The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008, starting at 8PM EST. It honored musical achievement of the 2007 year in which albums were released between October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies were televised in the United States 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.
This year's big winner was Amy Winehouse, who won a total of five awards out of her six nominations. 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.[1] She became the fifth female solo artist to have won five Grammys in one evening (the others being Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, and Beyoncé Knowles).
Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year, marking the first time in 43 years that a jazz album received the award. The honor was given in 1965 for Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and João Gilberto. Upon receiving the award, he honored former band mate, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
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 was also featured.
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