Pre-GRAMMY® Telecast Ceremony to be Streamed Live at GRAMMY.com on Sunday, Feb. 13 Starting at 1 p.m. PT

Pre-GRAMMY® Telecast Ceremony to be Streamed Live at GRAMMY.com on Sunday, Feb. 13 Starting at 1 p.m. PT

ChocQuibTown, Buddy Guy, Cyndi Lauper, Maria Muldaur, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Trombone Shorty, Mavis Staples, Kirk Whalum and Betty Wright to Perform at Prelude to Music's Biggest Night® And Kick Off The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards®

Bobby McFerrin and Esperanza Spalding will Co-Host the Star-Studded Ceremony and Laurie Anderson, Sara Bareilles, BT, Kathy Griffin, and Wayne Wallace Will Present the First 98 GRAMMYs of the Night

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 53rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 13 from 1 - 4 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live internationally on www.grammy.com/live and www.youtube.com/thegrammys beginning at 1 p.m. PT. Well-attended by nominees and industry VIPs, the star-studded ceremony with be co-hosted by current GRAMMY nominees Bobby McFerrin and Esperanza Spalding, and will feature performances by nominees including Afro-Colombian hip hop trio ChocQuibTown, blues musician Buddy Guy, singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper,American roots interpreter Maria Muldaur,contemporary blues artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, trombone and trumpet player Trombone Shorty, legendary gospel singer Mavis Staples, jazz musician Kirk Whalum, and R&B singer/songwriter Betty Wright. Presenting the first GRAMMY Awards of the night in 98 categories will be current nominees Laurie Anderson, Sara Bareilles, BT, Kathy Griffin, and Wayne Wallace. The live stream of the Pre-Telecast will remain on GRAMMY.com as video on demand for 30 days following the event. Following the Pre-Telecast Ceremony, the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network from 8 - 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy®'s social networks on Facebook and Twitter: www.facebook.com/thegrammys and www.twitter.com/thegrammys.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110104/LA23911LOGO)

Co-hosts McFerrin and Spalding each have one nomination: McFerrin for Best Classical Crossover Album for Vocabularies, and Spalding for Best New Artist.

Performers ChocQuibTown, Guy, Lauper, Muldaur, Shepherd, Staples, Trombone Shorty and Wrighteach have one nod: ChocQuibTown for Best Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album for Oro; Guy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Living Proof; Lauper for Best Traditional Blues Album for Memphis Blues; Muldaur for Best Traditional Folk Album for Maria Muldaur & Her Garden Of Joy; Shepherd for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Live! In Chicago (Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Featuring Hubert Sumlin, Wille "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee, and Buddy Flett); Staples for Best Americana Album for You Are Not Alone; Trombone Shorty for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for Backatown; and Wright for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "Go." Whalum has three nominations: Best Pop Instrumental Album for Everything Is Everything: The Music Of Donny Hathaway; Best Gospel Performance for "He's Been Just That Good" (with Lalah Hathaway) and Best Gospel Song for "It's What I Do" (with Jerry Peters).

Presenters Anderson, Bareilles, BT, Griffin, and Wallace each have one nomination: Anderson for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "Flow"; Bareilles for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "King Of Anything"; BT for Best Electronic/Dance Album for These Hopeful Machines; Griffin for Best Comedy Album for Kathy Griffin Does The Bible Belt; and Wallace for Best Latin Jazz Album for Bien Bien! (Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet).

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards - the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music - The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thegrammys), Twitter (www.twitter.com/thegrammys), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/thegrammys).

SOURCE The Recording Academy

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110104/LA23911LOGO
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The Recording Academy

CONTACT: Lourdes Lopez, lourdesl@grammy.com, or Barb Dehgan, barbd@grammy.com, both of The Recording Academy, +1-310-392-3777

Web Site: http://www.grammy.com

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