Paul Simon is set to receive a special “Grammy salute.”
Simon will perform at a special tribute concert to honour the legendary singer-songwriter.
Billed as ‘Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon’, the concert will take place after this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony on April 6th at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
Also performing will be Brandi Carlile, Brad Paisley, Billy Porter, Little Big Town, Rhiannon Giddens, Dave Matthews, Angélique Kidjo, Shaggy, Irma Thomas, and Trombone Shorty. More performers are expected to be added to the line-up in the coming weeks.
US TV network CBS will air the concert at a later date this year, but there’s no news yet as to whether it will be available for Irish viewers at some point.
Previous artists to receive such Grammy salutes include Prince, the Beatles, Elton John, Whitney Houston, and the Bee Gees. Last year the Grammys opted to honour collective artists that have inspired social change over the decades rather than focussing on a single artist or act.
“The other ones we’ve done, each time, wanting to do one for Paul was in the back of my mind,” said Ken Ehrlich, who will produce the Simon show. “With the breadth of his catalog, I don’t know an artist I’ve ever talked to that has had anything other than utmost respect for him. Bridge Over Troubled Water and American Tune are two of my five most treasured songs.”
As both a solo artist and as one half of Simon & Garfunkel, Simon has won 16 Grammys and has been nominated 35 times over the course of his career. His last win came in 1988 when he scooped Record of the Year for Graceland.
This year’s Grammy Awards ceremony will take place on April 3rd at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, having been postponed from January 31st due to the pandemic.
“We are excited to take the Grammys to Las Vegas for the very first time, and to put on a world-class show,” wrote CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason, Jr, in a statement. “From the moment we announced the postponement of the original show date, we have been inundated with heartfelt messages of support and solidarity from the artist community.”
Performances on the night will come from Foo Fighters, Jon Batiste, H.E.R., Nas and Chris Stapleton. A special tribute will be paid to the late Broadway giant Stephen Sondheim, with Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler performing songs from his catalogue.
