Top 10 Memorable Award Show Tribute Performances

On April 21st, 2016, the world lost an icon. Prince’s passing came as a shock to everyone and subsequently engulfed the music industry in grief. In order to properly pay homage to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who released 39 studio albums, won multiple Grammys and whose gentle yet flamboyant personality was as unique as his music, the world turned to Bruno Mars. Dressed in Prince’s iconic “Purple Rain” outfit and slaying it on guitar, Mars’ performance at the 2017 Grammys was a fitting tribute to one of music’s most beloved figures.

The thing that made this particular awards show tribute special was not the plethora of diverse, uber-talented artists or the intense spectacle they put on; no, the true pleasure of this tribute came from seeing the indomitable Sly Stone right there with them, as the reclusive singer had not made a public musical appearance since 1987! After the likes of John Legend and Steven Tyler belted out their versions of some of the band’s biggest hits, Sly made his dramatic appearance clad in a glimmering gold trench coat and a Mohawk to match. Epic hardly begins to describe this iconic and funky rock ‘n’ roll moment!

Mimicking Brown’s signature singing style and on-stage movements, Christina Aguilera brought down the house at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. The tribute performance coincided with a nomination and subsequent win for Aguilera’s song “Ain’t No Other Man”. James Brown, the funk legend whose slew of accomplishments are simply too long to list, had passed the year before and in order to properly honor him they tapped on Aguilera’s shoulder; and boy did they make the right call. Her rendition of Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” is both a testament to her skills with the mic as well as a stirring tribute to one of the biggest names in music history.

In a career that spanned many decades, R&B and rock and roll singer and guitarist Bo Diddley seemingly did it all. A musical pioneer in many respects, Diddley served as an inspiration to many of the industry’s biggest names. Thus, when he passed in 2008 the Grammy Awards had a problem on its hands: who would they select to pay tribute to such a renowned artist? They ultimately settled on a foursome of killer names: John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Keith Urban and 83 year old blues rocker and Diddley’s contemporary: B.B. King. All four delivered superb performances and Mayer and Guy straight up shredded on guitar. It was in a word, incredible.

Set up by a stirring speech by Bowie’s longtime friend Gary Oldman, Lorde’s tribute performance at the 2016 Brit Awards will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest in awards show history. David Bowie transcended genre, medium and even gender in his decades-long career. A multitalented musician and actor who set trends, defied conventions and produced some of the most enduring songs of the 20th century, Bowie was clearly in need of a kick-ass tribute performance. Luckily, Lorde and Bowie’s band delivered. The band cycled through a compilation of his greatest hits before Lorde took the stage to belt out her version of “Life on Mars”. Talk about a moment!

Whitney Houston left a void in the music industry that is still being felt today. When she passed on February 11th, 2012 those in charge of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards had a hard decision to make. Seeing as how the awards show was set to take place quite literally the next day, they needed to find someone ASAP who could properly pay tribute to the recently deceased R&B singer. Thankfully, Jennifer Hudson was ready. With just a day to prepare Hudson stepped on stage and delivered a rendition of “I Will Always Love You” - Houston’s biggest hit - that brought the house down. Christina Aguilera would deliver an equally impressive tribute to Houston at the 2017 AMA’s.

Aretha Franklin is one of the best selling artists of all time and is the proud owner of 17 Grammys, three Special Achievement Grammys and three American Music Awards. So how in the world do you pay tribute to someone with that kind of musical pedigree? The answer: assemble a lineup that includes Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Florence Welch and Yolanda Adams and get them to perform some of Franklin’s biggest hits at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. The result of this ridiculously impressive musical team-up was nothing short of astounding, with all five women bringing something different to the performance. The crowd was understandably mesmerized.

Rock legend Janis Joplin, whose life ended tragically on October 4th, 1970 at just 27 years of age, was the ultimate combination of vocal talent and songwriting genius. One of her era’s preeminent stars, Joplin’s death shocked the world. Thankfully she hasn’t been forgotten. Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge paid tribute to Joplin’s legendary personality and musical ability at the Grammys. First Stone sang an incredible cover of Joplin’s “Cry Baby”, which was followed up by a performance of “Piece of My Heart” by Etheridge that brought the crowd to its feet. The performance was Etheridge’s first since overcoming breast cancer and she sang it while still bald due to her treatments.

An artist who needs no introduction, Bob Marley earned one of the greatest tribute performances of all time back in 2013, when Bruno Mars, Sting, Rihanna and his sons, Ziggy and Damian performed together at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Bruno Mars and Sting set up the performance with a couple of their own songs before being joined on stage by Rihanna and Ziggy and Damian Marley. The five-some then belted out a cover of Marley’s iconic track “Could You Be Loved”. The performance sent the crowd into frenzy, with people of all generations on their feet paying tribute to the reggae legend.



Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:



Tribute to the Bee Gees

Demi Lovato, Tori Kelly, Little Big Town & Andra Day


Tribute to Etta James

Bonnie Raitt & Alicia Keys

A slew of impressive vocal talents got together to pay tribute to the one and only Michael Jackson at the 2010 Grammys. Less than a year removed from the singer’s untimely death, the performance was a way for the music industry to say goodbye to one of its most iconic members. Accompanied by a 3D video, Usher, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson took to the stage to honor Jackson by singing “Earth Song”. The performance is guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye, as the emotion that each singer brings is both a testament to Jackson’s influence on them as well as a sign of their respect for his musical contributions.