Music has gone by a whole lot of adjustments since the American Music Awards debuted on Feb. 19, 1974, as a fan-driven different to the Grammy Awards. American Music Awards fiftieth Anniversary Special, a two-hour particular that aired on Sunday, Oct. 6, captured lots of these adjustments in neatly curated segments and contemporary performances.
Fifty years is a very long time, after all. Two of the three co-hosts of that first present (Roger Miller and Helen Reddy) are now not with us, neither is the present’s creator, legendary TV producer Dick Clark. The present lately switched networks, from ABC to CBS, which aired this anniversary present and can air the subsequent common AMA broadcast in May.
The unique plan was for the AMAs to debut on CBS with a daily best-of-the-past-year broadcast. Someone had the brilliant thought to first remind the viewers of the AMAs’ appreciable historical past earlier than relaunching the present (which has been on hiatus since 2022.)
Motown legend Smokey Robinson, who was the third co-host of that first present, launched a section on this anniversary present. He was one in all six former AMAs hosts or co-hosts to look, together with Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Reba McEntire, Jimmy Kimmel and Cedric the Entertainer.
The AMAs has had a far longer life than most anticipated – and that features Clark himself. In December 1973, Clark was engaged on the first AMAs. He knew a bit publicity couldn’t harm, so he discovered time for an interview with Billboard’s Bob Kirsch which ran on web page one in all the Dec. 15, 1973 concern below the headline “ABC-TV Slates Favorite Acts’ Awards Feb. 19.”
At the finish of the piece, Clark tried to take the lengthy view of his fledgling present and stated “If this is done properly, we may have a show that will last 20 years and will finally get the general public involved in popular music awards.”
Clark underestimated the longevity of his personal creation. Next yr’s AMAs shall be the 51st.
American Music Awards fiftieth Anniversary Special was produced by Dick Clark Productions. Michael Dempsey served as government producer.
Here are eight moments from the AMAs particular wherein they most successfully advised the big-picture story of the huge adjustments in widespread music in the final 50 years.
American Music Awards fiftieth Anniversary Special is produced by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and three way partnership between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the father or mother firm of Billboard.
Gladys Knight Performs a Classic
The present opened with a clip bundle from the first present, together with Stevie Wonder taking part in “Superstition” and Gladys Knight & the Pips performing “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Both songs have been No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973 and stay top-tier classics. The present then reduce to Knight performing the track stay, with three feminine backup singers taking the place of Gladys’ beloved Pips.
Country Through the Years
A clip montage of nation artists who've appeared on the AMAs culminated in Kane Brown performing a relaxed model of Alan Jackson’s 2002 hit “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” which led into his personal present smash “Miles on It.”
Later in the present, Brad Paisley recalled the late Charley Pride, who gave him a serving to hand when Paisley was simply 15. Paisley sang a little bit of Pride’s endearing 1971 signature track “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” earlier than shifting on to his personal new single “Truck Still Works” – a non secular successor to his 2004 hit “Mud on the Tires.”
Salute to Whitney Houston
EGOT recipient Jennifer Hudson honored 22-time AMA winner Whitney Houston by recreating a medley Houston carried out on the 1994 AMAs, a pairing of “I Loves You, Porgy” from Porgy & Bess and her personal smash “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard. Houston’s pairing was one in all the most artistically formidable performances in AMAs historical past and Hudson, who was simply 12 years previous at the time, did it justice. (Hudson had additionally paid tribute to Houston on the Grammy telecast in 2012 by performing “I Will Always Love You” – simply sooner or later after Houston’s surprising dying at age 48.)
Houston grew up on the AMAs and the Grammys. In addition to her 22 AMAs wins, she co-hosted the 1988 AMAs with the Bee Gees and Mick Fleetwood.
Hip-hop Gets Its Due
The AMAs didn’t have hip-hop classes till the sixteenth present in 1989, when DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince received favourite rap/hip-hop artist and album for He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.
A clip bundle collected present moments with such hip-hop stars as Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, who had the finest line when he advised his mother “I guess all that music coming out of my bedroom paid off.”
Three-time AMA winner Nelly capped the section with a medley of his best hits on which he was joined by Chingy, J-Kwon and members of the St. Lunatics.
A Fun Segment on ‘Outrageous’ Moments
Lionel Richie’s catchphrase in 1985, when he hosted the present for the second yr in a row, was “Outrageous!” This anniversary present put collectively a enjoyable section of outrageous moments, together with Vanilla Ice and Billy Ray Cyrus blasting their critics (they usually each had a whole lot of them) upon accepting their awards.
(The present uncared for to say a method the AMAs earned a footnote in pop historical past. As chronicled in the latest Netflix movie The Greatest Night in Pop, “We Are the World” was recorded on the evening of the 1985 AMAs. That wasn’t only a coincidence. Ken Kragen and the different individuals placing the recording collectively knew that almost each essential star can be in Los Angeles for the AMAs. That says rather a lot about the AMAs’ standing at the time.)
A Parade of Boy Bands
A Backstreet Boy (AJ McLean) and a member of *NSYNC (Lance Bass) launched a section on the historical past of boy bands on the AMAs. There have been greater than you may need remembered, together with these two teams, BTS, New Edition, New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men and One Direction.
Ok-pop stars Stray Kids capped the section with a efficiency which included a little bit of the marionette-inspired choreography of *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” main into their very own hit “Chk Chk Boom.”
RAYE Sings a James Brown Classic
Image Credit: Getty Singer-songwriter RAYE was terrific on the 1966 James Brown basic “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” (She’s not the first girl to carry out the track. Cher recorded it for her 1996 album It’s a Man’s World.)
RAYE swept the Brit Awards in February. She is at the moment vying for a Grammy nomination for finest new artist. If sufficient Grammy voters watched this present, she in all probability gained various votes.
RAYE’s efficiency adopted a retrospective on recipients of the American Music Award of Merit, which has been offered to such greats as Brown, Bon Jovi, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Sting, Billy Joel and Whitney Houston.
They’re Every Woman
The present neared its conclusion with a clip bundle of ladies artists on the AMAs by the years. Among them: Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, Madonna, P!nk, Gwen Stefani, Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Tina Turner and Lady Gaga.
That was the lead-up to a giant finale of Chaka Khan performing her 1978 hit “I’m Every Woman,” backed by percussionist Sheila E. Whitney Houston coated the Ashford & Simpson track for The Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992 and had a good greater hit with it, however on this evening, we honored the originator.
