SANTA MONICA, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Recording Academy) - Beyonce; Foo Fighters; Carrie Underwood; 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, the Clark Sisters,
Israel And New Breed, and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 in a special gospel segment; and
Rihanna with a reunited the Time in a special 50th anniversary segment are the first performers announced for the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast, it was announced today by The Recording Academy.
The music industry's premier event will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide and XM Satellite Radio, and covered online at GRAMMY.com. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.
As previously announced, the Foo Fighters will perform as part of this year's "My GRAMMY Moment" segment on the telecast. Produced in partnership with YouTube and CBS.com, up to 20 unsigned musicians will be given the unique opportunity to play with Foo Fighters as part of an orchestra created specifically for this event. Three of these musicians will vie to be a featured instrumentalist during the performance. Arranging the orchestral piece and taking up the baton as special guest conductor will be Led Zeppelin's legendary multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones. Together the Foo Fighters, Jones and this talented musical ensemble will provide the world with an entirely new take on the Foo Fighters' hit single "The Pretender."
Another distinctive GRAMMY moment on this year's show will feature 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige in a dynamic Gospel segment that also will include the Clark Sisters, Israel And New Breed, the Madison Bumblebees and Trin-I-Tee 5:7.
And in a special 50th anniversary segment that bridges several decades, from the '80s to today, Rihanna will perform with the Time, who are reuniting for this special presentation.
Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, the Clark Sisters, the Foo Fighters, Israel And New Breed, Rihanna and Carrie Underwood all are multiple nominees this year.
Ten-time GRAMMY Award winner Beyonce has two nods: Record Of The Year ("Irreplaceable") and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals ("Beautiful Liar" with Shakira).
Four-time GRAMMY winners the Foo Fighters have five nominations: Record Of The Year, Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "The Pretender"; and Album Of The Year and Best Rock Album for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.
Six-time GRAMMY winner Mary J. Blige is nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("Just Fine") and Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals ("Disrespectful" with Chaka Khan). Additionally, 17-time GRAMMY Winner Aretha Franklin and Blige are up for Best Gospel Performance ("Never Gonna Break My Faith," featuring the Harlem Boys Choir).
The Clark Sisters, GRAMMY winners Israel And New Breed and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 all are nominated in the Gospel Field. The Clark Sisters have a nod for Best Gospel Performance ("Blessed & Highly Favored") and one for Best Traditional Gospel Album (Live - One Last Time). Israel And New Breed also are nominated for Best Gospel Performance ("With Long Life") and Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (A Deeper Level). And Trin-I-Tee 5:7 has a nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album (T57).
Rihanna is up for four awards: Record Of The Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Umbrella"), Best Dance Recording ("Don't Stop The Music"), and Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals ("Hate That I Love You" featuring Ne-Yo).
Two-time GRAMMY winner Carrie Underwood has nods for Best Female Country Vocal Performance ("Before He Cheats") and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals ("Oh Love" with Brad Paisley).
The 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions in association with AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Walter C. Miller is producer/director, Tisha Fein is the coordinating producer, and Tzvi Small is supervising producer. Musical directors for the telecast and pre-telecast are Rickey Minor and Larry Batiste, respectively.
