Yesterday (February 24) U.S. President Barack Obama's administration honoured late soul legend Ray Charles with a special livestreamed performance from the White House, aptly dubbed "Smithsonian Salutes Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House."
The show opened with a warm welcome for the president and first lady, followed by an introduction from Obama before acts like Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard, Demi Lovato, Yolanda Adams, Andra Day, Leon Bridges, Anthony Hamilton, Sam Moore, the Band Perry, Usher, and Empire star Jussie Smollett performed to pay tribute to Charles' life and work.
The actual program begins at the 1:27:00 mark, while fans of Alabama Shakes can find Howard take the stage for "Unchain My Heart" at 1:39:00; she also returns with Lovato, Day and Adams for a rendition of "Heaven Help Us All" at 2:16:30 and the grand finale at 2:29:00. Also of note, Usher gets his turn in the spotlight around 1:52:30 for "Georgia on My Mind," Smollett does "I've Got a Woman" at 2:07:30, and Bridges delivers "Lonely Avenue" at 2:21:00.
The show will air again on PBS tomorrow night (February 26), but you can relive the livestream in the player below right now.
The show opened with a warm welcome for the president and first lady, followed by an introduction from Obama before acts like Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard, Demi Lovato, Yolanda Adams, Andra Day, Leon Bridges, Anthony Hamilton, Sam Moore, the Band Perry, Usher, and Empire star Jussie Smollett performed to pay tribute to Charles' life and work.
The actual program begins at the 1:27:00 mark, while fans of Alabama Shakes can find Howard take the stage for "Unchain My Heart" at 1:39:00; she also returns with Lovato, Day and Adams for a rendition of "Heaven Help Us All" at 2:16:30 and the grand finale at 2:29:00. Also of note, Usher gets his turn in the spotlight around 1:52:30 for "Georgia on My Mind," Smollett does "I've Got a Woman" at 2:07:30, and Bridges delivers "Lonely Avenue" at 2:21:00.
The show will air again on PBS tomorrow night (February 26), but you can relive the livestream in the player below right now.
