There’s a lot of bittersweet excitement about memorial tributes on Monday night’s Grammy telecast for David Bowie and Glenn Frey. Lady Gaga and the Eagles, respectively, will perform for them. B.B. King is getting a tribute from Bonnie Raitt and Gary Clark, Jr.
There’s also supposed to be a performance by Johnny Depp’s rock band in memory of Lemmy from the hard rock band Motorhead.
But I do hope there’s something more than a nod on a card to fallen R&B greats Natalie Cole, Ben E. King, and Percy Sledge, as well as Earth Wind & Fire’s Maurice White. While I’m sure that Lemmy has his fans, I doubt much of the Grammy audience could identify one of his songs.
But “This Will Be” by Natalie Cole, “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King, “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge, “September” by Earth Wind & Fire– I would guess the entire Staples Center could sing along to those songs and know every word.
Each of those artists has already stood the test of time, certainly equal to Bowie or Frey. I’m sure the Grammy producers will come up with something neat to honor them.
