2 l October
11 - 17, 2020
Northeast Oregon TV Weekly
BY JAY BOBBIN
The late John Prine
is among those
honored on “Great
Performances:
GRAMMY Salute
to Music Legends”
Friday on PBS
A new ‘GRAMMY Salute to Music
Legends’ honors John Prine, Chicago
and others
Each year, several music icons get a special
tribute from the organization that presents
the Grammy Awards – and, at least in that
respect, this year is no different.
Airing again as a PBS “Great Performances”
presentation Friday, Oct. 16 (check local
listings), the “GRAMMY Salute to Music
Legends” honors another diverse assortment
of singular talents who have received
the Recording Academy’s 2020 Lifetime
Achievement Awards: Roberta Flack, Iggy
Pop, the groups Chicago and Public Enemy,
and – posthumously – Isaac Hayes, John Prine
and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Among others
feted are composer Philip Glass and longtime
Grammy-show producer Ken Ehrlich.
Jimmy Jam hosts the program, which
features performances of the honorees’ music
by Laurie Anderson, Philip Bailey, Brandi
Carlile, Cynthia Erivo, Chris Isaak, Jason
Isbell & Amanda Shires, Cyndi Lauper,
Sam Moore, Leslie Odom Jr. and Yola.
Presenters include John Legend, LL Cool J,
Joe Mantegna (“Criminal Minds”), Henry
Rollins, Rhiannon Giddens and music
producer Don Was.
Jimmy Jam notes he has “some connection”
to every artist celebrated on the show,
“because that’s the great thing about what
music does. I have to say Chicago was my
favorite group growing up. I was a sax player
when I was younger, and I tried to play all
their horn parts. I was a drummer, and I tried
to play all their drum parts.
“The first concert my parents took me to
when I was young was a Chicago concert,”
adds Jimmy Jam. “When my partner
Terry (Lewis) and I were inducted into the
(Songwriters) Hall of Fame, we went in the
same year as Robert Lamm of Chicago, so I
got to meet my hero.”
The “Salute’s” writer, journalist and music-
show staple David Wild, laments that Prine
being named such a “Legend” came in the
same year the singer-songwriter died of
coronavirus complications. “He wanted to
perform” on the special, Wild reports. “He
was scheduled to fly back, I think it was, from
Dublin. Instead, we are going to honor him.
One way or another, we are going to keep
that music going.” (Carlile, Isbell and Shires
perform Prine songs on the program.)
Staging familiar events such as the
“GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends” during
a pandemic can be challenging, but Wild
maintains, “The writing is the last and easiest
part. Working with people like Jimmy Jam ...
like, when Prince passed. I had worked with
Prince and knew him. Jimmy happened to be
already in the room, and I said, ‘Jimmy, we
need you to go out there and say something
about Prince before we say anything else.’
When you have the right talent to work with
and the right sort of souls to work with,
everything else is possible.”
$30!
FREE eBooks
and audiobooks
Thousands of titles
New Name.
Same Great Team.
Same Exceptional
Service.
AVAILABLE DAILY
Noon to midnight
Unlimited # of sessions at NO CHARGE!
It’s PRE-PAID with your taxes.
Access with
your Baker County Library Card
from www.bakerlib.org/kids-teens
Explore the ONLINE LIBRARY at www.bakerlib.org
541.523.6419
info@bakerlib.org
541-963-0265
888-843-9090
www.GVfoot.com
Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M.
Foot and Ankle Surgeon
La Grande
1408 N Hall Street
Enterprise
601 Medical Parkway
Baker
3175 Pocahontas Rd.