NEW YORK (AP):

Judging by the line-up, Sunday's inaugural celebration for Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial is a coveted gig for music's top names.

Beyoncé, U2, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban and James Taylor are among the musicians scheduled to perform Sunday afternoon. The president-elect and his family are due to attend, with Obama expected to speak.

Other performers include Stevie Wonder, Renee Fleming, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend and Jennifer Nettles. Historical passages will be read by Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington, with other celebrities expected to join them.

After getting the go-ahead from the Presidential Inaugural Committee two-and-a-half weeks ago to put the show together, executive producer, George Stevens Jr, said he quickly learned it would not be like any other special event he's tried to book.

"On that first day, we asked Springsteen, Bono and Garth Brooks within a period of 45 minutes and got three "yeses"," Stevens said. "We said, 'This is going to be fun.'"

Stevens said he tried to reach out to a diversity of artistes. The theme for the show, titled 'We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial', is less about celebration than national unification.

"The list of stars is impressive," he said. "But this is not a show biz, glitzy occasion. It's going to be rooted in history, remembering the great president (Lincoln) who led us through difficult times."