Earth, Wind & Fire, Cyndi Lauper ‘Grammy Salute’ Specials On the Way

CBS and the Recording Academy have announced separate upcoming Grammy Salute specials celebrating the music of Earth, Wind & Fire and Cyndi Lauper.

Both specials were filmed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and run two hours; both will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, was among the executive producers of both specials.

In a clever touch, the salute to Earth, Wind & Fire will air on “the 21st night of September,” to borrow a line from one of their most famous hits, “September.”

A Grammy Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live: The 21st Night of September will air Sunday, Sept. 21 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT). The legendary band is joined by the LA Philharmonic, as well as Stevie Wonder, Jonas Brothers, Jon Batiste and Janelle Monáe. Ben Winston, Patrick Menton and Mason jr. are executive producers. Fulwell Entertainment and Grammy Studios are producing. Wonder was the subject of his own Grammy Salute special in 2015, Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life – An All-Star Grammy Salute.

A Grammy Salute to Cyndi Lauper: Live From The Hollywood Bowl will air two weeks later, on Sunday, Oct. 5 (8-10 p.m., ET/PT). The special celebrates Lauper’s music as she concludes her yearlong Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour. Special guests include Joni Mitchell, Cher, Angelique Kidjo, John Legend, SZA, Mickey Guyton, Trombone Shorty and Jake Wesley Rogers, with a video tribute from Brandi Carlile. Ken Ehrlich, Cyndi Lauper, Mason, Brian Burke and Lisa Barbaris are executive producers. Ken Ehrlich Productions and Grammy Studios are producing.

Earth, Wind & Fire and Lauper are both multiple Grammy winners (six for the band; two for Lauper). In addition to EWF’s six Grammys, the group’s mastermind, Maurice White, won a seventh award for his inventive arrangement of The Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life.” EWF’s version of that classic made the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. (White died in February 2016 at age 74.)

EWF and Lauper have both been voted into the Rock & Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame. Lauper has also won a Primetime Emmy and a Tony.