New Orleans natives Allen Toussaint, Dr. John and Irma Thomas will be joined by Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello tomorrow night (Feb. 8) as the Grammy Awards pay tribute to the hurricane ravaged city. The segment will also feature participation from Bonnie Raitt, U2 guitarist the Edge and soul music great Sam Moore.
"Our Academy represents thousands of music people across the country, many of whom were directly affected by the New Orleans tragedy," says Recording Academy president Neil Portnow, noting that the 48th annual ceremony "wouldn't be complete if we didn't take this unique opportunity to pay homage to a region with such rich musical history and culture."
As previously reported, the Edge and producer Bob Ezrin created the Music Rising initiative to provide instruments to musicians affected by last year's Gulf Coast hurricanes. The Recording Academy's non-profit MusiCares Foundation is in charge of managing the organization's grants process.
In November, Toussaint and Costello recorded an album in New Orleans with several other longtime collaborators. Dubbed "The River in Reverse," the project will be released in May via Verve Forecast.
In other Grammy Awards news, Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow and Sting have joined the lineup of artists and celebrities who will present awards or introduce performances during the event, which will be broadcast live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The show will also include one-of-a-kind performances by Madonna and Gorillaz, Linkin Park and Jay-Z, U2 and Mary J. Blige, Faith Hill and Keith Urban, Christina Aguilera and Herbie Hancock and Jamie Foxx with Kanye West.
For an up-close look at the top nominees for this year's event, visit the special online section Billboard Goes to the Grammys.
"Our Academy represents thousands of music people across the country, many of whom were directly affected by the New Orleans tragedy," says Recording Academy president Neil Portnow, noting that the 48th annual ceremony "wouldn't be complete if we didn't take this unique opportunity to pay homage to a region with such rich musical history and culture."
As previously reported, the Edge and producer Bob Ezrin created the Music Rising initiative to provide instruments to musicians affected by last year's Gulf Coast hurricanes. The Recording Academy's non-profit MusiCares Foundation is in charge of managing the organization's grants process.
In November, Toussaint and Costello recorded an album in New Orleans with several other longtime collaborators. Dubbed "The River in Reverse," the project will be released in May via Verve Forecast.
In other Grammy Awards news, Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow and Sting have joined the lineup of artists and celebrities who will present awards or introduce performances during the event, which will be broadcast live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The show will also include one-of-a-kind performances by Madonna and Gorillaz, Linkin Park and Jay-Z, U2 and Mary J. Blige, Faith Hill and Keith Urban, Christina Aguilera and Herbie Hancock and Jamie Foxx with Kanye West.
For an up-close look at the top nominees for this year's event, visit the special online section Billboard Goes to the Grammys.
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