Elvis gets love from Post Malone, Jennifer Lopez, Blake Shelton in 'All-Star' TV special
Post Malone, Jennifer Lopez, John Fogerty and Blake Shelton are among the artists set to perform some of Elvis Presley's most popular songs during "Elvis All-Star Tribute," a special scheduled to air Feb. 17 (9 EST/PST, NBC).
The two-hour prime-time event is billed as a "re-creation" of the so-called "'68 Comeback Special," a ratings blockbuster that helped rejuvenate Elvis' career when it was broadcast on NBC on Dec. 3, 1968. (The special's actual title was "Singer Presents... Elvis," named for the show's chief sponsor, the Singer Corp., best-known for its sewing machines.)
Country hitmaker Shelton will be the host for the aptly named "All-Star" tribute.
In addition to Post Malone (who will perform "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" with Keith Urban), J-Lo ("Heartbreak Hotel"), Fogerty ("Jailhouse Rock") and Shelton ("Guitar Man"), musical guests will include Ed Sheeran, Dierks Bentley, John Legend, Josh Groban, Carrie Underwood, Yolanda Adams, Darius Rucker, Mac Davis, Adam Lambert, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, Kelsea Ballerini and the Pistol Annies, a trio consisting of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. (The latter singer is not related to Elvis, which is probably just as well, since she once summarized her feelings for the King of Rock 'n' Roll as "lust – he is absolutely the hottest thing that the good Lord ever created.")
Other guests will include Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, and Steve Binder, director of the original "Comeback Special."
The special marks the culmination of a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the "Comeback Special," which helped inspire Elvis to return to meaningful music-making after years of increasingly irrelevant movie soundtracks.
In the spirit of the books, box set, remastered Blu-ray and other "'68 Comeback Special" products issued last year, the "Elvis All-Star Tribute" will be preceded by the release of a 19-track RCA/Legacy album, "The Best of the '68 Comeback Special," which includes 14 Elvis performances from the 1968 production, plus various singles and a song from the new special, a version of "If I Can Dream" in which Underwood, Mendes, Post Malone, Rucker and Shelton add their voices to Presley's original vocals.
The "Elvis All-Star Tribute" was shot on a Universal Studios soundstage in October.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Elvis gets love from Post Malone, Jennifer Lopez, Blake Shelton in 'All-Star' TV special
