Grammys 2013: Pre-telecast ceremony broadens the spotlight

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Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, Carrie Underwood and dozens more performed during the 55th Grammy Awards show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2013. The quirky New York City band Fun. took the best new artist award, and song of the year for “We Are Young.” Other winners announced during the star-studded event included folk act Mumford & Sons, for album of the year (“Babel”), and Gotye for record of the year (“Somebody That I Used to Know”). Here are some highlights from the show. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images; John Shearer / Associated Press)

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Taylor Swift opens the 55th Grammy Awards ceremony at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles with a theatrical performance of her song “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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LL Cool J serves as host of the Grammy Awards ceremony. He introduced many of the nominees and reminisced about seeing Michael Jackson cradling an armful of Grammys in 1984.

“That magical image inspired me to go after my own dreams,” he said, “and the same is true for many of us in this great hall tonight.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Elton John, left, and Ed Sheeran perform “The A Team,” up for song of the year, during the Grammy Awards show. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez present the Grammy for pop solo performance. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Adele accepts her Grammy for pop solo performance for “Set Fire to the Rain.” “I just want to send massive big love to all the other girls ... [who] all work so hard and make it look so easy,” she said. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Fun. performs its song “Carry On” during the Grammys. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Bonnie Raitt and John Mayer share the stage. Raitt won her 10th Grammy earlier during the pre-telecast show. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley perform their songs “Over You” and “Home.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Miguel, left, and Wiz Khalifa perform “Adorn.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Carrie Underwood accepts the Grammy for country solo performance for “Blown Away.”

“Country music has always been so good to me, and I thank the Lord that I’m part of such a wonderful, amazing family,” she said. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Faith Hill and Tim McGraw present the award for song of the year. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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The group Fun. accepts the song of the year Grammy for “We Are Young.” The song, which became a singalong anthem after it was released in late 2011, hit No. 1 in the spring. (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

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Actor Johnny Depp introduces Mumford & Sons. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Mumford & Sons performs their hit “I Will Wait.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Ellen DeGeneres and Beyonce speak onstage during the Grammys. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Justin Timberlake performs “Suit and Tie” with Jay-Z, who left his seat in the audience and walked onstage for a surprise joint performance. Timberlake also performed “Pusher Love Girl.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Kelly Rowland, left, and Nas present the Grammy for urban contemporary album. (John Shearer / Associated Press)

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Frank Ocean accepts the Grammy for urban contemporary album for “Channel Orange.”

Ocean said he thought he might calm his nerves by picturing the audience naked, but decided on another trick instead: “I want to look at you all as kids in tuxedoes and being fancy,” he said. Ocean also thanked his mother. (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

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Dave Grohl, left, and Pauley Perrette present the award for rock performance. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Dan Auerbach, left, and Patrick Carney from the Black Keys accept their Grammy for rock performance for “Lonely Boy.” (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

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Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and Alicia Keys perform their songs “Daylight” and “Girl on Fire.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Actress Kaley Cuoco and musician Keith Urban present the award for pop vocal album. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Kelly Clarkson accepts her Grammy for pop vocal album for “Stronger.”

“I didn’t know I was going to win,” Clarkson said breathlessly. She went on to praise her fellow nominees, both friends and strangers.

“Miguel, I don’t know who the hell you are, but we need to sing together!” she said to the R&B artist, who performed earlier in the evening. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Rihanna performs her song “Stay.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Carly Rae Jepsen, left, and Ne-Yo present the award for rap/sung collaboration. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Frank Ocean, left, and The-Dream accept their Grammy for rap/sung collaboration. The award went to Ocean, The-Dream, Jay-Z and Kanye West for “No Church in the Wild.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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The Black Keys are joined by Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for a performance of “Lonely Boy.” (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

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Actress Kat Dennings speaks onstage. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Kelly Clarkson performs “Tennessee Waltz” and “Natural Woman.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Singer Zac Brown walks onstage to accept the country album Grammy for Zac Brown Band’s “Uncaged.”

Brown dedicated the award “to all my guys who’ve always backed me up and backed my playin’ no matter what it was.” (Christopher Polk / Getty Images)

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Sting, Bruno Mars, Ziggy Marley and Rihanna perform “Could You Be Loved” in a tribute to Bob Marley’s musical influence. Mars and Sting also performed “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Walking on the Moon.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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The Lumineers perform their hit “Ho Hey.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Jack White performs “Love Interruption” and “Freedom at 21.” (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

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Katy Perry presents the Grammy for best new artist. Before announcing the winner, she said, “Don’t feel bad if you don’t win. I never won this and I have my own eyelash line. Take that, Bon Iver.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Members of the band Fun. accept their Grammy for best new artist. The group beat out Hunter Hayes, Frank Ocean, the Lumineers and Alabama Shakes for the distinction. (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

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Best new artist nominee Hunter Hayes performs “Wanted.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Carrie Underwood performs “Blown Away” and “Two Black Cadillacs.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Prince presents the award for record of the year. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Gotye and Kimbra accept their Grammy for record of the year for “Somebody That I Used to Know.” The song, released in mid-2011, peaked in 2012 and has sold more than 7 million downloads in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Kenny Garrett perform “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo à la Turk” in a tribute to the late jazz musician Dave Brubeck. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Ryan Seacrest, left, Justin Timberlake and Recording Academy President Neil Portnow speak onstage during the Grammys. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Zac Brown, T Bone Burnett and Mavis Staples perform “The Weight,” accompanied by Elton John, Marc Mumford and Brittany Howard in a tribute to Levon Helm. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Grammy winner Juanes performs a cover of Elton John’s “Your Song.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Frank Ocean performs “Forrest Gump.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Adele presents the album of the year award. She was last year’s winner. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane and Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons accept the Grammy for album of the year for “Babel.” It was the only album of the year nominee currently in the top 10. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Chuck D, left, and host LL Cool J perform “Refuse to Lose” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” closing out the 55th Grammy Awards show. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Tom Morello performs “Refuse to Lose” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” closing out the 55th Grammy Awards show. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Guests arrive at the 2013 Grammy Awards pre-telecast show at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Musicians perform at the 2013 Grammy pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Singers Tyrese, left, and Elle Varner perform during the Grammys pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Singer Esperanza Spalding, left, and composer Thara Memory accept their Grammys for instrumental arrangement accompanying a vocalist -- which the pair won for “City of Roses” -- during the Grammys pre-telecast show. Spalding also won the award for jazz vocal album for “Radio Music Society.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Brian Wilson accepts the Grammy for historical album for “The Smile Sessions” during the pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Musicians perform during the Grammys pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Lila Downs accepts the Grammy for regional Mexican music album for her album “Pecados y Milagros” during the pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Chick Corea accepts a Grammy award during the pre-telecast show. Corea won instrumental composition for “Mozart Goes Dancing” as well as improvised jazz solo -- an award he shared with fellow soloist Gary Burton. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Singer Juanes goes to accept his Grammy for Latin pop album during the pre-telecast show for his album “MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Al Walser shows off a space suit during the Grammy Awards pre-telecast show. Walser’s song “I Can’t Live Without You” was nominated in the dance recording category. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of Quetzal accept their Grammy for Latin rock, urban or alternative album for “Imaginaries” during the pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Marlow Rosado accepts the Grammy for tropical Latin album for “Retro” during the pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Musician and author Janis Ian accepts her Grammy for spoken-word album for “Society’s Child: My Autobiography” during the pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Conductor Charles Bruffy accepts his Grammy during the pre-telecast show. Bruffy won for choral performance for his work conducting “Life & Breath - Choral Works by René Clausen.” (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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The musical group Eighth Blackbird performs during the Grammys pre-telecast show. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of the Robert Glasper Experiment accept the Grammy for R&B album for “Black Radio” during the Grammys pre-telecast show. (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

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Skrillex, left, and Sirah accept their Grammy for dance recording for “Bangarang” during the pre-telecast show. (Joe Klamar / AFP / Getty Images)

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T Bone Burnett, left, looks on as Taylor Swift high-fives songwriter Joy Williams during the Grammy pre-telecast show. Burnett, Swift, Williams and John Paul White won the award for song written for visual media for “Safe & Sound,” which they wrote for “The Hunger Games.” (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Dr. John, left, accepts his Grammy for blues album for “Locked Down” during the pre-telecast show. Dan Auerbach, right, produced the album. Auerbach won the Grammy for producer of the year, non-classical. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Bonnie Raitt accepts her Grammy for Americana album for “Slipstream” during the pre-telecast show. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

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Songwriter Josh Kear accepts his Grammy for country song for “Blown Away,” which he wrote with Chris Tompkins, during the pre-telecast show. (John Shearer / Associated Press)

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Gotye, left, and Kimbra accept the Grammy for pop duo performance for “Somebody That I Used to Know” during the pre-telecast show. (John Shearer / Associated Press)

By Randy Lewis

Feb. 10, 2013 4:19 PM PT

Awards handed out Sunday before the evening Grammy Awards telecast sometimes set the stage for what happens during the national TV broadcast. This year, the Black Keys got the momentum rolling by having a hand in three awards early on, including rock album for “El Camino” and rock song for “Lonely Boy.”

In a broader sense, since instituting the ceremony in 2004 to salute the vast majority of musicians not featured on prime-time TV, the Recording Academy has used the pre-telecast event in pursuit of an unspoken goal: letting the world know that the 70 categories not highlighted on television -- mostly classical, jazz, regional music and technical awards -- also matter.

This year, the early ceremony took another step toward that goal, moving for the first time across the street to the Nokia Theatre from Staples Center. Each winner’s name was announced from the stage by award presenters Janis Ian, Jimmy Jam, Kaskade, Britt Nicole, Manuel Valera and Radmilla Cody. Winners also were given the chance to deliver acceptance speeches in front of an audience of several thousand onlookers and the show’s host: actor, comedian and Grammy nominee David Alan Grier.

The pre-telecast event was streamed live on the Grammy website and further afforded another batch of performers a chance to play. Those included Americana album nominee John Fullbright, world music practitioner Krishna Das, San Francisco-based big band the Larry Batiste Orchestra, veteran South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, Chicago experimental classical-rock hybrid group eighth blackbird and R&B singers Tyrese and Elle Varner.

There was a brief moment of overlap between the pre-broadcast show and the glossier ceremony set to get underway a short time later at Staples when Taylor Swift showed up to collect a Grammy for song written for visual media for “Safe and Sound,” thanking her collaborators on the song: the Civil Wars and producer-songwriter T Bone Burnett.

“I think it’s appropriate that Taylor Swift thanks us,” Civil Wars member John Paul White said, “because we’ve been carrying her for a while, and we’re getting tired.”

The pre-telecast show remains a more casual affair, in many ways. Unlike the evening show, where each nominee’s whereabouts is precisely mapped out for camera operators and telecast directors, presenters at the afternoon event didn’t necessarily know which winners would be on hand to accept their awards. Several times, presenters scanned the theater after announcing a winner’s name to see whether anyone would step forward to accept. In many case, no one did, and the presenter said the Recording Academy would accept on their behalf.

GRAMMYS 2013: Full coverage | Live blog | Winners and nominees | Ballot

Knowing their time in the spotlight was not going out on national television also seemed to give some winners a greater feeling of freedom at the lectern. “Holy [expletive],” veteran R&B singer-bandleader Billy Vera said after his name was called as the winner for the album notes he wrote for the Ray Charles collection “Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles.” “This is my fourth nomination; I thought I was getting too old to win.”

The early awards also brought a first to the Beach Boys, which had never won a performance Grammy previously, only receiving a lifetime achievement award last year in conjunction with the 50^th anniversary of the group’s first chart hit in 1962. The “Smile Sessions” box set released at the end of 2011 won for historical album.

Beach Boys creative leader Brian Wilson accepted with a reference to his “Smile” lyricist collaborator Van Dyke Parks and his own 2004 solo reconstruction of “Smile” that preceded Capitol’s subsequent release of the original Beach Boys recordings. “Van Dyke Parks and I knew we were ahead of our time in 1965; in 2004, we released it. Good.”

Folk troubadour-activist Woody Guthrie was saluted by extension with the Grammy for boxed or special limited edition package going to “Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection.”

Veteran folk-rock singer and songwriter Ian delivered one of the best comedic lines of the evening upon receiving the Grammy for spoken word album for her recording of her book “Society’s Child: My Autobiography” in a category that also included recordings by former President Clinton, First Lady Michelle Obama, MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow and comedian-talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

“To say this is an upset is an understatement,” Ian said. “I keep thinking there’s a punchline in here somewhere: ‘An ex-president, the First Lady and three lesbians walk into a bar….’ ”

And there were several testimonials to music itself, as expressed by Lila Downs in picking up a trophy for her “Pecados & Milagros” in the regional Mexican music album category, “The power of music can transform and move mountains, as we say in Mexico.”

“I wanna thank all of you from the hottom of my bart [sic],” New Orleans rock and funk veteran Dr. John said in his signature twisted syntax on collecting the Grammy for blues album for his “Locked Down” collection produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach.

“Wow, I was not expecting this. I have enough, but thank you,” said Bonnie Raitt, collecting her 10^th career Grammy for her “Slipstream” album in the new Americana album category, for which she added, “They try to put us in a box; we will not be put in a box, we just make good music.”

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Follow Randy Lewis on Twitter: @RandyLewis2