best group vocal, defeating the Judds, who had finished on top in this category two of the last three years. The band also shared a Grammy with Bruce Hornsby for best blue grass recording, while Randy Scruggs was cited as best country instrumentalist for his work on a song, “Amazing Grace,” that appeared on the “Circle” album.

Rodney Crowell’s “After All This Time” was declared best country song.

The Indigo Girls’ debut album was judged the top contemporary folk recording. The traditional folk Grammy was awarded to the Bulgarian State Female Vocal Choir, a group that had made a considerable pop splash during 1989.

Los Lobos was judged the best Mexican-American performance.

The late actress-comedian Gilda Radner was honored for best spoken word recording for her, “It’s Always Something.”

“Jerome Robbins’ Broadway” was named best musical cast show album.

In the composition categories, Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run” (from the film “Working Girl”) was named best song written for a movie, while Danny Elfman’s “Batman” theme was voted best instrumental composition.

POP WINNERS

Album: “Nick of Time,” Bonnie Raitt.

Pop Instrumental: “Healing Chant,” Neville Brothers.

Rock Vocal by Duo or Group: “Traveling Wilburys, Volume One,” Traveling Wilburys.

Rock Instrumental: “Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop with Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas,” Jeff Beck with Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas.

R&B; Vocal by Duo or Group: “Back to Life,” Soul II Soul.

R&B; Instrumental: “African Dance,” Soul II Soul.

R&B; Song: “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

New Age: “Passion--Music for the Last Temptation of Christ,” Peter Gabriel.

Jazz Fusion: “Letter From Home,” Pat Metheny Group.

Jazz Vocal by Duo or Group: “Makin’ Whoopee,” Dr. John and Rickie Lee Jones.

Solo Jazz Instrumental: “Aura,” Miles Davis.

Group Jazz Instrumental: “Chick Corea Akoustic Band,” Chick Corea Akoustic Band.

Big Band Jazz Instrumental: “Aura,” Miles Davis.

Country Vocal by Duo or Group: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken Volume Two,” Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Country Vocal Collaboration: “There’s a Tear in My Beer,” Hank Williams Jr. and Hank Williams Sr.

Country Instrumental: “Amazing Grace,” Randy Scruggs.

Bluegrass: “The Valley Road,” Bruce Hornsby and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Country Song: “After All This Time,” Rodney Crowell.

Female Gospel Vocal: “Don’t Cry,” CeCe Winans.

Male Gospel Vocal: “Meantime,” BeBe Winans.

Gospel Vocal by Duo or Group: “The Savior is Waiting,” Take 6.

Male/Female Soul Gospel Vocal: “As Long As We’re Together,” Al Green.

Soul Gospel Vocal by Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus: “Let Brotherly Love Continue,” Daniel Winans & Choir.

Tropical Latin: “Ritmo En El Corazon,” Celia Cruz & Ray Barretto.

Traditional Blues: “I’m in the Mood,” John Lee Hooker and Bonnie Raitt.

Contemporary Blues: “In Step,” Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble.

Traditional Folk: “Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares, Volume II,” Bulgarian State Female Vocal Choir.

Contemporary Folk: “Indigo Girls,” Indigo Girls.

Polka: “All in My Love for You,” Jimmy Sturr & his Orchestra.

Reggae: “Serious Business,” Third World.

Children: “The Rock-A-Bye Collection Volume I,” Tanya Goodman.

Comedy: “P.D.Q. Bach: 1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults,” Professor Peter Schickele--the Greater Hoople Area Off-Season Philharmonic.

Spoken Word or Non-Musical: “It’s Always Something,” Gilda Radner.

Instrumental Composition: “The Batman Theme,” Danny Elfman.

Original Instrumental Background Score for Motion Picture or Television: “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” Dave Grusin.

Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television: “Let the River Run,” Carly Simon.

Arrangement on an Instrumental: “Suite From ‘The Milagro Beanfield War,’ ” Dave Grusin.

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals: “My Funny Valentine,” from “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” Dave Grusin.

Album Package: “Sound + Vision,” Roger Gorman.

Album Notes: “Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve,” Phil Schaap.

Historical Album: “Chuck Berry--the Chess Box,” Andy McKaie.

Engineering: “Cry Like a Rainstorm--Howl Like the Wind,” George Massenburg.