John Legend, Usher, Tony Bennett Lead Sinatra Grammy Tribute Concert
UPDATE: Lady Gaga, Zac Brown, Harry Connick, Jr. and Celine Dion have all been added as Sinatra 100 performers. “I’ve been singing Frank Sinatra songs in my shows for many years,” the latter singer said in a statement. “His voice has been such an inspiration for me and it will always be.”
John Legend, Usher, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Tony Bennett, Alicia Keys, Garth Brooks and Carrie Underwood will honor the musical legacy of Frank Sinatra with Sinatra 100 – An All-Star Grammy Concert. The TV special, honoring the nine-time Grammy winner’s 100th birthday, will be held Wednesday, December 2nd at Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theatre and broadcast Sunday, December 6th from 9 to 11 p.m. EST on CBS.
Sinatra 100 will feature these eclectic artists (and others yet to be announced) performing staples from the singer’s vast catalog, including “instantly recognizable arrangements” from Don Costa, Gordon Jenkins, Quincy Jones and Nelson Riddle. Between the tribute performances, the production will feature “rare archival footage narrated by Sinatra himself.”
The special is written by David Wild and Ken Erlich, directed by Lou Horvitz and executive produced by Elrich. The event follows previous Emmy-winning Grammy salutes to Stevie Wonder (“Songs in the Key of Life”) and the Beatles (“The Night That Changed America”).
“My personal memories of Frank remind me that he was a class act who also knew how to have fun. That’s what this celebration will be,” Elrich said in a statement. “By partnering with Steve Wynn and featuring Las Vegas as the backdrop, the evening will be a party the Rat Pack would be proud of.”
In an iconic career that stretched from the 1930s to his death in 1998, Sinatra was awarded nine Grammys, including three Album of the Year wins (for 1959’s Come Dance With Me, 1965’s September of My Years and 1966’s A Man and His Music). He also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Grammy Legend Award and 13 recording inductions into the Grammy Hall of Fame.