NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Cissy Houston to be honored with lifetime achievement award

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Grammy-winning soul gospel singer Cissy Houston, mother of the late Whitney Houston, will be honored at the Gospel Image Awards in Charlotte, N.C.

Houston will be the lifetime-achievement honoree at Saturday’s event at the Halton Theater.

Houston was in the well-known vocal group the Sweet Inspirations, who performed alongside artists such as Aretha Franklin and Elvis.

She won two Grammys in 1998 and 1996 for traditional soul gospel albums.

Adams says covering Swift’s ‘1989’ was ‘incredibly humbling’

NEW YORK

Rocker Ryan Adams said covering Taylor Swift’s entire “1989” album was “incredibly humbling” and helped him explore himself more deeply as a musician.

Adams’ version of “1989” was digitally released Monday. Swift released the original album – her first full-blown pop record – last October.

“It’s actually incredibly humbling to find a connection with someone else’s words and someone else’s songs and to open yourself up and to feel them fully, and find out where those stories take you,” Adams, 40, said in an interview last week. “It felt no less genuine than any song I’ve ever written for myself.”

So far, Swift’s fifth album has sold 5.2 million units and launched multiple hits, including No. 1’s such as “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood.” Adams’ interpretation of “1989” offers a slowed-down take on her upbeat anthems.

“I got to work different parts of my brain, different parts of my heart and different parts of the musical aspects of my personality,” Adams said of covering Swift’s music. “It’s really its own thing. ... It’s not the same record.”

After completing his version, the singer-songwriter-producer played it for 25-year-old Swift before taking it any further. Adams said he has known Swift for about four years and counts himself as a fan.

Associated Press