Sweatin’ It Out : C+C Leads Pack in Music Awards--and Grammy Campaigning

Call it the Grammy syndrome.

The voting for the prestigious, peer-awarded Grammys doesn’t close for another week and a half, so perhaps it’s not surprising that at the American Music Awards ceremony Monday at the Shrine Auditorium, several winners of the nationally televised popularity contest felt strangely compelled to defend their honor, sounding less like champions than campaigners still on the trail. (AMA nominations are based on sales, and winners are determined by a national survey of a cross-section of record buyers.)

The winner for Most Defensive Artist: C+C Music Factory, which was also riding high with five of the real AMA trophies.

The popular dance/rap group, which won awards in the dance and pop categories, was clearly upset over a report in the trade papers Monday that session singer Martha Wash, who earlier sued the combo over the uncredited use of her vocals in the hit “Gonna Make You Sweat,” is seeking to share in the group’s Grammy nomination for best new artist.

“The real thing I want to say is, I’m deeply grateful to you all for believing in us and not falling prey to this whole lip-syncing thing, ‘cause we are not a lip-sync group,” David Cole told the ABC television audience of an estimated 29 million viewers. “We are for real, 100%, and Miss Zelma (Davis) here can sing.”

Davis then stepped to the microphone and improvised a few bars of doo-wop as evidence.

Backstage, Cole cited the upcoming Grammys as reason for the unusual public self-defense.

“The only reason is because of an article that came out in the newspapers, and being as the Grammys are coming up and how delicate that whole matter is, we felt it was important for people to understand,” he said to the assembled press. “We all have worked very hard and I think it’s a sad thing that people have to discredit and use us to gain recognition.”

Meanwhile, the Most Sullen award had to go to Michael Bolton, who despite winning two awards--favorite male vocalist and favorite album, both in the pop/rock category--never cracked a smile and grimaced his way through three appearances on the telecast. In a stop backstage for a press conference, a lengthy diatribe against music critics provided a possible explanation for his dour demeanor.

“I got some very serious negative critic comments by a few pretty nasty people, and I guess I still haven’t lost my sensitivity, because it actually affected me,” said the glowering singer.

Critics, Bolton said, “kind of develop a severe emotional problem about me. And there is some major work in psychotherapy right now, and I highly recommend that to some of them.”

One person who had nothing to gripe about, award-wise or review-wise, was Natalie Cole, who won two trophies in the adult contemporary category--favorite female artist and album, for the critically acclaimed “Unforgettable” record of songs made famous by her father, Nat King Cole.

“I feel like I’m sharing this one with my dad, definitely,” said Cole. “I think he would have been tickled. . . . and flabbergasted to think that not only did I go on to sing, but that I recorded not one but twenty-something songs (of his) almost 30 years later.”

Other dual winners were Garth Brooks (who had to cancel out of his appearance because of his wife’s illness) for favorite male artist and single, country; and Luther Vandross (now slimmed down, he claimed, by 93 pounds) for favorite male artist and album, soul/R&B.;

The remaining awards were spread out between Paula Abdul and Bryan Adams (pop/rock); Mariah Carey, Bell Biv DeVoe, Color Me Badd and Boyz II Men (soul/R&B;); Reba McEntire, Alabama and Trisha Yearwood (country); Hammer, D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Naughty by Nature (rap); Michael W. Smith (adult contemporary). A wire story published in Tuesday’s Times erroneously named Metallica a heavy metal/hard rock winner--actually, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses and Firehouse took those prizes.

Soul legend James Brown was presented with the AMA award of merit by his devotee Hammer, before launching into a Vegas-style medley of his hits, complete with ‘70s-era dancing girls. Asked backstage how he felt, Brown gave his standard response and vocal punctuation ( Good . . . ow .)

Though overexposed superstar Hammer performed with his usual aerobic fervor at show’s beginning and end as well as hosting, and acts included Whitney Houston and Reba McEntire, the only overwhelming interest in any of the performers came with the commanding debut solo appearance by Wynonna Judd, crooning her first single, “She Is His Only Need,” as retired mama Naomi Judd looked proudly and tearfully on from the front row.

Backstage, salacious rapper Marky Mark spoke for many in admitting that he “was hopin’ for a little more excitement” at the show. He did his feeble best to make up for the lack of tension by talking about his expanding bra collection (about 60 so far, “lots of ‘em extra-large sizes”) and dropping trou for the press, showing off his new line of Marky Mark-emblazoned underwear (boxer-style, for the record).

One television reporter provided an offbeat twist as she asked most of the acts their feelings about sexual harassment in the music business--garnering mostly innocuous responses, but providing ever politically incorrect Van Halen the opportunity to win the evening’s Foot-in-Mouth Award.

“Can you blame ‘em?” asked Sammy Hagar rhetorically of the industry’s accused. “They hire fine secretaries, then harass ‘em. It’s a man’s nature, I’m sorry.”