An all-star lineup of musical talent is set to assemble for a tribute to the one and onlyPrince.
On Thursday, the Recording Academy announced an upcoming concert special in honor of the late icon, titledLet’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince.Among the artists enlisted to evoke the Purple One areJohn Legend,Usher,Commonand this year’s returningGrammyshost,Alicia Keys.
Chris Martin, H.E.R.,Beck,Foo Fighters,St. Vincent,Mavis Staples,Gary Clark Jr.andEarth, Wind & Firehave also been tapped for the show, which will be performed on Jan. 28 in Los Angeles, with a televised air date in April.
“Regardless of how you identify [Prince], he is indisputably one of the greatest musical virtuosos of all time,” Recording Academy President and CEO Deborah Dugan said in a statement. “With his subversive attitude and commanding nature, he straddled musical genres and created electrifying music that was bursting with character.”
Dugan added: “He continues to serve as an inspirational icon for artists and fans worldwide, and we are so honored to pay tribute to his legacy.”
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PreviousGrammy Salutespecials have paid respects to music industry legends likethe Beatles,Elton John,Stevie WonderandAretha Franklin.
Sheila E., who will serve as musical director for the show, toldRolling Stonethat she is “honored” to pay tribute to Prince, whodiedin 2016 at the age of 57.
“I was very honored to be able to do this for so many reasons, but to be able to help celebrate the life of a dear friend and be a part of this and be musical director is awesome,” she said.
Sheila E. added: “Musically, there’s so much to choose from. … It’s almost unfair to do a two-hour tribute to him — we could do a full week. At the end of the day, it’s him bringing people together and having a good time.”
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The idea for the tribute show, which will span Prince’s entire career, has been floated for years, Grammys producerKen Ehrlich toldRolling Stone, but until now, the concept seemed too daunting to pull off.
“Sometimes you worry about these things, because when an artist is so iconic, so individualistic and so unique, you get a little bit nervous about having people interpret their work,” Ehrlich said.
“But I think, if anything,” he added, “based on what we’ve done with these past shows, either we’ve gotten a little foolhardy to think that we could do Prince, or we’ve gotten confident that there are artists out there who fit, who will be faithful to what he did and reverent enough not to f— around with him.”
source: people.com
