Season 50
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California on 10 February, 2008. It was broadcast on CBS and aired at 20h00 EST.
The show honoured musical achievements of the 2007 recording year in which recordings were released between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2007.
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards were shown live in South Africa on DStv's Channel O on Monday 11 February 2008 from 03h00, and as a delayed broadcast on M-Net, on 11 February 2008 at 20h30.
Performers
The cast of "Across the Universe"
Beyonce
Mary J. Blige
Andrea Bocelli
The cast of Cirque du Soleil "Love"
Feist
Fergie
Clark Sisters
Eldar
John Fogerty
Foo Fighters
Aretha Franklin
Josh Groban
Herbie Hancock
Israel and New Breed
Alicia Keys
Kid Rock
Dave Koz
Lang Lang
John Legend
Jerry Lee Lewis
John Mayer
Little Richard
Brad Paisley
Rihanna
Keely Smith
Tina Turner
Carrie Underwood
Kanye West
BeBe Winans
Amy Winehouse (via satellite from London)
Presenters
Akon
Jason Bateman
Tony Bennett
Dierks Bentley
Chris Brown
Cher
Natalie Cole
Miley Cyrus
Nelly Furtado
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Juanes
Tom Hanks
Quincy Jones
Carole King
Solange Knowles
Cyndi Lauper
George Lopez
Lyle Lovett
Ludacris
Joe Mantegna
Bette Midler
Prince
Bonnie Raitt
Roselyn Sanchez
Ringo Starr
Dave Stewart
Taylor Swift
Usher
will.i.am
Stevie Wonder
Nominees
Awards are given for achievement in 108 different categories. These were the nominees for selected categories in popular genres:
General
Record of the Year "Irreplaceable" - Beyoncé Beyoncé Knowles, S. Smith & Stargate, producers; Jim Caruana, Jason Goldstein & Geoff Rice, engineers/mixers
"The Pretender" - Foo Fighters Gil Norton, producer; Adrian Bushby & Rich Costey, engineers/mixers
"Umbrella" - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z Kuk Harrell & C. "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Kuk Harrell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers
"What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, engineers/mixers
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse Mark Ronson, producer; Tom Elmhirst, engineer/mixer
Album of the Year Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters Gil Norton, producer; Adrian Bushby & Rich Costey, engineers/mixers; Brian Gardner, mastering engineer
These Days - Vince Gill John Anderson, Guy Clarke, Rodney Crowell, Diana Krall & The Del McCoury Band, featured artists; Vince Gill, John Hobbs & Justin Niebank, producers; Neal Cappellino & Justin Niebank, engineers/mixers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer
River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock Leonard Cohen, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza & Tina Turner, featured artists; Herbie Hancock & Larry Klein, producers; Helik Hadar, engineer/mixer; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer
Graduation - Kanye West Dwele, Lil Wayne, Mos Def & T-Pain, featured artists; Daft Punk, Chris Martin, Douglas Vale, Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Eric Hudson, Brian "Allday" Miller, Nottz, Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds, Gee Roberson, Toomp & Kanye West, producers; Bruce Beuchner, Andrew Dawson, Mike Dean, Anthony Kilhoffer, Greg Koller, Manny Marroquin, Nottz Raw, Tony Rey, Seiji Sekine, Paul Sheehy & D. Sloan, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller, mastering engineer
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse Mark Ronson & Salaamremi, producers; Tom Elmhirst, Gary Noble & Franklin Socorro, engineers/mixers; Mark Ronson, mastering engineer
Song of the Year (Note: The songwriters are the actual nominees. The artists are included in parentheses for identification only.) "Before He Cheats" – Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins (Carrie Underwood)
"Hey There Delilah" – Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's)
"Like a Star" – Corinne Bailey Rae (Corinne Bailey Rae)
"Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse)
"Umbrella" – Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart (Rihanna featuring Jay-Z)
Best New Artist Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse
Pop
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance "Candyman" - Christina Aguilera
"1234" – Feist
"Big Girls Don't Cry" – Fergie
"Say It Right" – Nelly Furtado
"Rehab" – Amy Winehouse
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "Everything" – Michael Bublé
"Belief" – John Mayer
"Dance Tonight" – Paul McCartney
"Amazing" – Seal
"What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" – Justin Timberlake
Best Pop Performance by a Duo/Group w/ Vocals "(You Want to) Make a Memory" – Bon Jovi
= "Home" – Daughtry
"Makes Me Wonder" – Maroon 5
"Hey There Delilah" – Plain White T's
"Window in the Skies" – U2
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals "Steppin' Out" – Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
"Beautiful Liar" – Beyoncé & Shakira
"Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
"The Sweet Escape" – Gwen Stefani & Akon
"Give It to Me" – Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake
Best Pop Instrumental Performance "Off the Grid" – Beastie Boys
"Paris Sunrise #7" – Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
"Over the Rainbow" – Dave Koz
"One Week Last Summer" – Joni Mitchell
"Simple Pleasures" – Spyro Gyra
Best Pop Instrumental Album The Mix-Up – Beastie Boys
Italia – Chris Botti
At the Movies – Dave Koz
Good to Go-Go – Spyro Gyra
Roundtrip – Kirk Whalum
Best Pop Vocal Album Lost Highway – Bon Jovi
The Reminder – Feist
It Won't Be Soon Before Long – Maroon 5
Memory Almost Full – Paul McCartney
Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
Dance
Best Dance Recording "Do It Again" - The Chemical Brothers
Tom Rowlands & Ed Simons, producers
"D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay, producers; Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay, mixers
"Love Today" - Mika
Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Mika & Greg Wells, producers; Greg Wells, mixer
"Don't Stop the Music" - Rihanna
StarGate, producer; Phil Tan, mixer
"LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude" - Justin Timberlake
Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass & Timbaland, mixers
Best Electronic/Dance Album We Are the Night – The Chemical Brothers
† – Justice
Sound of Silver – LCD Soundsystem
We Are Pilots – Shiny Toy Guns
Elements of Life – Tiësto
Traditional Pop
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Call Me Irresponsible - Michael Bublé
Cool Yule - Bette Midler
Trav'lin' Light - Queen Latifah
Live in Concert 2006 - Barbra Streisand
James Taylor at Christmas - James Taylor
Rock
Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance "Timebomb" - Beck
"Only Mama Knows" - Paul McCartney
"Our Country" - John Mellencamp
"Radio Nowhere" - Bruce Springsteen
"Come On" - Lucinda Williams
Best Rock Performance By a Duo/Group w/ Vocals "It's Not Over" - Daughtry
"Working Class Hero" - Green Day
"If Everyone Cared" - Nickelback
"Instant Karma" - U2
"Icky Thump" - The White Stripes
Best Hard Rock Performance "Sweet Sacrifice" - Evanescence
"The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
"I Don't Wanna Stop" - Ozzy Osbourne
"Sick, Sick, Sick" - Queens of the Stone Age
"The Pot" - Tool
Best Metal Performance "Nothing Left" - As I Lay Dying
"Never Ending Hill" - King Diamond
"Aesthetics of Hate" - Machine Head
"Redemption" - Shadows Fall
"Final Six" - Slayer
Best Rock Instrumental Performance "The Ecstasy of Gold" - Metallica
"Malignant Narcissism" - Rush
"Always with Me, Always with You"- Joe Satriani
"Once Upon a Time in the West"- Bruce Springsteen
"The Attitude Song" - Steve Vai
Best Rock Song (Note: The songwriters are the actual nominees. The artists are included in parentheses for identification only.) "Come On"- Lucinda Williams (Lucinda Williams)
"Icky Thump" - Jack White (The White Stripes)
"It's Not Over" - Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young (Daughtry)
"The Pretender" - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters)
"Radio Nowhere" - Bruce Springsteen (Bruce Springsteen)
Best Rock Album Daughtry - Daughtry
Revival - John Fogerty
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
Magic - Bruce Springsteen
Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
Alternative
Best Alternative Music Album Alright, Still - Lily Allen
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
Volta - Björk
Wincing the Night Away - The Shins
Icky Thump - The White Stripes
R&B
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance "Just Fine" - Mary J. Blige
"When I See U" - Fantasia
"No One" - Alicia Keys
"If I Have My Way"- Chrisette Michele
"Hate on Me"- Jill Scott
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Woman" - Raheem DeVaughn
"B.U.D.D.Y." - Musiq Soulchild
"Because of You" - Ne-Yo
"Future Baby Mama"- Prince
"Please Don't Go" - Tank
Best R&B Performance By a Duo/Group W/ Vocals "Same Girl" - R. Kelly featuring Usher
"Disrespectful" - Chaka Khan featuring Mary J. Blige
"Hate That I Love You" - Rihanna featuring Ne-Yo
"Baby"- Angie Stone featuring Betty Wright
"Bartender" - T-Pain featuring Akon
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" - Otis Clay
"All Night Long" - Randy Crawford & Joe Sample
"In My Songs" - Gerald Levert
"I Apologize" - Ann Nesby
"I Am Your Man" - Ryan Shaw
Best Urban/Alternative Performance "Make a Baby" - Vikter Duplaix
"That's the Way of the World" - Dwele
"Daydreamin'" - Lupe Fiasco Featuring Jill Scott
"Fantasy" - Meshell Ndegeocello
"Dream" - Alice Smith
Best R&B Song (Note: The songwriters are the actual nominees. The artists are included in parentheses for identification only.) "Beautiful Flower" - India.Arie & Joyce Simpson (India.Arie)
"Hate That I Love You" - M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & Shaffer Smith (Rihanna featuring Ne-Yo)
"No One" - Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys (Alicia Keys)
"Teachme" - Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie Smith II & Corey Latif Williams (Musiq Soulchild)
"When I See U" - Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam Watters (Fantasia)
Best R&B Album Funk This - Chaka Khan
Lost & Found - Ledisi
Luvanmusiq - Musiq Soulchild
The Real Thing - Jill Scott
Sex, Love & Pain - Tank
Best Contemporary R&B Album Konvicted - Akon
Just Like You - Keyshia Cole
Fantasia - Fantasia
East Side Story - Emily King
Because Of You - Ne-Yo
Rap
Best Rap Solo Performance "The People" - Common featuring Dwele
"I Get Money" - 50 Cent
"Show Me What You Got" - Jay-Z
"Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" - T.I.
"Stronger" - Kanye West
Best Rap Performance By a Duo/Group "Southside" - Common featuring Kanye West
"Make It Rain" - Fat Joe featuring Lil Wayne
"Party Like a Rockstar" - Shop Boyz
"International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)" - UGK featuring OutKast
"Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)" - Kanye West, Nas, KRS-One & Rakim
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration "I Wanna Love You" - Akon featuring Snoop Dogg
"Kiss Kiss" - Chris Brown featuring T-Pain
"Let It Go" - Keyshia Cole featuring Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim
"Umbrella" - Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
"Good Life" - Kanye West featuring T-Pain
Best Rap Song (Note: The songwriters are the actual nominees. The artists are included in parentheses for identification only.) "Ayo Technology" - Nate "Danja" Hills, Curtis Jackson, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake (50 Cent featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
"Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" - Clifford Harris & Byron Thomas (T.I.)
"Can't Tell Me Nothing" - Kanye West & Aldrin Davis (Kanye West)
"Crank That (Soulja Boy)" - DeAndre Way (Soulja Boy)
"Good Life" - Alrin Davis, Faheem Najm & Kanye West (James Ingram & Quincy Jones) (Kanye West featuring T-Pain)
Best Rap Album Finding Forever - Common
Kingdom Come - Jay-Z
Hip Hop Is Dead - Nas
T.I. vs. T.I.P. - T.I.
Graduation - Kanye West
Country
Best Female Country Vocal Performance "Simple Love" - Alison Krauss
"Famous in a Small Town" - Miranda Lambert
"Nothin' Better to Do" - LeAnn Rimes
"Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
"Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love" - Trisha Yearwood
Best Male Country Vocal Performance "Long Trip Alone" - Dierks Bentley
"A Woman's Love" - Alan Jackson
"If You're Reading This" - Tim McGraw
"Give It Away" - George Strait
"Stupid Boy" - Keith Urban
Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals "Proud of the House We Built" - Brooks & Dunn
"How Long" - The Eagles
"Moments" - Emerson Drive
"Lucky Man" - Montgomery Gentry
"Sweet Memories" - The Time Jumpers
Best Country Collaboration w/ Vocals "Days Aren't Long Enough" - Steve Earle & Allison Moorer
"Because of You" - Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson
"I Need You" - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
"Lost Highway"- Willie Nelson & Ray Price
"Oh Love" - Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood
Best Country Instrumental Performance "Little Monk" - Russ Barenberg
"Mucky the Duck" - The Greencards
"Throttleneck" - Brad Paisley
"Rawhide!" - Andy Statman
"Fidoodlin" - The Time Jumpers
Best Country Song "Before He Cheats" - Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
"Give It Away" - Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon & Jamey Johnson, songwriters (George Strait)
"I Need You" - Tony Lane & David Lee, songwriters (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)
"If You're Reading This" - Tim McGraw, Brad Warren & Brett Warren, songwriters (Tim McGraw)
"Long Trip Alone" - Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley & Steve Bogard, songwriters (Dierks Bentley)
Best Country Album Long Trip Alone - Dierks Bentley
These Days - Vince Gill
Let It Go - Tim McGraw
5th Gear - Brad Paisley
It Just Comes Natural - George Strait
Best Bluegrass Album Cherryholmes II: Black and White - Cherryholmes
Lefty's Old Guitar - J. D. Crowe and The New South
The Bluegrass Diaries - Jim Lauderdale
Scenechronized - The Seldom Scene
Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular - Tony Trischka
New Age
Best New Age Album Faces of the Sun - Peter Kater
Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai, Volume 3 - Kitaro-
One Guitar - Ottmar Liebert
Southwest - Eric Tingstad
Crestone - Paul Winter Consort
Jazz
Best Contemporary Jazz Album "Party Hats" - Will Bernard
"Downright Upright" - Brian Bromberg
"Re-imagination" - Eldar
"River: The Joni Letters" - Herbie Hancock
"He Had a Hat" - Jeff Lorber
Best Jazz Vocal Album Avant Gershwin - Patti Austin
Red Earth: A Malian Journey - Dee Dee Bridgewater
Music Maestro Please - Freddy Cole
Nightmoves - Kurt Elling
On the Other Side - Tierney Sutton
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo Performance "Levees" - Terence Blanchard, soloist
"Anagram" - Michael Brecker, soloist
"Both Sides Now" - Herbie Hancock, soloist
"Lullaby" - Hank Jones, soloist
"1000 Kilometers" - Paul McCandless, soloist
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group Pilgrimage - Michael Brecker
Live at the Village Vanguard - The Bill Charlap Trio
Kids: Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola - Joe Lovano and Hank Jones
Line by Line - John Patitucci
Back East - Joshua Redman
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) - Terence Blanchard
Eternal Licks & Grooves - The Bob Florence Limited Edition
Hommage - The Bill Holman Band
Sky Blue - Maria Schneider Orchestra
With Love - Charles Tolliver Big Band
Best Latin Jazz Album Funk Tango - Paquito D'Rivera Quintet?
The Magician - Sammy Figueroa And His Latin Jazz Explosion
Borrowed Time - Steve Khan
Refugee - Hector Martignon
Big Band Urban Folktales - Bobby Sanabria Big Band
Gospel
Best Gospel Performance "East to West"- Casting Crowns
"Blessed & Highly Favored" - The Clark Sisters
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" - Aretha Franklin & Mary J. Blige (Featuring The Harlem Boys Choir)
"With Long Life" - Israel And New Breed Featuring T-Bone
"He Set My Life to Music" - CeCe Winans
Best Gospel Song Blessed & Highly Favored- Karen Clark-Sheard, songwriter (The Clark Sisters)
East To West- Mark Hall & Bernie Herms, songwriters (Casting Crowns)
Encourage Yourself- Donald Lawrence, songwriter (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
Made To Love- Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan, Jamie Moore & Aaron Rice, songwriters (TobyMac)
Praise On The Inside- James L. Moss, songwriter (J. Moss)
Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album Before The Daylight's Shot - Ashley Cleveland
HIStory: Our Place In His Story - The Cross Movement
Open Book - Da' T.R.U.T.H.
The Reckoning - Pillar
Comatose - Skillet
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album The Altar and the Door - Casting Crowns
A Deeper Level - Israel And New Breed
True Beauty - Mandisa
Stand - Michael W. Smith
Portable Sounds - TobyMac
Best Southern/Country/Bluegrass Album Amazing Grace - Bill & Gloria Gaither and the Homecoming Friends
Journey of Joy - Karen Peck & New River
Everybody's Brother - Billy Joe Shaver
Salt of the Earth - Ricky Skaggs & The Whites
Tell Someone - Kenny & Amanda Smith Band
I'll Fly Away: Country Hymns & Songs of Faith - Various Artists, Ed Cash, producer
Best Traditional Gospel Album Live: One Last Time - The Clark Sisters
The Grand Finale': Encourage Yourself - Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers
Life Changing - Smokie Norful
Thirsty - Marvin Sapp
Cherch - Bebe Winans
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album Grateful - Coko
Free to Worship - Fred Hammond
V2 …- J. Moss
T57 - Trin-I-Tee 5:7
Alone But Not Alone - Marvin Winans
Reggae
Best Reggae Album The Burning Spear Experience- Burning Spear
Mind Control- Stephen Marley
The End Of An American Dream- Lee "Scratch" Perry
Anniversary- Sly & Robbie And The Taxi Gang
Light Your Light- Toots & The Maytals
World Music
Best Traditional World Music Album When The Soul Is Settled: Music Of Iraq- Rahim Al Haj With Souhail Kaspar
From Mali To America- Cheick Hamala Diabat & Bob Carlin
Live At Couleur Café- Konono Nº1
African Spirit- Soweto Gospel Choir
Singing For Life: Songs Of Hope, Healing, And HIV/AIDS In Uganda-Various Artists (Gregory Barz, producer)
Best Contemporary World Music Album Céu- Céu
Gil Luminoso- Gilberto Gil
Momento- Bebel Gilberto
Djin Djin- Angelique Kidjo
An Ancient Muse- Loreena McKennitt
Comedy
Best Comedy Album America's Mexican - George Lopez
Dirty Girl - Lisa Lampanelli
The Distant Future - Flight of the Conchords
I Still Have a Pony - Steven Wright
Songs Pointed and Pointless - Harry Shearer
Music Video
Best Short Form Music Video "God's Gonna Cut You Down" - Johnny Cash — Tony Kaye, video director; Rachel Curl, video producer
"1234" - Feist — Patrick Daughters, video director; Geoff McLean, video producer
"Gone Daddy Gone" - Gnarls Barkley — Chris Milk, video director; Barbara Benson, video producer
"D.A.N.C.E." - Justice — Jonas & François and So-Me, video directors and producers
"Typical" - Mute Math — Israel Anthem, video director; Brandon Arolfo, video producer
Best Long Form Music Video "Live and Loud at the Fillmore" - Dierks Bentley — Russell Thomas, video director; James Whetherly, video producer
"Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 13-22" - R. Kelly — R. Kelly, Victor Mignatti and Jim Swaffield, video directors; Ann Carli, video producer
"The Confessions Tour" - Madonna — Jonas Akerlund, video director; Sara Martin and David May, video producers
"10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads" - Kenny Wayne Shepherd and various artists — Noble Jones, video director; Kenny Wayne Shepherd, video producer
"Liberacion: Songs of the Cuban Underground" - Various artists — Reuben Fields, video director; Dean Bates, video producer