The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies were televised in the US on CBS; however, as has become the custom, most of the awards were handed out during a pre-telecast portion of the show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and broadcast on XM Satellite Radio. Two nights prior to the show Aretha Franklin was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year.
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The year's big winner was Amy Winehouse: the 24-year-old singer had recently entered a drug rehabilitation program and did not come to Los Angeles. American officials initially refused her a work visa; they reversed the decision, but by then it was too late for her to make the trip from the UK.[1] She became the fifth female solo artist to get five awards in one night, alongside Lauryn Hill, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé and later, Alison Krauss, Adele and Billie Eilish.
The golden anniversary of the Grammys and NARAS was noted in references and performances throughout this year's ceremony. Alicia Keys was the evening's opening musician, singing and playing piano alongside archived video and audio of Frank Sinatra. Other collaborative performances linking contemporary and past musicians included Beyoncé with Tina Turner, Rihanna with The Time, classical pianist Lang Lang with jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and inaugural Grammy winner Keely Smith with Kid Rock. Special recognition of the musical contributions of The Beatles also featured. The Foo Fighters won Best Rock Album and performed their nominated song "The Pretender" in a highly collaborative performance that involved a social media selection of classical musicians (the "My Grammy Moment" YouTube contest was won by violinist Ann Marie Calhoun).[2]
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The following is a list of presenters:
- Prince - Presents the award for the best Female R&B performance.
- Tom Hanks - Pays tribute to The Band as the Lifetime Achievement recipient and introduces Cirque du Soleil and Julie Taymor as a tribute to The Beatles.
- Cyndi Lauper and Miley Cyrus - Introduce the award for Best New Artist.
- Jason Bateman - Introduces a contest winner to perform with the Foo Fighters in the My Grammy contest.
- John Legend and Fergie - Presents the award for Best Soundtrack.
- Cher - Introduces a performance by Beyonce.
- Nelly Furtado, Andy Williams, and Roselyn Sanchez - Pay tribute to Burt Bacharach as the Lifetime Achievement recipient and present the award for Song of the Year.
- George Lopez - Introduces a performance by Brad Paisley.
- Chris Brown, Akon, and Solange Knowles - Introduce the award for Best Rap Album.
- Ludacris - Pays tribute to Cab Calloway as Lifetime Achievement Recipient and introduces a gospel performance by Aretha Franklin, Bebe Winans, Madison Bumblebees, The Clark Sisters, Trin-i-Tee 5:7, and Israel & New Breed.
- Carole King and Dierks Bentley - Pay tribute to Earl Scruggs as a Lifetime Achievement recipient and introduces a performance by Feist.
- Keely Smith and Kid Rock - Presents the award for Best Rock Album.
- Stevie Wonder - Pays tribute to Berry Gordy and introduces a performance by Alicia Keys.
- Ringo Starr and Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) - Presents the award for Best Country Album.
- Joe Mantegna - Pays tribute to Itzhak Perlman and Max Roach as Lifetime Achievement recipients and introduces a performance by Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang.
- Taylor Swift and Juanes - Presents the award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
- Cuba Gooding Jr. - Introduces a performance by Amy Winehouse.
- Natalie Cole and Tony Bennett - Pays tribute to Doris Day and presents the award for Record of the Year.
- Neil Portnow - Makes his annual speech and pays tribute to the 2008 WGA strike and Oscar Peterson, introduces a performance by Eldar, and presents the In Memoriam segment.
- Andrea Boccelli and Josh Groban - Pays tribute to Luciano Pavarotti.
- Bonnie Raitt - Introduces a performance by Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and John Fogerty.
Bold type indicates the winner out of the list of nominees.
Multiple nominees and wins (wins/nominations)
- Amy Winehouse (5/6)
- Kanye West (4/8)
- Foo Fighters (2/5)
- Justin Timberlake (2/3)
- Herbie Hancock (2/3)
- Rihanna (1/6)
General
- Record of the Year
- Album of the Year
- River: The Joni Letters – Herbie Hancock
- Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace – Foo Fighters
- These Days – Vince Gill
- Graduation – Kanye West
- Dwele, Lil Wayne, Mos Def & T-Pain, featured artists; Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Eric Hudson, Brian "Allday" Miller, Nottz, Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds, Gee Roberson, Toomp & Kanye West, producers; Bruce Beuchner, Andrew Dawson, Mike Dean, Anthony Kilhoffer, Greg Koller, Manny Marroquin, Nottz Raw, Tony Rey, Seiji Sekine, Paul Sheehy & D. Sloan, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller, mastering engineer
- Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
- Mark Ronson & Salaamremi, producers; Tom Elmhirst, Mark Ronson, Matt Paul, Dom Morley, Vaughan Merrick, Gabriel Roth, Derek Pacuk, Gary Noble & Franklin Socorro, engineers/mixers; Stuart Hawkes, mastering engineer
- Song of the Year
- Best New Artist
Historical
- Best Historical Album
- The Live Wire: Woody Guthrie in Performance 1949
- Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s
- David Giovannoni, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
- Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973 (Deluxe Edition)
- Stuart Batsford, Mick Houghton & Phil Smee, compilation producers; Dan Hersch & Bill Inglot, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
- Love Is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970
- Alec Palao, compilation producer; Dan Hersch, Bill Inglot & Dave Schultz, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
- People Take Warning! Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
- Christopher King & Henry "Hank" Sapoznik, compilation producers; Christopher King & Robert Vosgien, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
Production, Surround Sound
- Best Surround Sound Album
- Love
- At War With the Mystics 5.1
- The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann, surround mix engineers; The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann, surround mastering engineers; The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann, surround producers (The Flaming Lips)
- Fear of a Blank Planet
- Steven Wilson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Porcupine Tree, surround producers (Porcupine Tree)
- Grechaninov: Passion Week
- Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5; Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Serenade to Music
Production, Classical
- Best Engineered Album, Classical
- Garden of Dreams
- Grechaninov: Passion Week
- Nielsen: Clarinet & Flute Concertos
- Spirit of the Season
- Strauss: Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration
- Producer of the Year, Classical
- Blanton Alspaugh
- Eternal Rest: Mäntyjärvi, Ticheli, Martin, Clausen (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale)
- Grechaninov: Passion Week (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale)
- The Harrington String Quartet: Daniel McCarthy (The Harrington String Quartet)
- Hartke: The Greater Good (Stewart Robertson & Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra)
- Rider On The Plains: Cello Concertos By Virgil Thomson And Charles Fussell (Emmanuel Feldman)
- John Fraser
- Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2, Scherzos (Simon Trpceski)
- Great Handel (Ian Bostridge)
- Kate Royal (Kate Royal)
- Krommer/Spohr: Clarinet Concertos (Julian Bliss, Sabine Meyer & Kenneth Sillito)
- Schubert: Piano Sonata D958, Lieder, Fragments (Leif Ove Andsnes & Ian Bostridge)
- Marina A. Ledin
- Balakirev And Russian Folksong (Joseph Banowetz)
- Louisiana - A Pianist's Journey (Kenneth Boulton)
- Piano Impromptus (Jungran Kim Khwarg)
- 20th Century Piano Sonatas (Allison Brewster Franzetti)
- Judith Sherman
- American Virtuosa: Tribute To Maud Powell (Rachel Barton Pine & Matthew Hagle)
- From Barrelhouse To Broadway: The Musical Odyssey Of Joe Jordan (Rick Benjamin & The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra)
- Górecki: String Quartet No. 3 '...Songs Are Sung' (Kronos Quartet)
- Strange Imaginary Animals (Eighth Blackbird)
- Tchaikovsky: Three String Quartets, Souvenir De Florence (Ying Quartet)
- Robina G. Young
- As Steals The Morn...Handel Arias & Scenes For Tenor (Mark Padmore, Andrew Manze & The English Concert)
- Bach, CPE: Symphonies 1–4, Cello Concerto (Andrew Manze & The English Concert)
- Brahms: Variations (Olga Kern)
- Music For Compline (Stile Antico)
- Stockhausen: Stimmung (Paul Hillier & Theatre Of Voices)
Classical
- Best Classical Album
- Best Orchestra Performance
- Best Opera Recording
- "Albéniz: Pepita Jiménez"
- "Donizetti: Dom Sébastien, Roi De Portugal"
- "Humperdinck: Hansel & Gretel"
- "Lully: Thésée"
- Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Howard Crook, Ellen Hargis, Laura Pudwell & Harry Van Der Kamp; Renate Wolter–Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Chorus; Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra)
- "Verdi: La Traviata"
- Best Choral Performance
- Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
- Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)
- Best Chamber Music Performance
- Best Small Ensemble Performance
- "Bach: Brandenburg Concertos" – Swiss Baroque Soloists
- "Bridges: Eddie Daniels Plays the Music of Frank Proto" – Frank Proto, conductor; Eddie Daniels; Ensemble Sans Frontière
- "Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde" – Kenneth Slowik, conductor; The Smithsonian Chamber Players & Santa Fe Pro Musica
- "Music for Compline" – Stile Antico
- "Stravinsky: Apollo, Concerto in D; Prokofiev: 20 Visions Fugitives" – Yuri Bashmet, conductor; Moscow Soloists
- Best Classical Vocal Performance
- "Gitano: Zarzuela Arias"
- "Homage: The Age of the Diva"
- Renée Fleming (Valery Gergiev; Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre)
- "Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs"
- "Russian Album"
- Anna Netrebko (Valery Gergiev; Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre)
- "Sea Pictures, Op. 37"
- Sarah Connolly (Simon Wright; Bournemouth Symphony Chorus; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
- Best Classical Contemporary Composition
- "Amargós: Northern Concerto"
- "Chesky: Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra"
- David Chesky (Rossen Gergov, conductor; Symphony Orchestra Of Norrlands Opera)
- "Higdon: Zaka"
- "Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs"
- "Made in America"
- Best Classical Crossover Album
Music Video
- Best Short Form Music Video
- Best Long Form Music Video
- The Confessions Tour – Madonna
- Jonas Akerlund, video director; Sara Martin and David May, video producers
- Live and Loud at the Fillmore – Dierks Bentley
- Russell Thomas, video director; James Whetherly, video producer
- Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 13-22 – R. Kelly
- R. Kelly, Jim Swaffield and Victor Mignatti, video directors; Ann Carli, video producer
- 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads – Kenny Wayne Shepherd and various artists
- Noble Jones, video director; Kenny Wayne Shepherd, video producer
- Liberacion: Songs of the Cuban Underground – Various artists
- Reuben Field, video director; Dean Bates, video producer
Brad Delp, Boots Randolph, James B. Davis, Max Roach, Robert Goulet, Lee Hazlewood, Pimp C, Gian Carlo Menotti, Joe Zawinul, Joel Dorn, Ray Evans, Lucky Dube, Al Viola, Mstislav Rostropovich, Joel Brodsky, Hilly Kristal, Diane Ogden-Halder, Joe Hunter, Don Ho, Dan Fogelberg, Porter Wagoner, Beverly Sills, Teresa Brewer, Hy Weiss, Tom Noonan, Bobby Byrd, Tommy Makem, John Stewart, Arthur Shimkin, Carlos "Patato" Valdes, Clyde Otis, Luther Ingram, Hank Thompson, Ike Turner, Oscar Peterson and Luciano Pavarotti.