Emmylou Harris, Ledisi & More to Perform at Grammy Hall of Fame Gala

R&B star Eddie Floyd and Jody Stephens, drummer of iconic power-pop band Big Star, are also on the bill.

Apr 23, 2025 - 14:35

Emmylou Harris, Ledisi & More to Perform at Grammy Hall of Fame Gala

Emmylou Harris, R&B star Eddie Floyd and Jody Stephens, drummer of iconic power-pop band Big Star, are set to perform at the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala, which will take place Friday, May 16, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California – the site of the first Grammy Awards ceremony in 1959.

All three have recordings being inducted this year. Harris will be joined by producer Daniel Lanois and jazz drummer Brian Blade for a performance of a song from her 1995 album Wrecking Ball, which Lanois produced. Floyd is being honored for his 1966 classic “Knock on Wood”; Big Star for its 1972 album #1 Record.

Percussionist Cindy Blackman, who is married to Carlos Santana, is also set to perform. The band Santana’s 1999 album Supernatural is being honored.

Also on the bill: R&B powerhouse Ledisi; actor and singer Leslie Odom Jr.; and guitar virtuoso Orianthi; as well as previously announced performer, composer and bandleader Jon Batiste. Each performance will celebrate one of this year’s Grammy Hall of Fame inductees. More performers will be announced soon.

The event will additionally honor this year’s label honoree, Republic Records. Atlantic Records was the initial label honoree at last year’s gala, which marked the first time there was a stand-alone event to honor the inducted recordings. Last year’s gala was held at the Novo Theatre at L.A. Live.

As previously announced, the event will also include the presentation of the inaugural Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award, created in partnership with The Ray Charles Foundation. This new annual honor recognizes an artist whose creative legacy reflects the visionary innovation of Ray Charles. The first recipient is seven-time Grammy Award winner Batiste, who will also perform during the gala.

Returning as host is CBS News journalist Anthony Mason. The show will again be produced by Ken Ehrlich, alongside Ron Basile, Lindsay Saunders Carl and Lynne Sheridan. Ehrlich produced or executive produced the annual Grammy Awards telecast for 40 years. Cheche Alara, a Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning composer, producer and conductor, will serve as musical director for the event.

The gala will celebrate the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame inducted recordings. In addition to the four already named, they are: J.D. Crowe & The New South’s J.D. Crowe & The New South; Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt; Fela Kuti & Afrika 70’s Zombie; Linda Martell’s “Color Him Father”; Miami Sound Machine’s “Conga”; Cat Stevens’s Tea for the Tillerman; Luther Vandross’s Never Too Much; Clara Ward’s “How I Got Over”; and Geeshie Wiley’s “Last Kind Words Blues.”

This year’s additions to the Grammy Hall of Fame meet the main requirements – they exhibit “qualitative or historical significance” and are at least 25 years old. Eligible artist(s), producer(s), engineer(s), and mixer(s) of these 13 recordings will receive a certificate from the Recording Academy.

The Grammy Hall of Fame was established by the Recording Academy’s national trustees in 1973. Inducted recordings are selected annually by a member committee drawn from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the academy’s national board of trustees. Counting these 13 new titles, the Grammy Hall of Fame totals 1,165 inducted recordings. The full list of past inducted recordings can be found here.

The Grammy Hall of Fame Gala serves as a fundraiser to support the Grammy Museum’s national education programs. It includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and concert program. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $1,250. For more information, visit this site.