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.
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. 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 nominees were announced by Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, George Lopez, Vince Gill, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Jam, Fergie, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, and Akon.
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).
Performances Performer(s)Song(s) PerformedAlicia KeysFrank Sinatra"Learnin' the Blues"Carrie Underwood"Before He Cheats"The TimeRihanna"Jungle Love""Umbrella""Don't Stop the Music"The cast of Cirque du Soleil – Love"A Day in the Life"The cast of Across the Universe"Let It Be"Kanye WestDaft Punk"Stronger""Hey Mama"FergieJohn Legend"Finally"BeyoncéTina Turner"What's Love Got to Do with It""Better Be Good to Me""Proud Mary"Foo FightersJohn Paul JonesAnn Marie Calhoun"The Pretender"Brad Paisley"Ticks"Aretha FranklinBeBe WinansThe Madison BumblebeesThe Clark SistersTrin-i-tee 5:7Israel and New Breed"Never Gonna Break My Faith""You Brought the Sunshine""With Long Life""Old Landmark"Feist"1234"Keely SmithDave KozKid Rock"That Old Black Magic"Alicia KeysJohn Mayer"No OneLang LangHerbie Hancock"Rhapsody in Blue"Amy Winehouse"You Know I'm No Good""Rehab"(via satellite from Riverside Studios in London, England)Eldar"Jazz Piano Composition"Andrea BocelliJosh GrobanTribute to Luciano Pavarotti "The Prayer"Little RichardJerry Lee LewisJohn Fogerty"Comin' Down The Road""Great Balls of Fire""Good Golly, Miss Molly"will.i.am"Grammy Awards 50th Anniversary Freestyle Rap"
Presenters The following is a list of presenters:
Prince - presented Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Tom Hanks - paid tribute to The Band as a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and introduced Cirque du Soleil and Julie Taymor Cyndi Lauper and Miley Cyrus - presented 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 Beyoncé. 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. Usher & Quincy Jones - Album of the Year Bonnie Raitt - Introduces a performance by Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and John Fogerty.
Winners and nominees 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 "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse Mark Ronson, producer; Tom Elmhirst, Mark Ronson, Dom Morley, Vaughan Merrick & Gabriel Roth, engineers/mixers "Irreplaceable" – Beyoncé Beyoncé Knowles, Ne-Yo & Stargate, producers; Jim Caruana, Jason Goldstein & Geoff Rice, engineers/mixers "The Pretender" – Foo Fighters Gil Norton, producer; Adrian Bushby & Rich Costey, engineers/mixers "Umbrella" – Rihanna featuring Jay-Z Kuk Harrell & C. "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Kuk Harrell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers "What Goes Around... Comes Around" – Justin Timberlake Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, engineers/mixers
Album of the Year River: The Joni Letters – Herbie HancockLeonard Cohen, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza & Tina Turner, featured artists; Herbie Hancock & Larry Klein, producers; Helik Hadar, engineer/mixer; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineerEchoes, Silence, Patience & Grace – Foo Fighters Gil Norton, producer; Adrian Bushby & Rich Costey, engineers/mixers; Brian Gardner, mastering engineer These Days – Vince Gill John Anderson, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Diana Krall, Amy Grant & The Del McCoury Band, featured artists; Vince Gill, John Hobbs & Justin Niebank, producers; Neal Cappellino & Justin Niebank, engineers/mixers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer 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"Rehab" Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)"Before He Cheats" Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood) "Hey There Delilah" Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T's) "Like a Star" Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae) "Umbrella" Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash, & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Rihanna featuring Jay-Z)
Best New ArtistAmy WinehouseFeist Ledisi Paramore Taylor Swift
Pop Best Female Pop Vocal Performance"Rehab" – Amy Winehouse"Candyman" – Christina Aguilera "1234" – Feist "Big Girls Don't Cry" – Fergie "Say It Right" – Nelly Furtado
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance"What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" – Justin Timberlake"Everything" – Michael Bublé "Belief" – John Mayer "Dance Tonight" – Paul McCartney "Amazing" – Seal
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals"Makes Me Wonder" – Maroon 5"(You Want to) Make a Memory" – Bon Jovi "Home" – Daughtry "Hey There Delilah" – Plain White T's "Window in the Skies" – U2
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals"Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss"Steppin' Out" – Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera "Beautiful Liar" – Beyoncé & Shakira "The Sweet Escape" – Gwen Stefani & Akon "Give It to Me" – Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake
Best Pop Instrumental Performance"One Week Last Summer" – Joni Mitchell"Off the Grid" – Beastie Boys "Paris Sunrise #7" – Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals "Over the Rainbow" – Dave Koz "Simple Pleasures" – Spyro Gyra
Best Pop Instrumental AlbumThe Mix-Up - Beastie Boys Italia – Chris Botti At the Movies – Dave Koz Good to Go-Go – Spyro Gyra Roundtrip – Kirk Whalum
Best Pop Vocal Album Back to Black – Amy Winehouse Lost Highway – Bon Jovi The Reminder – Feist It Won't Be Soon Before Long – Maroon 5 Memory Almost Full – Paul McCartney
Dance Best Dance Recording "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude" – Justin Timberlake Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, mixers "Do It Again" – The Chemical Brothers Tom Rowlands & Ed Simons, producers "D.A.N.C.E." – Justice Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay, producers; Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay, mixers "Love Today" – Mika Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Mika & Greg Wells, producers; Greg Wells, mixer "Don't Stop the Music" – Rihanna StarGate, producer; Phil Tan, mixer
Best Electronic/Dance Album We Are the Night – The Chemical Brothers † – Justice Sound of Silver – LCD Soundsystem We Are Pilots – Shiny Toy Guns Elements of Life – Tiësto
Traditional Pop Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Call Me Irresponsible – Michael Bublé Cool Yule – Bette Midler Trav'lin' Light – Queen Latifah Live in Concert 2006 – Barbra Streisand James Taylor at Christmas – James Taylor
Rock Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance "Radio Nowhere" – Bruce Springsteen "Timebomb" – Beck "Only Mama Knows" – Paul McCartney "Our Country" – John Mellencamp "Come On" – Lucinda Williams
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal "Icky Thump" – The White Stripes "It's Not Over" – Daughtry "Working Class Hero" – Green Day "If Everyone Cared" – Nickelback "Instant Karma" – U2
Best Hard Rock Performance "The Pretender" – Foo Fighters "Sweet Sacrifice" – Evanescence "I Don't Wanna Stop" – Ozzy Osbourne "Sick, Sick, Sick" – Queens of the Stone Age "The Pot" – Tool
Best Metal Performance "Final Six" – Slayer "Nothing Left" – As I Lay Dying "Never Ending Hill" – King Diamond "Aesthetics of Hate" – Machine Head "Redemption" – Shadows Fall
Best Rock Instrumental Performance "Once Upon a Time in the West" – Bruce Springsteen "The Ecstasy of Gold" – Metallica "Malignant Narcissism" – Rush "Always with Me, Always with You" – Joe Satriani "The Attitude Song" – Steve Vai
Best Rock Song "Radio Nowhere" songwriter; Bruce Springsteen (Bruce Springsteen) "Come On" songwriter; Lucinda Williams (Lucinda Williams) "Icky Thump" songwriter; Jack White (The White Stripes) "It's Not Over" songwriters; Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young (Daughtry) "The Pretender" songwriters; Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters)
Best Rock Album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace – Foo Fighters Daughtry – Daughtry