CBS, the Recording Academy™, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and Clive Davis will pay tribute to the legendary career of 18-time GRAMMY® winner and 2008 MusiCares®’ Person of the Year honoree Aretha Franklin by presenting “Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration for the Queen of Soul.”
Performing songs from her legendary repertoire are GRAMMY winners Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Alessia Cara, Kelly Clarkson, Common, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Patti LaBelle and BeBe Winans as well as current GRAMMY nominees Brandi Carlile, Chloe X Halle, H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, and SZA. Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry will host the unforgettable night. Additional unique performances to be announced in the coming weeks.
The live concert taping is Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, at 6:00 PM PT at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The special will be broadcast later in 2019 on the CBS Television Network. Tickets will go on sale Dec. 27, 2018, at 10 a.m. PT and are available for purchase at AXS.com.
“This special will celebrate Aretha Franklin’s numerous accomplishments as an entertainment icon, singer, songwriter, pianist, actress and civil rights activist,” said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events, CBS Entertainment. “Aretha had an incredible effect on humanity and music with her indomitable spirit and grace. We look forward to honoring this music legend with numerous performers who all admire and respect the Queen of Soul.”
“Aretha Franklin's reign as the ‘Queen of Soul’ is incomparable and undisputed,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “For more than six decades, her extraordinary artistic achievements coupled with her passionate dedication to her philanthropic work—which ranged from children's and artists' issues to civil rights activism—served as a testament to her power, majesty, and genius. These gifts positioned her as a true cultural icon, and the Recording Academy is honored to celebrate her inspirational legacy.”
“We’re approaching this show with extremely mixed feelings of sadness and joy, two qualities that over my 37 years of working with Aretha were often present,” said Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of AEG Ehrlich Ventures. “Our hope is that we will be able to share the remarkable musical and cultural accomplishments of the Queen of Soul through her own words and music as well as through the performances of an amazing group of musical artists who will gather to celebrate her amazing musical heritage.”
“I am thrilled to have the Recording Academy and CBS as partners in this global tribute to my very dear friend Aretha Franklin,” said Clive Davis. “Aretha was more than the Queen of Soul; she was a national treasure. This unique concert — featuring many of today’s greatest artists — will celebrate Aretha in a spectacular manner befitting her once-in-a-lifetime talent.”
“ARETHA! A GRAMMY CELEBRATION FOR THE QUEEN OF SOUL” continues the tradition of previous Emmy®-winning TV specials presented by the Recording Academy, AEG Ehrlich Ventures, and CBS: “Sinatra 100—An All-Star GRAMMY Concert,” “Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life—An All-Star GRAMMY Salute,” and "The Beatles: The Night That Changed America—A GRAMMY Salute.”
