The 65th Grammy Awards are officially underway, and Chris Stapleton, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson set the tone right with an absolutely mind-blowing performance of Higher Ground.
The trio took the stage shortly before the ceremony featured a celebration of 50 Years of Hip-Hop, and they did it right with a hit straight out of Motown, the genre that some say started it all.
The performance came together to honor Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson. Gordy founded the iconic Motown record label, and Robinson founded and fronted Gordy’s first-ever signed group, The Miracles.
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Wonder began the tribute with a cover of The Way You Do The Things You Do by the Temptations, which Robinson wrote with the help of Bobby Rogers. Then Robinson came to the stage to sing Tears Of A Clown, a single he wrote and sang while working with The Miracles.
Finally, they concluded their set with the help of country music superstar Stapleton. His twangy, raspy voice perfectly paired with Wonder and Robinson’s smooth sound. The Tennessee Whiskey singer also gave a jaw-dropping guitar solo that had the entire audience on its feet.
Social Media Goes Wild Over Chris Stapleton, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson Grammy Performance
Following the show, social media lit up with praise for the trio, and Stapleton found out that he now has a whole new legion of fans.
“Bro! I don’t know whose idea it was to put Chris Stapleton on this stage with Stevie Wonder! But THAT was PHENOMENAL!” @FlyMai16 posted on Twitter. “Love love love! And those four young men singing background, so amazing! And the OG Smokie Robinson, still smooooth! Congrats to him and Barry Gordy!”
Fellow country star Travis Denning also shouted praises for Stapleton on Twitter saying, “I straight up am not equipped to deal with Chris Stapleton and Stevie Wonder singing together.”
It’s no surprise that the three legends caused a social media storm with their talents, however. And none of them are strangers to the famed awards show either. Smokey Robinson is a three-time Grammy winner and five-time nominee. Chris Stapleton also won 8 of his own and has earned another 8 nods. The 44-year-old is also up for Best Country Song tonight for his songwriting credit on I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die by Willie Nelson.
Stevie Wonder is actually one of the most decorated musicians in Grammy History. Over his decades-long career, Wonder has won 25 Grammys, which makes him the 8th most-winningest person ever, according to USA Today. He’s also racked in 50 more nominations.
