Soca music will be recognised at the Grammy Awards from 2006 when there will be an award for Best Soca Recording. Sonata Smith, a member of the Grammy Awards Voting Committee was quoted in the Trinidad Express newspaper as saying that everything has been put in place for voting to begin in 2005 to select the songs that will be nominated for the first Grammy for soca music. Aruba-born Smith, a Caribbean music aficionado began an internship at the US-based Grammy organisation in 1999 and since then she has been trying to convince the organisation to establish a category for soca. Her efforts were rewarded after she made a presentation to the executive committee which included historical and statistical data about Soca. Musical impact "I had to do a lot of research, which included going to the various islands collecting data and music. They had to know that the music was creating some sort of impact, at least within the Caribbean community," she told the Express. "They did not know about the music and there was really nothing about it out there to make them sit up and take notice on their own. The song that I used as a sample was Trini To The Bone by David Rudder and Carl Jacobs, so you can see that Trinidad was given the recognition as the birthplace of the genre," she said. I want everyone to get online and find out how to become a voting member of the Grammys. It is easy. All the information and how to access the forms are right there," Smith said. Reggae has already been a part of the Grammy Awards for 19 years. Winners of the Best Grammy Album award have included Sean Paul, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Beenie Man and Ziggy Marley. Smith urged those involved in the recording industry to become voting members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the body which runs the annual award show. SOURCE: BBCCARIBBEAN.COM