Last night we headed to the Hamilton Live for the annual GRAMMYs on the Hill to meet honoree Alicia Keys and be delighted by an unannounced presentation by Michelle Obama.
The First Lady praised the 15-time Grammy winner as someone who uses her celebrity to make a difference in the world. We snapped them as Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow presented her with the Recording Artists Coalition Award. The artists will spend today on Capitol Hill to fight for musicians' rights to be paid fairly for their work.
The evening's host, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Hunter Hayes, performed his song Invisible. He spoke movingly about how music saved his life and gave him an outlet to express being different.
House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy is surrounded by his daughter Meghan and wife Judy; left, Recording Academy Chief Advocacy Officer Daryl Friedman, and right, Rep. John Moolenaar. Recording artists and members of Congress mingled with guests at a VIP reception before dinner and an awards ceremony.
Mastering engineer Michael Romanowski, ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Karen Sherry, Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow and Trustee Tammy Hurt, who later went on stage and blew us away as a drummer.
Rep. John Sarbanes is with his his son, Nico; at left, entertainment lawyer Chuck Ortner. At the reception, guests enjoyed a selection of appetizers like seared ahi tuna on crisps.
