Grammys producer denies tributes will just be paid to white performers as it becomes embroiled in race row

A veteran Grammys executive producer says his awards show does not have a diversity issue like the Oscars and that it is not fair to compare the two.

Ahead of Monday’s show, news outlets reported that the Grammys could be under fire since it planned to pay tribute to white performers such as David Bowie and The Eagles’ Glenn Frey with live performances, though the legacy of black acts such as Natalie Cole and Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire were not receiving the same treatment.

Ken Ehrlich said he first thought of booking a performer to honour Natalie, who died on December 31, but then he watched her 1992 Grammys performance of her singing with her father, Nat King Cole.

It was the same year she won album of the year for Unforgettable… with Love, which paid tribute to her father with reworked versions of some of his best-known songs.

Ken called the video of the performance “unbelievably touching” and said it will be played at the end of the “In Memoriam” section of the awards show.