16 December 2014
VVN Music
Last year, the Recording Academy found out the drawing power of a special salute to one of the great artists of popular music with The Beatles: The Night That Changed America - A Grammy Salute.
That special, which taped the night after the Grammy Awards and aired a week later on the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, brought in twenty million viewers and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for Don Was.
Once again this year, the Academy will produce a special salute to another of their most honored artists, Stevie Wonder, with Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute. The special, which will include performances of songs from the classic album by a number of different artists, will tape on Tuesday, February 10, two days after the Grammys, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles and will air on Sunday, February 16 from 9 to 11 PM.
Wonder is a special artist in Grammy history as the only artist to win Album of the Year three times in a four year period with Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs of the Key of Life. Neil Portnow, president of the Academy, said "Stevie Wonder is a beloved icon whose golden songbook remains one of America's and music's greatest treasures. A 25-time Grammy winner and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, it's only fitting that Music's Biggest Night celebrates this legendary musical genius and pays tribute to his enduring music and legacy."
Ken Ehrlich, the executive producer of the show, "Some of my most memorable television experiences have been with my friend Stevie, both on the Grammy and off, and to be able to celebrate him in a way that only the Grammy stage allows is a treat that I've looked forward to for a long time. He is truly deserving of the term that is often used about him — an American treasure — and the night of February 10 when we tape this show is going to be an amazing time."
