Paul Rodgers’ The Royal Sessions Goes To The Grammy Museum

PAUL RODGERS BRINGS MEMPHIS TO LOS ANGELES MOST ROYALLY

It has been a fantastic week for rock veteran Paul Rodgers whose current album, The Royal Sessions, celebrates Memphis soul in a very authentic way. The British rock legend who in the past fronted Free, Bad Company and The Firm has been hugely influenced by American R&B and the Memphis soul sound in particular.

He and producer Perry Margouleff decided to record an album that reflected those roots, and chose Royal Studios in Memphis where such greats as Al Green, Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright and others had recorded in the past. Royal owner Boo Mitchell, son of studio founder Willie Mitchell, made Paul and Perry feel very welcome and enlisted a backing band of the best players Memphis has to offer. Many of these same great musicians were on hand at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles last week when a program exploring Paul’s ongoing dedication to the Memphis sound took place. Following a lively discussion, moderated by Grammy Foundation Vice President Scott Goldman, Paul performed a number of songs from The Royal Sessions including “I Can’t Stand The Rain” and “Born Under A Bad Sign.” These same players will be performing with Paul on November 3rd at London’s Royal Albert Hall in a concert that is a benefit for the Willows Animal Sanctuary & Animal Assisted Therapy Unit in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

The morning after the Grammy Museum event, it was revealed that The Royal Sessions and several of its tracks are now up for consideration in numerous GRAMMY® categories including, among others, the following:

Album of the Year – “The Royal Sessions”

Record of the Year – “I Can’t Stand The Rain”

Best Rock Performance – “Born Under A Bad Sign”

Best Traditional R&B performance – “I Can’t Stand The Rain”

Best Americana Album – “The Royal Sessions”

Best Americana Roots Performance – “I Thank You”

Producer of the Year – Perry Margouleff