Aretha Franklin To Get Grammy Tribute; Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Many Others To Perform

Aretha Franklin
Taylor Hill / Getty Images – Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklinperforms during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Opening Gala premiere of “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of our Lives” at Radio City Music Hall on April 19, 2017 in New York City.

The Queen of Soul is getting a star-studded Grammy tribute with the “Aretha! A Grammy Celebration For The Queen of Soul” featuring major artists and taking place Jan. 13 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Performing songs from the legendary artist’s repertoire will be 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, with the night hosted by actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry. The show will be broadcast later this year on CBS. Tickets went on sale Dec. 31. 
The event is organized by the Recording Academy, AEG Ehrlich Ventures, Clive Davis and CBS.
“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.”
Franklin died Aug. 16 following a long illness that caused her to cancel concert appearances and released an announcement that she would cease touring. Pollstar’s boxoffice archives include a total of 118 Franklin performances by from 1999 through 2017. She sold 396,917 tickets with an overall gross of $23.6 million over that time period. 
 
“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 her remarkable musical and cultural accomplishments 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 rich 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.” 
The Franklin tribute follows previous Emmy-winning TV specials presented by the Recording Academy, AEG Ehrlich Ventures, and CBS celebrating the music of Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and The Beatles.