Stevie Wonder will honor late Earth, Wind & Fire legend Maurice White at the Grammy Awards following pressure from the music industry to diversify its all-white tribute lineup.
Page Six reported on Saturday that music insiders were furious that while Lady Gaga will perform a tribute to David Bowie, Jackson Browne will honor Glenn Frey, and Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp will memorialize Lemmy from Motörhead during Monday’s telecast, White and Natalie Cole were set to be banished to a video tribute package with others who had died in the past year.
To make matters worse, rap group Run-D.M.C. will receive a lifetime achievement award — but it won’t be televised.
“There’s a history of [the Grammys] not acknowledging black artists,” a source told us.
But the Grammy academy finally bowed to pressure over White, and over the weekend added Wonder and a cappella group Pentatonix to perform a one-minute tribute to White.
Gaga will perform a 10-song medley for her Bowie tribute.