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Bay Area Grammy Winners: Taj Mahal, Sheila E., SF Symphony and More

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A woman in black smiles into the camera near a set of timbales
Sheila E. (Rob Shanahan)

The 67th Grammy Awards on Sunday night delivered heartfelt tributes to Los Angeles as it recovers from wildfires, plus many memorable moments — including Beyoncé finally winning Album of the Year and a powerful speech about music industry’s inequities from Best New Artist Chappell Roan.

Among the winners were several from the Bay Area, including San Francisco mastering engineer Nicolas de Porcel, founder of the studio Million Dollar Snare. de Porcel shared in Kendrick Lamar’s Record of the Year win for “Not Like Us,” which united the West Coast while decimating Drake in their rap beef.

Berkeley singer and guitarist Taj Mahal won Best Traditional Blues Album for Swingin’ Live at The Church in Tulsa — and also received a Lifetime Achievement Award. In a statement, the Recording Academy praised his impact on blues music over the past six decades by pulling in global influences and collaborating with artists like the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and San Francisco’s own Etta James.

Late R&B legend Frankie Beverly, who was originally from Philadelphia but resettled in Oakland, also received a Lifetime Achievement Award for genre-defining hits like “Before I Let Go.”

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Sheila E., the Bay Area-raised pop hitmaker, percussionist and Prince collaborator, won Best Global Music Performance with “Bemba Colorá.” The conga-heavy, groove-laden salsa song features Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar.

The San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Symphony Chorus and music director Esa-Pekka Salonen took home the trophy for Best Opera Recording for Adriana Mater, a meditation on war from a woman’s perspective from Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.

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