Luke Bryan to Take Part in 2016 Grammy Awards Tribute to Lionel Richie
Luke Bryan will make his performance debut at the 2016 Grammy Awards -- but he won't be singing one of his songs. Instead, the country superstar will take part in a tribute to musical legend Lionel Richie.
Bryan, John Legend, Demi Lovato and Meghan Trainor will "take audiences on a musical journey through [Richie's] songbook, spanning Commodores-era classics to memorable hits that earned Richie a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1984," according to a press release from the Recording Academy. Richie himself will also take part in the tribute, joining with the four acts for a special collaboration.
Richie is being honored this year as the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year. The tribute during the awards show is an extension of a gala dinner and all-star concert, also featuring Bryan, scheduled for Feb. 13.
Bryan is not nominated for any Grammy Awards this year, but he will not be the only country artist performing during the festivities. Chris Stapleton, Bonnie Raitt and Gary Clark Jr. will pay tribute to the late B.B. King; Taylor Swift is rumored to be opening the televised portion of the awards; and the Mavericks, Carrie Underwood, Sam Hunt and Little Big Town are all set to take the stage as well.
The 2016 Grammy Awards will air live on CBS on Feb. 15 beginning at 8PM ET. The televised ceremony will be preceded by the 2016 Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, which is scheduled to run from 3:30PM ET until 6:30PM ET, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Calif. The latter event will be streamed live via the Grammy Awards’ official website and CBS.com.
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