Just days after the historical 2021 GRAMMYs, The Recording Academy aired A GRAMMY Salute to the Sounds of Change, in which various artists beautifully paid homage to the music that both depicted and reflected some of history’s darkest and most notable moments.
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Hosted by rapper-actor-activist, Common, the one night only broadcast featured the likes of LeAnn Rimes, Leon Bridges, Chris Stapleton and Yolanda Adams. Emmy/Tony/GRAMMY-award winning Cynthia Ervio covering John Lennon’s classic, “Imagine,” kicked off the night’s festivities. Blending in “a mix of archival performances and COVID-safe new ones,” newer artists like Andra Day and D Smoke were able to amplify historic tracks, alongside legendary faces like Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle. Rapper D Smoke and Gladys Knight paid tribute to Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” while Day's rendition of Billie Holiday’s valiant song, “Strange Fruit” was magnificent. Day also stars as Holiday in the critically-acclaimed biopic, The United States vs. Billie Holiday and recently won a Golden Globe for her portrayal.
Stapleton tackled Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World." Rimes honored the legacy of Loretta Lynn's hit, "The Pill," that was banned on radio stations for discussing the previously touchy subject of birth control.
Brad Paisley honored the legacies of former President Barack Obama and First Lady, Michelle Obama through his song, “Welcome to the Future,” while performing at the Woolworth on 5th restaurant, “a historic spot where the late civil rights activist John Lewis and his friends took a stand for racial justice in 1960.” Eric Church covered Norman Whitfield’s “War,” as popularized by Edwin Weiss. John Fogerty performed a new ballad, “Weeping in the Promised Land,” detailing the events of the past year and dynamic cover of ‘GRAMMY Hall of Fame classic,’ “Fortunate Son.”
Gayle King and Emmy & Tony award-winning actor Billy Porter sat down to discuss his hardships growing up, finding his voice and why he chose to perform Patti LaBelle’s “You Are My Friend” for the special. When asked, he expressed, “I just wanted to choose something that was about chosen family. We talk often in this world about family values, but what happens when your family—your biological family—don't have the tools to understand how to love you?” Gloria Estefan and her children, Emilio and Emily honored the first Hispanic and Latina member of the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, through the song, “This Is What.” Yolanda Adams ended the night with a powerful rendition of Mahalia Jackson’s “We Shall Overcome.”
Check out the full A GRAMMY Salute to the Sounds of Change special, only on Paramount+.
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