LOS ANGELES, CA — First Take PR proudly recognizes two of its distinguished music clients, seven-time Grammy Award winner Larry Dunn and singer-songwriter John Michael Ferrari, whose recordings appeared on the first-round ballot for the 69th Annual Grammy Awards.
Larry Dunn — “Ribbon in the Sky”
Legendary keyboardist, composer, producer, and founding member of Earth, Wind & Fire, Larry Dunn is featured on “Ribbon in the Sky,” performed by renowned saxophonist Ronnie Laws, featuring Dunn, Howard Hewett, and Debra Laws, with a special harmonica appearance by Stevie Wonder. Final mixing and mastering were completed by David Chatfield.
The recording appeared on the first-round ballot in the Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance category, newly introduced for the 2027 Grammy Awards.
A seven-time Grammy Award winner whose contributions helped establish Earth, Wind & Fire as one of contemporary music’s most influential groups, Dunn continues to collaborate with accomplished musicians across R&B, soul, jazz, and popular music. “Ribbon in the Sky” brings together an exceptional group of artists whose individual contributions have played significant roles in American music.
John Michael Ferrari — Love Is…
Singer-songwriter John Michael Ferrari also appeared on the first-round Grammy ballot with Love Is…, a recording that reflects his personal approach to songwriting and musical storytelling. Through heartfelt lyrics and expressive performances, Ferrari has developed a recognizable artistic identity rooted in personal experience and emotional connection.
His inclusion on the first-round ballot marks another milestone in his recording career.
The Road to the 2027 Grammy Awards
First-round voting for the 69th Annual Grammy Awards concluded October 22, 2026. The Recording Academy will announce the official nominees November 16, 2026, followed by final-round voting from December 10, 2026, through January 7, 2027. The Grammy Awards ceremony is scheduled for February 7, 2027.
Both recordings received first-round ballot consideration; official nomination results remain pending.
First Take PR congratulates Larry Dunn and John Michael Ferrari on their musical accomplishments and is pleased to recognize their participation in this year’s Grammy Awards consideration process.
FIRST TAKE PR
Entertainment Public Relations & Media
First Take PR welcomes singer-songwriter and recording artist John Michael Ferrari to its roster. Ferrari comes to us with a career spanning three decades, an extensive catalog, nine No. 1 radio hits, numerous awards and honors, and a history of doing something the music industry has spent the last several years discovering can be done: building a substantial career without waiting for traditional gatekeepers to provide the blueprint.
That makes Ferrari a particularly good fit for First Take PR. We are excited to take on his rollout campaign and expand the visibility of an artist who has already done much of the difficult work. He has written the songs, made the records, performed for audiences, earned radio play, built a catalog, and continued working through an industry that has changed dramatically around him. Our job isn’t to manufacture a story. There is already a story here.
Ferrari gives new meaning to the word independent. For too long, the term has been used as a qualifier, as though an independent artist occupies a tier below an artist backed by a major label. The modern music business has repeatedly proven otherwise. Chance the Rapper built an enormous audience outside the traditional label system and became the first Black hip-hop artist to win the Grammy for Best New Artist. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis independently released The Heist, watched it debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and took “Thrift Shop” to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their careers helped demonstrate publicly what working artists have known for years: independence describes how the business is structured. It does not determine the caliber of the artist.
Love Is by John Michael Ferrari (Click image to purchase the box set)
Ferrari has been following that principle throughout his own career. His path has taken him through country, pop, jazz, Americana, and inspirational music, with songwriting providing the common denominator. He has continued to record and release music while accumulating recognition across songwriting, performance, radio, and recording. Among his recent achievements are six 2026 World Songwriting Awards, while his chart history includes nine No. 1 radio hits. His songs “So Beautiful,” “Somewhere We Could Fall,” “Be the Smile on Your Face,” “Masquerading in the Night,” “Who’s That Girl,” “You’re My Dream Girl,” “Smooth Sailing,” “When Love Is Love,” and “Already Miss You” have all reached the top of their respective charts, with “Already Miss You” returning to No. 1 twice on the Cashbox Magazine Americana Radio Chart.
That record becomes more significant when viewed in context. Ferrari hasn’t built his career by fitting neatly into a category. He has built it by continuing to work. The result is a catalog and professional history that exist independently of whatever label the industry chooses to put beside his name. Independence, in this case, hasn’t meant standing outside the music business looking in. It has meant building his own door.
Crossover Country Artist John Michael Ferrari Graces the cover of the inaugural Issue of The Indie Hotspot
A RECENT COVER STORY PUTS THE FOCUS ON FERRARI
Ferrari recently appeared as the inaugural cover artist for The Indie Hotspot, where an extensive interview and accompanying fashion editorial examined his career, influences, approach to songwriting, use of technology, and perspective on an industry he has watched transform firsthand. The feature also presented Ferrari visually as more than a singer-songwriter, emphasizing the broader entertainer behind the music.
During the interview, The Indie Hotspot summed up a quality that has allowed Ferrari to remain relevant while the mechanisms surrounding music have continued to change:
“Technology will continue to evolve, audiences will continue to discover music in new ways, and the business will undoubtedly keep changing. But authenticity never goes out of style. The artists who leave the deepest impression are those willing to tell their stories honestly and trust that the right listeners will find them.”
—The Indie Hotspot
That assessment is worth noting. Ferrari began experimenting with digital music technology decades before today’s direct-to-audience environment existed. In his Indie Hotspot interview, he recalled using a Commodore computer and Cakewalk software for backing tracks during live performances in the early 1980s and telling a UNLV musical director who approached him about the technology, “This is the future of music.” Today, he works with Pro Tools and Logic in his own studio and sees technology as a means of reaching listeners without surrendering artistic identity.
THREE DECADES AND STILL MOVING
Ferrari is currently marking 30 years of music with LOVE IS, an anthology project that brings together material from across his career. His recent music includes “When Love Is Love,” written with Pepper Jay, David Easterling, and Sophie Love and produced by Jay. The project adds another chapter to a career that began when Ferrari discovered music as a child and ultimately made songwriting and performing his life’s work.
The milestone is useful because it puts Ferrari’s independence into perspective. Thirty years cannot be manufactured by a publicity campaign. Neither can a catalog, sustained radio history, repeat chart success, or the ability to continue finding an audience while the business changes around you.
That’s what interests us at First Take PR.
We’re looking forward to working with John Michael Ferrari and to bringing a focused rollout campaign to a career that already has considerable substance behind it. There will be time to talk about what comes next.
For now, we’re simply glad he’s here.
Welcome aboard, John.
(All images photographed by Ash Gupta 838 Media Group)
