The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies were televised in the US on CBS; however, as has become the custom, most of the awards were handed out during a pre-telecast portion of the show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and broadcast on XM Satellite Radio. Two nights prior to the show Aretha Franklin was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year.

50th Annual Grammy Awards
DateFebruary 10, 2008
LocationStaples Center, Los Angeles
Most awardsAmy Winehouse (5)
Most nominationsKanye West (8)
Websitehttps://www.grammy.com/awards/50th-annual-grammy-awards Edit this on Wikidata
Television/radio coverage
NetworkCBS
← 49th · Grammy Awards · 51st →

The year's big winner was Amy Winehouse: the 24-year-old singer had recently entered a drug rehabilitation program and did not come to Los Angeles. American officials initially refused her a work visa; they reversed the decision, but by then it was too late for her to make the trip from the UK.[1] She became the fifth female solo artist to get five awards in one night, alongside Lauryn Hill, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé and later, Alison Krauss, Adele and Billie Eilish.

The golden anniversary of the Grammys and NARAS was noted in references and performances throughout this year's ceremony. Alicia Keys was the evening's opening musician, singing and playing piano alongside archived video and audio of Frank Sinatra. Other collaborative performances linking contemporary and past musicians included Beyoncé with Tina Turner, Rihanna with The Time, classical pianist Lang Lang with jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and inaugural Grammy winner Keely Smith with Kid Rock. Special recognition of the musical contributions of The Beatles also featured. The Foo Fighters won Best Rock Album and performed their nominated song "The Pretender" in a highly collaborative performance that involved a social media selection of classical musicians (the "My Grammy Moment" YouTube contest was won by violinist Ann Marie Calhoun).[2]

Performances

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Performer(s) Song(s) Performed
Alicia Keys
Frank Sinatra
"Learnin' the Blues"
Carrie Underwood "Before He Cheats"
The Time
Rihanna
"Jungle Love"
"Umbrella"
"Don't Stop the Music"
The cast of Cirque du SoleilLove "A Day in the Life"
The cast of Across the Universe "Let It Be"
Kanye West
Daft Punk
"Stronger"
"Hey Mama"
Fergie
John Legend
"Finally"
Beyoncé
Tina Turner
"What's Love Got to Do with It"
"Better Be Good to Me"
"Proud Mary"
Foo Fighters
John Paul Jones
Ann Marie Calhoun
"The Pretender"
Brad Paisley "Ticks"
Aretha Franklin
BeBe Winans
The Madison Bumblebees
The Clark Sisters
Trin-i-tee 5:7
Israel and New Breed
"Never Gonna Break My Faith"
"You Brought the Sunshine"
"With Long Life"
"Old Landmark"
Feist "1234"
Keely Smith
Dave Koz
Kid Rock
"That Old Black Magic"
Alicia Keys
John Mayer
"No One
Lang Lang
Herbie Hancock
"Rhapsody in Blue"
Amy Winehouse "You Know I'm No Good"
"Rehab"
Eldar "Jazz Piano Composition"
Andrea Bocelli
Josh Groban
"The Prayer"
Little Richard
Jerry Lee Lewis
John Fogerty
"Comin' Down The Road"
"Great Balls of Fire"
"Good Golly, Miss Molly"
will.i.am "Grammy Awards 50th Anniversary Freestyle Rap"

Presenters

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The following is a list of presenters:

Winners and nominees

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Bold type indicates the winner out of the list of nominees.

Multiple nominees and wins (wins/nominations)

  • Amy Winehouse (5/6)
  • Kanye West (4/8)
  • Foo Fighters (2/5)
  • Justin Timberlake (2/3)
  • Herbie Hancock (2/3)
  • Rihanna (1/6)

General

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Record of the Year
Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Best New Artist
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Best Pop Instrumental Album
Best Pop Vocal Album

Dance

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Best Dance Recording
Best Electronic/Dance Album

Traditional Pop

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Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Rock

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Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Hard Rock Performance
Best Metal Performance
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Best Rock Song
Best Rock Album

Alternative

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Best Alternative Music Album
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Best R&B Song
Best R&B Album

Best Contemporary R&B Album

Best Rap Solo Performance
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Best Rap Song
Best Rap Album

Country

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Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals
Best Country Instrumental Performance
Best Country Song
Best Country Album
Best Bluegrass Album

New Age

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Best New Age Album

Jazz

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Best Contemporary Jazz Album

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo Performance

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Best Latin Jazz Album

Gospel

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Best Gospel Performance
Best Gospel Song
Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
Best Southern/Country/Bluegrass Gospel Album
Best Traditional Gospel Album
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Latin

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Best Latin Pop Album
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Best Latin Urban Album
Best Tropical Latin Album
Best Mexican/Mexican–American Album
Best Tejano Album
  • Before the Next Teardrop FallsLittle Joe & La Familia
  • Ram Herrera and the Outlaw Band 2007 – Ram Herrera and the Outlaw Band
  • Corazon de Oro – David Marez
  • 35th AnniversaryRuben Ramos
  • Vagar Libremente – Sunny Sauceda
Best Banda Album

Blues

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Best Traditional Blues Album
Best Contemporary Blues Album

Folk

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Best Traditional Folk Album
Best Contemporary Folk Album
Best Native American Music Album
  • Totemic Flute Chants – Johnny Whitehorse
  • Oklahoma Style – Walter Ahhaitty & Friends
  • Watch This Dancer!Black Lodge
  • The Ballad of Old Times – Davis Mitchell
  • Reconnections – R. Carlos Nakai, Cliff Sarde, William Eaton & Randy Wood
Best Hawaiian Music Album
  • Treasures of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar – Various Artists
  • Ka Hikina O Ka Hau (The Coming of the Snow)Keola Beamer
  • HawaiianaTia Carrere
  • He'eia – Cyril Pahinui
  • Hawaiian Blossom – Raiatea Helm
Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album

Reggae

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Best Reggae Album

World Music

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Best Traditional World Music Album
  • African SpiritSoweto Gospel Choir
  • When the Soul Is Settled: Music of IraqRahim Al Haj With Souhail Kaspa
  • From Mali to America – Cheick Hamala Diabat & Bob Carlin
  • Live at Couleur CaféKonono Nº1
  • Singing for Life: Songs of Hope, Healing, and HIV/AIDS in Uganda – Various Artists
Best Contemporary World Music Album
Best Polka Album

Children's

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Best Children's Music Album
Best Children's Spoken Word Album

Spoken Word

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Best Spoken Word Album

Comedy

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Best Comedy Album

Musical Show

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Best Musical Show Album

Film, Television and Other Visual Media

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Best Compilation Soundtrack Album
Best Score Soundtrack Album
Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

Composing/Arranging

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Best Instrumental Composition
Best Instrumental Arrangement
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)

Package

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Best Recording Package
Best Boxed/Special Limited Edition

Album Notes

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Best Album Notes

Historical

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Best Historical Album

Production, Non Classical

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Best Engineered Album, Non Classical
Producer of the Year, Non Classical
Best Remixed Recording

Production, Surround Sound

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Best Surround Sound Album

Production, Classical

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Best Engineered Album, Classical
Producer of the Year, Classical
  • Blanton Alspaugh
    • Eternal Rest: Mäntyjärvi, Ticheli, Martin, Clausen (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale)
    • Grechaninov: Passion Week (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale)
    • The Harrington String Quartet: Daniel McCarthy (The Harrington String Quartet)
    • Hartke: The Greater Good (Stewart Robertson & Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra)
    • Rider On The Plains: Cello Concertos By Virgil Thomson And Charles Fussell (Emmanuel Feldman)
  • John Fraser
    • Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2, Scherzos (Simon Trpceski)
    • Great Handel (Ian Bostridge)
    • Kate Royal (Kate Royal)
    • Krommer/Spohr: Clarinet Concertos (Julian Bliss, Sabine Meyer & Kenneth Sillito)
    • Schubert: Piano Sonata D958, Lieder, Fragments (Leif Ove Andsnes & Ian Bostridge)
  • Marina A. Ledin
    • Balakirev And Russian Folksong (Joseph Banowetz)
    • Louisiana - A Pianist's Journey (Kenneth Boulton)
    • Piano Impromptus (Jungran Kim Khwarg)
    • 20th Century Piano Sonatas (Allison Brewster Franzetti)
  • Judith Sherman
    • American Virtuosa: Tribute To Maud Powell (Rachel Barton Pine & Matthew Hagle)
    • From Barrelhouse To Broadway: The Musical Odyssey Of Joe Jordan (Rick Benjamin & The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra)
    • Górecki: String Quartet No. 3 '...Songs Are Sung' (Kronos Quartet)
    • Strange Imaginary Animals (Eighth Blackbird)
    • Tchaikovsky: Three String Quartets, Souvenir De Florence (Ying Quartet)
  • Robina G. Young
    • As Steals The Morn...Handel Arias & Scenes For Tenor (Mark Padmore, Andrew Manze & The English Concert)
    • Bach, CPE: Symphonies 1–4, Cello Concerto (Andrew Manze & The English Concert)
    • Brahms: Variations (Olga Kern)
    • Music For Compline (Stile Antico)
    • Stockhausen: Stimmung (Paul Hillier & Theatre Of Voices)

Classical

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Best Classical Album
Best Orchestra Performance
Best Opera Recording
Best Choral Performance
Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)
Best Chamber Music Performance
Best Small Ensemble Performance
  • "Bach: Brandenburg Concertos" – Swiss Baroque Soloists
  • "Bridges: Eddie Daniels Plays the Music of Frank Proto" – Frank Proto, conductor; Eddie Daniels; Ensemble Sans Frontière
  • "Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde" – Kenneth Slowik, conductor; The Smithsonian Chamber Players & Santa Fe Pro Musica
  • "Music for Compline" – Stile Antico
  • "Stravinsky: Apollo, Concerto in D; Prokofiev: 20 Visions Fugitives" – Yuri Bashmet, conductor; Moscow Soloists
Best Classical Vocal Performance
  • "Gitano: Zarzuela Arias"
  • "Homage: The Age of the Diva"
  • "Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs"
  • "Russian Album"
    • Anna Netrebko (Valery Gergiev; Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre)
  • "Sea Pictures, Op. 37"
    • Sarah Connolly (Simon Wright; Bournemouth Symphony Chorus; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)
Best Classical Contemporary Composition
Best Classical Crossover Album

Music Video

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Best Short Form Music Video
Best Long Form Music Video

In Memoriam

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Brad Delp, Boots Randolph, James B. Davis, Max Roach, Robert Goulet, Lee Hazlewood, Pimp C, Gian Carlo Menotti, Joe Zawinul, Joel Dorn, Ray Evans, Lucky Dube, Al Viola, Mstislav Rostropovich, Joel Brodsky, Hilly Kristal, Diane Ogden-Halder, Joe Hunter, Don Ho, Dan Fogelberg, Porter Wagoner, Beverly Sills, Teresa Brewer, Hy Weiss, Tom Noonan, Bobby Byrd, Tommy Makem, John Stewart, Arthur Shimkin, Carlos "Patato" Valdes, Clyde Otis, Luther Ingram, Hank Thompson, Ike Turner, Oscar Peterson and Luciano Pavarotti.

References

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  1. ^ Leeds, Jeff (February 9, 2008). "Allowed In, Winehouse Chooses to Stay Home". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  2. ^ WestLAGuy (December 11, 2014). "FOO FIGHTERS -"The Pretender" 2008 Grammy Awards". YouTube. Retrieved August 1, 2017.[dead YouTube link]
  3. ^ "Nick Patrick Productions". Nick Patrick Productions. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
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