T-Mobile USA, Inc. and The Recording Academy® have announced the 50th GRAMMY® Celebration Concert Tour presented by T-Mobile® Sidekick®. The tour will provide music and Sidekick fans exclusive access to a concert tour featuring a broad lineup of GRAMMY-nominated and -winning artists. The five-city tour will kick-off on April 3 in Chicago with a performance by five-time GRAMMY winner John Legend and will continue onto New York then Miami. The tour will make its final stops in Dallas and Los Angeles. Details on the scheduled performers, who will include artists in rock, pop, R&B, hip-hop, country and Latin, and the confirmed performance dates will be revealed in March via www.sidekick.com and www.grammy.com.

The 50th GRAMMY Celebration Concert Tour presented by T-Mobile Sidekick will be a unique musical experience that not only honors The Recording Academy’s extraordinary heritage, but provides music fans and Sidekick customers the opportunity to be a part of a truly exclusive concert experience.

“T-Mobile’s Sidekick fans have always been on the cutting-edge of music and entertainment, so this exclusive concert series is a fantastic way to show them our appreciation for their enthusiasm and loyalty,” said Mike Belcher, Director of Integrated Marketing, T-Mobile USA, Inc. “T-Mobile’s collaboration with The Recording Academy will deliver a special experience exclusively to Sidekick enthusiasts across the nation.”

“Through this new partnership, The Recording Academy continues its 50th Anniversary activities, and provides music fans the opportunity to be part of the celebration,” said Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer of The Recording Academy. “With T-Mobile, we will bring music, entertainment and social communication together, building an important foundation for today’s youthful consumers.”

A limited portion of tickets for the performances will be available only through special, in-store contest giveaways at select T-Mobile retail locations in the five concert cities. Consumers will also have the chance to enter to win a VIP concert package online at the official Sidekick homepage. No purchase is necessary to enter or win the VIP concert package. For information on the contest, participating T-Mobile retail locations and how to obtain tickets, please visit www.sidekick.com.

With its signature swivel screen and full QWERTY keyboard, the T-Mobile Sidekick family of devices are designed for virtually anytime, anywhere communication. With always-on access to e-mail, instant messaging and text messaging, as well as a robust web experience to access sites such as MySpace, Sidekicks provide the luxury of being the center of one’s social circle.

The 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards was broadcasted live on Feb. 10, 2008 from the STAPLES Center Los Angeles on the CBS Television Network, and was distributed internationally to more than 160 countries.

Photos courtesy of www.johnlegend.com