“United We Sing: A Grammy(R) Salute to the Unsung Heroes,” Hosted by Grammy(R) and Emmy Award-Winning Singer and Actor Harry Connick, Jr., to Be Broadcast Sunday, June 21 on CBS
Special Appearances by Sandra Bullock, Drew Brees, Queen Latifah, Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, and Renée Zellweger
Featuring Musical Performances by Jon Batiste, Harry Connick, Jr., Andra Day, John Fogerty, Jamie Foxx, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Little Big Town, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews, Tim McGraw, Rockin Dopsie, Irma Thomas and Trombone Shorty
CBS and the Recording Academy(R) announced today a new two-hour special event UNITED WE SING: A GRAMMY(R) SALUTE TO THE UNSUNG HEROES hosted by GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning singer and actor Harry Connick, Jr., celebrating essential workers across America. The special will be broadcast Sunday, June 21 (8:00-10:00PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
The show features GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning singer and actor Harry Connick, Jr. and his filmmaker daughter, Georgia Connick, as they take a road trip in an RV to thank and celebrate essential workers who risk their own lives on a daily basis to keep us safe. Connick highlights the contributions of these everyday heroes with the help of his celebrity friends, including Sandra Bullock, Drew Brees, Queen Latifah, Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey and Renée Zellweger, who deliver surprise messages to America’s unsung heroes. Additionally, the special will feature performances by Jon Batiste, Harry Connick, Jr., Andra Day, John Fogerty, Jamie Foxx, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Little Big Town, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews, Tim McGraw, Rockin Dopsie, Irma Thomas and Trombone Shorty.
The Connicks’ journey begins at their home in Connecticut, and after stopping in various cities along the way, they reach their final destination of New Orleans, La. At each stop, the father-daughter duo listens to the stories of essential workers in healthcare, food preparation, sanitation, law enforcement, trucking and more to honor their dedication and public service during this unique moment in history.
The two-hour special event culminates in Connick’s hometown of New Orleans, with moving musical performances by Connick, Trombone Shorty, and Irma Thomas at iconic locations throughout the city.
The special will invite donors to contribute to charities that support underserved children, such as No Kid Hungry and the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in New Orleans, as well as to the MusiCares(R) COVID-19 Relief Fund, a charitable organization of the Recording Academy.
UNITED WE SING: A GRAMMY SALUTE TO THE UNSUNG HEROES was filmed with a minimal crew practicing social distancing and with extensive safety precautions in place.
Harry Connick, Jr.’s career has exemplified excellence across multiple platforms in the entertainment world. He has received GRAMMY and Emmy Awards, as well as Tony nominations for his live and recorded musical performances, his achievements in film and television and his appearances on Broadway as both an actor and a composer. Over the past three decades, Connick has established himself as a musician, singer and composer, a legendary live performer and a best-selling artist with millions of recordings sold around the world. The foundation of Connick’s art is the music of his native New Orleans, where he began performing as a pianist and vocalist at the age of 5. Connick has appeared in 19 feature films with actors such as Sandra Bullock, Hilary Swank, Renée Zellweger, Sigourney Weaver and Morgan Freeman. On television, he appeared on “Will & Grace,” “South Pacific” and “American Idol.” In 2016 he launched “Harry,” a national daytime television show which earned 11 Daytime Emmy nominations, including nominations for best host, and a Critics’ Choice nomination for Best Talk Show. On Broadway, Connick received Tony nominations as both a lead actor in “The Pajama Game” and as a composer/lyricist for “Thou Shalt Not.” In December 2019, he performed on Broadway in a show he wrote and directed, “Harry Connick, Jr.- A Celebration of Cole Porter.”
UNITED WE SING: A GRAMMY SALUTE TO THE UNSUNG HEROES is produced by Renato Basile and Ann Marie Wilkins. Executive producers are Harry Connick, Jr. and Ken Ehrlich. Leon Knoles is the director. The show is produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures in partnership with the Recording Academy.
