On February 2 the recording academy announced five additional artists who will take the stage on music’s biggest night: Chance the Rapper, Sturgill Simpson, Little Big Town, William Bell and Gary Clark Jr. will perform at the 59th Grammy Awards, which will air live on CBS on Sunday, February 12.
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Chance and Simpson are both newcomers to the Grammys, enjoying their first recognition this year. Chance is actually one of the most nominated artists of the year with seven bids, including Best New Artist and an impressive six noms throughout the rap field including Best Rap Album for his critically acclaimed breakthrough, “Coloring Book.” Simpson is not as fresh-faced — at age 38, he’s actually the oldest artist nominated for Album of the Year — but he nevertheless enjoys breakthrough success thanks to his third studio album and major label debut, “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,” which is nominated in the top category as well as for Best Country Album.
William Bell and Gary Clark will perform together. Bell is currently a two-time nominee, for Best Traditional R&B Performance (“The Three of Me”) and Best Americana Album (“This is Where I Live”). Clark has no nominations this year, but he won the Traditional R&B category in 2014 for “Please Come Home.”
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The country quartet Little Big Town doesn’t have any nominations this year either, but they have won Best Country Duo/Group Performance twice, including just last year for their crossover hit “Girl Crush,” which also earned a nomination for Song of the Year.
Says recording academy president Neil Portnow of the diverse additions, “It’s important to The Recording Academy that the Grammy stage showcases artists across all disciplines and genres, and we take pride in our ability to elevate the best in music while, at the same time, introducing audiences to sounds and songs they’d previously not heard. As fans’ access to music has increased, so has their appetite for variety expanded. This year’s lineup already reflects that—and we’re still not done!”
These names join previously announced performers The Weeknd, Daft Punk, Maren Morris, Alicia Keys, Anderson Paak, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Grohl, Bruno Mars, Adele, John Legend, Metallica, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. The 2017 Grammy Awards are being held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event is being hosted for the first time by James Corden, a Tony and Emmy winning performer and the host of CBS’s “Late Late Show” where he has already gotten cozy with several Grammy winners thanks to his viral segment “Carpool Karaoke.”
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