All-star roster honors Lionel Richie as the Roots, Lenny Kravitz jam at pre-Grammys party
The Roots let Lenny Kravitz – and several other famous friends – rule ahead of the Grammys as Rihanna, Usher, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and others paid tribute to pop and R&B legend Lionel Richie, the MusiCares Person of the Year.
Kravitz was among the artists who joined the band Saturday for the third and final night of its 10th annual pre-Grammy jam session at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood.
The rocker-actor grabbed his guitar and performed such songs as “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” and “I Want To Get Away” with the massive hip-hop band.
“You think you can work with me?” Kravitz asked Roots’ drummer Questlove before they launched into his tune, “Let Love Rule.”
Other musicians who joined the group Saturday for the invite-only, freewheeling concert included George Clinton and Bilal. The revelry was briefly interrupted when police apprehended a man at the venue.
John Legend, Nelly, Tori Kelly and Leon Bridges were among the artists who teamed up with the band for Thursday and Friday jam sessions.
The Roots used the event to promote their playlist on the new Serato Pyro music player app. The software acts as a virtual DJ, seamlessly weaving together music from streaming services and MP3 files.
In other pre-awards night events, The Band Perry, Demi Lovato, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and Ellie Goulding joined Rihanna, Usher, Stevie Wonder and Legend in launching Grammy weekend Saturday night in a musical tribute for Richie that touched on on his roots in R&B as well as his string of romantic, easy-listening ballads that ruled the airwaves in the 1980s.
Richie, 66, launches a string of South American tour dates later this month.
The slogan in those days was, ‘Lionel Richie crossed over and can’t get black.’ Today I am standing here celebrating all the songs they told me would ruin my career. ... I am the father of mankind. More men have come up to me and said, ‘Lionel, I have made love to you many times.’
Lionel Richie on his career
Rihanna, wearing red sneakers with her red and white floral gown, sang “Say You, Say Me” backed by a string section.
Usher showed off his dance moves on the buoyant “Lady (You Bring Me Up).”
“You really got the white people up and dancing,” cracked host Jimmy Kimmel, who came out sporting a huge Afro and a white jumpsuit. After seeing old clips of Richie in sequined jumpsuits, Kimmel joked, “He has so many terrible outfits.”
Lenny Kravitz, Florence Welch and Dave Grohl provided the most unpredictable versions of Richie hits. Kravitz kicked off the 2 1/2 -hour show with a rock version of “Running With the Night” that included a guitar solo. Welch’s take on “Dancing On the Ceiling” featured guitar-strumming and rhythmic hand-clapping from the idle string section.
Grohl, lead singer of Foo Fighters, showed off a rare romantic side with a jaunty version of “You Are” that had the crowd on its feet dancing. He explained his connection to Richie came about last year after Grohl broke his leg on tour. Richie sent the rocker a huge basket of muffins as consolation, and Grohl saluted him as the “Muffin Man.”
Legend performed “Easy” on piano, and Wonder touched on Richie’s early days with the Commodores by doing “Three Times a Lady.”
Yolanda Adams and a choir injected powerful gospel into the proceedings, earning one of the night’s standing ovations.
Pharrell and the Roots were joined by Little Big Town, Leon Bridges, Tori Kelly and Corrine Bailey Rae for a medley that culminated in the Commodores’ classic “Brick House.”
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey did a cappella snippet of “Mr. Bojangles” before introducing Richie, who gave a shout-out to his “fabulous” hometown of Tuskegee, Ala., where he met the Commodores in college.
Richie said that from his earliest hits he didn’t realize how the music business worked, with R&B, pop and country in separate categories.
“I did not know that there were categories until I walked into a station one day and they said, ‘We can’t play your record because it’s too black,’ ” he said. “So I went home and wrote ‘Easy’ and I brought it back. They said, ‘We can’t play the record because it’s too white.’ I was confused.”
“The slogan in those days was, ‘Lionel Richie crossed over and can’t get black,’ ” he said, drawing laughter. “Today I am standing here celebrating all the songs they told me would ruin my career.”
In his acceptance speech, Richie poked fun at his reputation for crooning baby-making music.
“I am the father of mankind,” he said. “More men have come up to me and said, ‘Lionel, I have made love to you many times.’ ”
Richie took to the piano to play and sing “Hello” before closing things out with “All Night Long (All Night)” as confetti blasted the stage.
Among the crowd were producers Quincy Jones and David Foster, Motown founder Berry Gordy, David Crosby and Joe Walsh.
Saturday’s dinner and auction earned $7 million, the highest grossing evening in the tribute’s 26-year history, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said.
“I cannot be more proud of all of you,” Richie told the crowd at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
MusiCares, run by the Recording Academy, provides financial assistance to individuals in the music industry during times of need.
This story was originally published February 14, 2016 at 7:41 PM with the headline "All-star roster honors Lionel Richie as the Roots, Lenny Kravitz jam at pre-Grammys party."