Grammy TV special looks behind curtain at water cooler moments
NEW YORK — Justin Timberlake has had plenty of highlights in his glittering career but not many people know he helped save the Grammy Awards in 2009.
That was the year Chris Brown, accused of beating up his girlfriend Rihanna the night before, abruptly dropped out as a performer just hours before it was to air live. So did Rihanna.
So Timberlake huddled with veteran Grammy telecast producer Ken Ehrlich and they did what any great jazz artist does — they improvised.
Instead of Rihanna, Timberlake would sing with soul legend Al Green, who had originally been slated to just present an award. They added Keith Urban on guitar and backing vocals from Boyz II Men. The scramble paid off.
“We wound up putting together a number in three hours that wasn’t on paper before,” recalls Ehrlich. “That became this amazing Al Green-Justin Timberlake ‘Let’s Stay Together’ number that aired about 20 minutes into the show and didn’t exist four hours before.”
That story and many others are included in “Grammys’ Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special” airing Friday on CBS at 9 p.m. that features interviews with John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Mary J Blige, Sting, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Chris Martin, Carrie Underwood and Paul McCartney.
The special explores some groundbreaking Grammy performances, like Pink’s stunning, acrobatic performance in 2010, the highenergy pairing of Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar in 2014, and Beyoncé and Prince doing a medley in 2004.
Most of the coolest water cooler Grammy moments are dreamed up by Ehrlich, who has been the brains — and diplomatic negotiator — behind the show since 1980 and has built a reputation for combining unlikely artists.
He’s been doing it since his first Grammys in charge when he paired Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond on a duet of “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” He later got Elton John to sing with Eminem in 2001 and assembled Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher to honour Michael Jackson in 2010.
“Honestly, the Grammys didn’t get a great deal of respect in the early years and I’m not even sure how much we have now, other than the fact that people do know that musically the show strives to be better and different and not just be a parade of hits,” said Ehrlich.
Ehrlich’s canvas has changed over the years, now stretching over 3 ½ hours and crammed with some 20 performances. Because the Grammys celebrate all music, he’s had gospel segments, featured classical artists and highlighted Broadway’s “Hamilton.”
Though Ehrlich has no control over the Grammy categories or nominations, his show often must deal with fallout over criticism of the way the awards are handled by the Recording Academy.
Hip-hop’s relationship with the Grammys has often been turbulent and this year Drake did not submit his CD “More Life” for consideration. “It bothers me the way the hip-hop community feels about the Grammys,” he adds. “I have a huge belief in Drake as an artist. It really hurts when I see that he does not want to be part of the process.”