The Beatles’ recent single, “Now and Then,” was nominated for two Grammy Awards, receiving nods for both Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance. But the Fab Four’s last song together – which features Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison adding contributions to a previously unfinished 1977 John Lennon home demo – will not earn Grammys for all the Beatles if the track wins any awards. Due to Recording Academy rules, only McCartney and Starr are eligible to receive Grammys for the tune. Because Lennon and Harrison have each been dead for more than five years, they cannot meet the Grammy qualifications for “new recordings,” which stipulates that it must be “material that has been recorded within five years of the release date.” Both McCartney and Giles Martin – son of legendary Beatles producer George Martin – are nominated for Record of the Year as producers of “Now and Then,” as are eight engineer/mixers and a mastering engineer, but not John and George. (Billboard)
