Well, as we’ve been saying for a long, long time, the New Orleans music scene is heating up again, to a fervor (we hope) that may match that of the early ’50s and ’60s.

The Grammy Awards saw four of ten New Orleans and Louisiana nominees take home golden gramophones. Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt scored for their pop duo, “Don’t Know Much” (we knew they were going to win, folks…our cover was designed before the Grammys!). The city’s beloved Neville Brothers also scored for “Best Pop lnstrumental” with Charles Neville’s inspired sax on the Brothers’ “Healing Chant” from the Yellow Moon album.

The significant thing about these Grammys is that they’re long overdue for The Nevilles, but more importantly, they were both in the pop category. New Orleans’ music hasn’t had that “pop” mainstream appeal since those days of the ’50s and ’60s. Does this mean that our stuff will be hitting the Billboard charts more often?

Seems so, with the big pop winner being Bonnie Raitt, our personal long-time favorite female artist. Bonnie’s a soulmate of local musicians, and her traditional blues and R&B roots go deep into New Orleans’ own. Can the new pop tradition be a revival of rhythm and blues? We hope so, and say, it’s about time!

Another Grammy shoo-in (as far as we were concerned) was Harry Connick, Jr.’s win as “Best Male Jazz Vocalist” for his “When Harry Met Sally” work. Harry combines New Orleans jazz piano with a pop-traditional vein that we think will make him one of the brightest stars of the ’90s. And Dr. John also scored with his “Makin’ Whoopee” duet with Rickie Lee Jones. Good goin’, Mac.

If you want a special treat this month, make the Lighthouse for the Blind’s Benefit “New Orleans’ Own” with Grammy-winners Harry Connick, Jr., Dr. John and Grammy-nominee Branford Marsalis. The show’s at 8 p.m. at the University of New Orleans’ Kiefer Arena. Tickets are $20 and all seats are reserved. This show promises to be a sell-out, so get your tickets now!

Speaking of Grammy-winners, the city itself may soon be a host for the Grammy Hall of Fame, if Shea Dixon has anything to do with it. Dixon’s a visionary who is trying to persuade the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) to locate their museum here. Dixon’s been working on this project for years now, and tells OffBeat that there are several sites under consideration. “We’ve got a great shot at getting the Hall of Fame,” Dixon says. “We’re commissioning a market study and developers are already lining up to look at the project.” For more information from Dixon on the Grammy Hall of Fame, call 524-0282.

For any of you readers who are really interested in New Orleans as a music town, you’ll want to know about the Delta Music Business Initiative Conference, to be held just before Jazz Fest April 26 at The Fairmont Hotel. The conference will let local business leaders know about what it will take to develop our local music industry and what investment opportunities exist. Heavy-hitters in the music business locally and from around the country will speak at the Delta Conference. Call OffBeat at 522-5533 for more information.

There’s also a technical conference in Lafayette for music professionals April 19-21. Call Dave Thomas at the Lafayette Arts Council at 318-233-7060 for more info.

The Delta Music Business Initiative comes at a good time because the city’s government and business community is already recognizing the value of music and entertainment to the city’s economy. During Mardi Gras, the President of JVC-Sony America was in town attending the Lundi Gras celebration at Riverwalk, where National Public Radio’s Bluesstage was being broadcast live with the The Nevilles, among others. Seems like JVC-Sony is interested in a major recording of Jazz Fest.

Bluesstage is the brainchild of Michael Murphy, who’s solicited the interest of city government through the Downtown Development District, Riverwalk, American Airlines, and the Hilton and Sheraton Hotels, among others. “The response to Bluesstage has been phenomenal,” Murphy told OffBeat recently. “You can’t believe the number of calls we’ve received, particularly after The Neville Brothers won their Grammys.” Bluesstage has been picked up by 150 NPR-member stations and 70 countries in eastern and western Europe. Locally, the show will be broadcast over WWNO Radio (89.9 FM) every night at 10:30 p.m. during Jazz Fest and on Saturdays after that.

Speaking of Jazz Fest, it seems as though it’s right around the bend again, beginning on April 27. We give a few highlights of the city’s greatest musical celebration in this month’s OffBeat.

Jazzsearch, the Audubon Zoo’s local talent search for talented musicians, will be held this year on two weekends: March 24-25 and March 31-April 1 (admission to the zoo lets you into the Jazzsearch area). Winners have the opportunity to play the Jazz Fest. Some interesting groups have been Jazzsearch winners: The Murmurs (pop-rock) and Evangeline, a Cajun-progressive country group. Perhaps this year we’ll get some rappers to take the Jazz Fest stage.

WTUL Radio is also sponsoring its annual Marathon fundraiser, with special club gigs and performances by Tony Dagradi, Joe “Cool” Davis, the Bluerunners (recently signed to Island records), Johnny J and the Hitmen, Woodenhead and others on the Tulane Campus on March 24 and 25.

For more information on exact times of performances, check this month’s OffBeat listings, or call the OffBeat Hotline at 525-5000 to check daily music and entertainment, 24 hours a day.