Dan Gross: Local drummer at Grammys

LOCAL DRUMMER George

"Spanky" McCurdy will back Lady Gaga when she performs Sunday night at the Grammy Awards. McCurdy is Gaga's touring drummer, but he's not the only local connection to the Grammys. Soulful songbird Jill Scott's "Love," with Chuck Brown and Marcus Miller, is up for best R&B group performance. Philly hip-hop heroes The Roots are up for several awards: best rap album for their "How I Got Over," and best R&B album, best rap/sung collaboration and best traditional R&B vocal performance for their collaboration with Penn grad John Legend in "Wake Up! Everybody."

Philly's Jazmine Sullivan is up for best-female R&B performance for "Holding You Down (Going in Circles)," and Musiq Soulchild and Kirk Whalum are up for "We're Still Friends," best-male R&B performance. Organist Joey DeFrancesco's "Never Can Say Goodbye" is up for best contemporary-jazz album, and producers Carvin Haggins and Ivan Barias, who work as Carvin & Ivan, produced songs by Faith Evans, Jaheim, and Raheem DeVaughn, who are up for various Grammy awards in the R&B category.

Carvin & Ivan and Spanky were both recently named 2011 Creative Ambassadors to Philadelphia by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp.'s Philly 360 program targeting African-American tourism.

Speaking of Jill . . .

 Jill Scott's Blues Babe Foundation will introduce its new line Indigo this month at several pop-up shops at local hair salons. On Saturday the line, created by local artists Rah Crawford, Stacey "Flygirrl" Wilson, (both of whom were also GPTMC cultural ambassadors) and E Bond, will be available at Casamera Hair Salon (901 S. 55th), and on Sunday at Marki Starr Hair Agency (935 Wynnewood).

To raise money for the foundation's Camp Jill Scott, for college scholarships and music-in-the-classroom initiatives, the line also will be available Feb. 19 at Duafe Holistic Hair Care, at Sherman Mills (3502 Scotts), and on Feb. 27 at Meek Salon (1549 W. Passyunk). For more info on the foundation and Indigo visit bluesbabefoundation.org.

Prince invited funnywoman Wanda Sykes, who lives in Media with her wife and children, onstage Monday at his show at New York's Madison Square Garden, where Roots drummer ?uestlove played for a bit as well. Sykes joined Chris Rock and a few other VIP guests. Fortunately, Prince didn't boot her off the stage as he did Kim Kardashian after she stood motionless following his invitation to dance. He later allowed her to redeem herself.

In other funny news . . .

Comedian Robert Klein, coming off his recent HBO special, comes to Sarcasm Comedy club in the Cherry Hill Crowne Plaza at 8:30 Saturday night. Klein is on "Law & Order: SVU" playing a lawyer. Tix are $25 in advance at sarcasmcom

edy.com. Klein's at the Sellersville Theater on Feb. 19. Tix are $33 at st94.com.

Soncini signing off WHAT

 Veteran radio voice Elaine Soncini is leaving WHAT (1340-AM), where she hosts 2 to 5 p.m. on weekdays. We hear her last broadcast is Feb. 28. WHAT's program director and morning host Jim Clark will broadcast from North Carolina, where he and the station's GM, Steve Roberts, are moving.

Flowers for De Klerk

Center City floral designer Carl Alan will use the protea, the national flower of South Africa, and other flowers indigenous to that country in his display for a Feb. 21 dinner at the Union League for ex- South African President F. W. De Klerk to be presented by Widener University.

Sexy Single appearance

You can see Daily News Sexy Single Marisa Magnatta, of 93.3 WMMR's Preston & Steve show, all dolled up in an online video promoting the White Tie Ball March 11 at the Hyatt at the Bellevue. Ed Rendell also makes an accidental cameo in the video by marketing man Peter Breslow. It's at tinyurl.com/whitetieball.

Tickets for the event, organized by Caron Nikole of Our ModestE, can be found at TheWhiteTieBall.com. Proceeds benefit Variety, the children's charity.

Happy Anniversary to us all

Today marks the seventh anniversary of Your Humble Narrator's column. We just thought we'd take the time to wish ourselves and you a happy anniversary. Thanks for reading.