While much of the focus at the 2012 Grammy Awards has been on the passing of Whitney Houston, another vocal legend who died last month was honored during tonight's broadcast when Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt teamed up to pay tribute to Etta James.

Keys opened the tribute by singing a cappella on 'A Sunday Kind of Love,' which James recorded for her 1961 album 'At Last!' The performance was tasteful and subdued, with no musicians other than Keys on piano and Raitt on guitar.

Raitt took over midway through the song, her bluesy vocals providing a nice contrast to Keys' voice. After the powerful performance, Raitt said, "We love you, Etta."

Keys was inspired by James and had been looking forward to memorializing James. Raitt and Keys have won a combined 23 Grammy Awards in their careers, so the amount of star power on the stage was remarkable. Though the tribute was brief, we think Etta James would be honored by the performance.

Watch Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt Honor Etta James at 2012 Grammys

More From PopCrush