Eurythmics uniting for Beatles tribute, post-Grammys

The Eurythmics are reuniting to pay tribute to the Beatles.

The Recording Academy announced Monday that Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart will perform as a duo for The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute To The Beatles. The event will be taped at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Jan. 27, a day after the Grammy Awards.

Longtime Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich, who is also producing the Beatles special, thought the Eurythmics would be ideal to honor the iconic group.

"When it came around to booking this show, what I felt was important was to try and find those artists who not only would be able to interpret Beatles songs, but would also have an ... understanding of what they meant," he said in an interview.

The Eurythmics, who sold millions of albums and whose hits include Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), released their debut in 1981. Ehrlich said Lennox and Stewart, who have launched successful solo careers, are thrilled to perform in tribute to the Beatles.

Ehrlich wouldn't say which Beatles tune the British duo would perform, but John Mayer and Keith Urban will pair up to perform Don't Let Me Down, while Alicia Keys and John Legend will perform a duet on Let It Be. Maroon 5 also will hit the stage.

The special will air on CBS on Feb. 9 exactly 50 years after the Beatles made their U.S. debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. An estimated 73 million viewers tuned in to watch the event, which has become one of the world's top cultural moments.

"They really did change people's lives, so what I'm hoping this show ... gets across is the message that occasionally in history we are touched by certain artists who have a profound effect on us beyond just the music that they make," Ehrlich said.

Ehrlich wouldn't confirm if Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr would attend the event, although the Beatles will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award two days earlier at the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards in Los Angeles.

The special will include about a dozen performances, Ehrlich said. More performers will be announced at a later date.