
Lalah Hathaway
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Watch: Lalah Hathaway Honors Late Father Donny Hathaway In Moving GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends Performance
Five-time GRAMMY-winning songstress Lalah Hathaway is perfect artist to pay tribute to the late, great soul Donny Hathaway, and not just because she's his daughter. For the 2019 GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends she offered her sultry, powerful vocals to showcase the unstoppable love present in her father's music.
"He's been gone, this year, for 40 years, so this is a very auspicious occasion. I'm so glad my mom is here; I'm singing with my sister, so this is a family affair," Lalah told the Recording Academy backstage before the show.
"His legacy is one that I'm discovering every day... It will just carry over oceans, it will influence people and bring people peace and joy forever," she added, reflecting on the unending power of his music.
With her sister Kenya Hathaway, the pair offer a powerful rendition out their father's GRAMMY-winning song "Where Is The Love." Originally released in 1972 as a duet with Roberta Flack, the powerhouse pair earned their first GRAMMYs for the song, taking home Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus at the 15th GRAMMY Awards.
The fourth annual GRAMMY Salute extravaganza took place in the heart of Hollywood earlier this year to honor all of the Recording Academy's 2019 Special Merit Award recipients. Donny Hathaway was one of a handful of artists presented with the Recording Academy's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award during this year's show. Black Sabbath, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Billy Eckstine, Donny Hathaway, Julio Iglesias, Sam & Dave and Dionne Warwick are the other 2019 recipients.
In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award artists, the Trustees Awards, given to Lou Adler, Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, and Johnny Mandel this year, celebrated exemplary contributors to music, outside of performance. Additionally, the Technical GRAMMY Award was presented (posthumsly) to API Audio Co-Founder Saul Walker and Florida high school choir director Jeffery Redding was celebrated with the Music Educator Award. The big night was filled with love, gratitude, celebration and a whole lot of amazing musical tributes.
You can watch the full GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends show, including the Hathaways' full performance and the other tributes to Donny, on Oct. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check your local listings).
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