The Grammy Awards, usually an evening of flash, hype and occasional bad behavior, had its most emotional ceremony ever on Sunday—just one day after the stunning death of Whitney Houston.
But Houston’s death at 48 wasn’t the only event that lent a somber and occasionally elegiac tone to the annual celebration of the best (and most successful) popular music. Within the last few weeks, R&B legend Etta James and “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius have died. And two big Boomer acts – the Beach Boys and Glen Campbell – gave what was probably their last performance in front of such a huge, appreciative crowd. Campbell, who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s, brought down the house with his hit “Rhinestone Cowboy.”
The Boomer presence loomed throughout the evening. Bruce Springsteen opened with the sardonic anthem “We Take Care Of Our Own,” written after Hurricane Katrina. Paul McCartney performed two songs: one new, and another from the 42-year-old Beatles LP “Abbey Road.” Booker T. Jones, frontman for the 60s soul group Booker T. and the MGs, won a Grammy in the category of Best Pop Instrumental album for “The Road From Memphis.” And “Otis,” the Kanye West/Jay-Z collaboration that won Best Rap Single, extensively samples Otis Redding’s 1966 hit “Try A Little Tenderness.”
The overwhelming winner of the night was the singer Adele, who won six Grammys, including Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year. Adele, 23, a chubby Londoner with a mid-1960s blonde flip, has a powerful voice that echoes the emotional resonance of classic soul and country divas from decades past.
But the one thing that distinguished this Grammy ceremony from all others didn’t happen on the stage, and it won’t be found in a list of winners. It was the death of Houston, one of pop music’s most talented and tragic stars. The singer was found dead in a bathtub in the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she’d been staying with a group of family and friends before going to a pre –Grammy party hosted by her mentor, recording executive Clive Davis.
Grammy organizers decided against an elaborate memorial for Houston, saying it was too soon. Instead, host LL Cool J read a prayer, thanking God for “our sister Whitney,” and Jennifer Hudson, whose childhood idol was Houston, sang an emotionally charged version of Houston’s best-known song, “I Will Always Love You.” A video of Houston herself singing the song in 1994 got a standing ovation. And nominee Rihanna asked the audience to “make some noise for Whitney.”
As sad as Houston’s death is, it could have surprised very few people. The star’s decades-long battle with alcohol and drug abuse was widely chronicled, although periodically the star insisted to interviewers, including Oprah Winfrey, that she had conquered those addictions. In the past week, Houston’s behavior was erratic: She seemed disoriented when leaving a club, and also reportedly interrupted Davis when he was being interviewed for television.
A six-time Grammy winner, Houston seemed continuously high in the 2005 reality series, “Being Bobby Brown,” that she filmed with her husband. Like Houston, Brown, an R&B singer, abused drugs, including marijuana and cocaine. Brown, divorced from Houston in 2007, broke down on stage over the weekend after he learned of her death.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, the couple’s 18-year-old daughter, was in the hotel when Houston’s body was found. Published reports said she was “inconsolable” and that she was taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital twice within 24 hours of Houston’s death.
Bizarrely, Clive Davis, who was holding his annual pre-Grammy party in the hotel where Houston was found, continued with the event. Guests began arriving at about 7 p.m. Saturday, while Houston’s body remained in her suite – 434 – until 8 p.m., according to news reports. The Davis party is one of the hottest invitations, and performers at the events have included Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin (Houston’s godmother), not to mention Houston herself.
On Friday, one day before Houston’s death, a reporter asked Davis if Houston would be performing at the party. David hedged, saying, “It’s her favorite night of the year..[so] who knows by the end of the evening?”
