Hunter Hayes and The Who to Perform on "The GRAMMY® Nominations Concert Live!! - Countdown to Music's Biggest Night®"

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Country music singer/songwriter Hunter Hayes; Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipients The Who; and The Band Perry and Dierks Bentley in a special tribute to Johnny Cash have been added to the lineup for "The GRAMMY^® Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night^®." They join previously announced performers Luke Bryan, FUN., three-time GRAMMY-winning group Maroon 5, and three-time GRAMMY winner Ne-Yo. Two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J and six-time GRAMMY winner Taylor Swift will co-host the one-hour concert special. The show — which will announce nominations in several categories as well as feature performances by past GRAMMY winners and/or nominees — will take place live for the first time ever at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Dec. 5, and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network (www.cbs.com) from 10 – 11 p.m. ET/PT (9 p.m. Central). Presenters will be announced shortly. For updates and breaking news, please visit www.grammy.com, and The Recording Academy^®'s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110621/LA23309LOGO)

Following the one-hour live telecast, guests will experience an exclusive one-hour concert by Maroon 5. Tickets for "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" are on sale now and are available online at www.ticketmaster.com or via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at 800.745.3000.

This concert special marks the fifth time nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards^® will be announced live on primetime television. Last year's airing of the nominations special helped lead to increased ratings for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, which attracted 39.9 million viewers, the largest GRAMMY audience since 1984 and the second largest in history. The telecast was also the biggest social event in the history of television at that time, drawing 13 million social media comments, with the conversation on Twitter reaching a record high at 160,341 tweets per minute during the live telecast.

LL COOL J has hosted "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" since its inception, and also hosted the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast for the first time earlier this year. Swift co-hosted the first GRAMMY nominations special with LL COOL J in December 2008.

The road to Music's Biggest Night begins with "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" and culminates with the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. 

"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" is produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures, LLC. Ken Ehrlich is the executive producer. LL COOL J is producer.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, 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, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "The GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on YouTube, Tumblr, Foursquare, GetGlue, and Instagram. 

SOURCE The Recording Academy

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