Beyoncé breaks record with 32nd Grammy, snubbed again for top album honor
Harry Styles won album of the year at the Grammy Awards, taking home the top honor on a night that…
Singer Garth Brooks performs during the iHeartRadio Innovator Award during the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles. Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Garth Brooks joins lineup of entertainers at Biden inauguration
NEW YORK — Add Garth Brooks to the lineup of entertainers at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
"This is a great day in our household," the country music superstar said during a virtual press conference Monday, two days before Biden is to be sworn in. "This is not a political statement. This is a statement of unity."
Brooks, who joins Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez among others, performed during the inaugural celebration of President Barack Obama in 2009. He turned down a chance to play for President Donald Trump in 2017, citing a scheduling conflict.
Invited by incoming first lady Jill Biden, Brooks has known the Bidens for more than a decade, when Joe Biden was Obama's vice president.
Brooks said that for this week's inaugural, he will perform solo doing "broken down, bare-bones stuff," and hinted at covering material by songwriters from outside the U.S.
He does not plan to sing his socially conscious "We Shall Be Free," which he performed at the Obama inaugural.
Brooks praised the Bidens for being "hellbent on making things good" and said he welcomed the chance to help the country heal.
"I want to spend the next 10 years of my life not divided. I'm so tired of being divided," he said.
Support Canvas
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
More Stories
Watch
News Wrap: Navy searches for debris from downed Chinese balloon
In our news wrap Sunday, Navy divers are working to recover debris from the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was…
Watch
A Brief But Spectacular take on being a women's healthcare warrior
Dr. Donna Adams-Pickett is a practicing OB-GYN in Georgia, a state that's known as a maternal care desert. She's run…
Watch
How streaming platforms are changing the way we listen to music
Several of the nominees at this year's Grammy Awards rose to fame and popularity on music streaming platforms like Spotify…
Watch
How a global music festival helps international musicians reach larger audiences
The sounds of the world brought to New York for one night, and from there, to a club, concert hall…
Paco Rabanne, lauded fashion designer, dies at age 88
PARIS (AP) -- Spanish-born fashion designer Paco Rabanne has died at age 88. The company that owns the Rabanne brand…
Watch
Actors Ben Platt and Noah Galvin on working together as a creative and engaged pair
Although still in their 20s, actors Ben Platt and Noah Galvin are already performing veterans. Both have played dozens of…
Watch
How Octavia Butler remembered the fallen Columbia astronauts on the NewsHour
Acclaimed science fiction author Octavia Butler offered insight into the place that space and its explorers occupy in our collective…
Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson and Kate Bush among Rock Hall nominees
The year's nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which also include Iron Maiden and the…
Tom Brady retires — again — saying this time it's 'for good'
Brady says he's out of the game for real this time.
Watch
Jake Blount's new twist on Black American folk music
When folklorists went to the American South last century to record and preserve traditional string band music, they probably didn't…
Prosecutors file charges against Alec Baldwin in 'Rust' set shooting
A Santa Fe district attorney has filed involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a…
Kelce brothers prepare for Super Bowl showdown
For the first time in Super Bowl history, a pair of siblings will play each other on the NFL's grandest…
'Father of Peeps,' innovator of marshmallow candies Bob Born dies at 98
Ira "Bob" Born, a candy company executive known as the "Father of Peeps" for mechanizing the process to make the…
'Laverne & Shirley' actor Cindy Williams dies at 75
Williams credits included the films "American Graffiti" and "The Conversation." But she was by far best known for playing the…