Santana example of Grammys trying to correct past snubs

Carlos Santana will probably win a slew of gold gramophones at Wednesday night's Grammy telecast. But it would be more fitting if he took home an engraved gold watch instead.<br><br>The 52-year-old

Monday, February 21st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Carlos Santana will probably win a slew of gold gramophones at Wednesday night's Grammy telecast. But it would be more fitting if he took home an engraved gold watch instead.

The 52-year-old guitarist's 10 nominations - including nods for song, record and album of the year - is one more embarrassing case of the Grammys lauding a veteran near the end of a career instead of early on, when the music actually merited it.

Mr. Santana's mega-million-selling Supernatural album is by no means the worst one he's ever made. But this collection of duets (with young-bloods such as Dave Matthews, Lauryn Hill and Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20) is more of a marketing coup than a bold artistic statement on par with 1969's classic Santana, 1970's Abraxus or 1971's Santana 3. None of those albums was even nominated, and Mr. Santana has won just one Grammy over the course of his storied 31-year career. That will undoubtedly change Wednesday night. And if he wins for song, record or al bum of the year, it might translate into one of those heart-tugging awards-show moments when the audience roars and leaps to its feet as the humble vet struggles to find words to express his gratitude.

It'll make for great TV. But it'll also be an all-too-familiar case of the Grammys trying to absolve themselves for glaring past mistakes. A few of the more notable recent examples:

* Bob Dylan: He's the most important American rock figure besides Elvis, but he had to wait 25 years before the Grammys got around to nominating him for album of the year. He won, in '97, for Time Out of Mind, but his Grammy grand total of four still puts him behind Amy Grant, the Bee Gees and Toto.

* Bruce Springsteen: The Boss won just two minor awards in the first 20 years of his career before the Grammys played catch-up and gave him four statues in '94 (including best-song honors) for "Streets of Philadelphia" - a tune that pales in comparison to his earlier work.

* Eric Clapton: He'd been revolutionizing blues-rock for a quarter-century before he won his first award in 1990. The Grammys tried to right that wrong in 1992 by showering him with six trophies for MTV Unplugged, a hit-and-miss album of which Mr. Clapton said during his speech, "I was convinced this wasn't worth releasing." The Grammys also gave him the record-of-the-year trophy in 1996 for his uber-bland "Change the World."

It's too bad Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Sam Cooke, Bob Marley and Elvis aren't still alive and making records, since they'd be ideal candidates for similar late-career Grammy avalanches. (The first four never won a competitive Grammy, while Elvis only won them for his gospel records.)

Granted, the Grammys have tried to become more hip by recruiting younger voters and retooling the nominating process in the mid-'90s. As a result, young trend-setters such as Alanis Morissette and Ms. Hill have won album-of-the-year honors in recent years - Ms. Hill took home a whopping five Grammys last year alone.

And the addition of categories for rap, metal, hard rock and alternative music means cutting-edge artists of today will get a better shot at a Grammy than their predecessors.

But for the time being, brace yourself for a long run of better-late-than-never Grammy landslide victories. After Carlos Santana leaves the stage, you've still got Neil Young, Chuck Berry, Chrissie Hynde, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello and dozens of other Grammy-less rock legends waiting in the wings.