Trustees Award

This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance*, to the field of recording. (*Through 1983, recipients included performers.)

Past Recipients

Alphabetical by recipient

Chris Albertson
Awarded: 1971

Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss
Awarded: 1997

Harold Arlen
Awarded: 1987

George Avakian
Awarded: 2009

Clarence Avant
Awarded: 2008

Estelle Axton
Awarded: 2007

Burt Bacharach & Hal David
Awarded: 1997

Dave Bartholomew
Awarded: 2012

Béla Bartok
Awarded: 1984

Count Basie
Awarded: 1981

The Beatles
Awarded: 1972

Al Bell
Awarded: 2011

Thom Bell
Awarded: 2017

Marilyn & Alan Bergman
Awarded: 2013

Emile Berliner
Awarded: 1987

Chris Blackwell
Awarded: 2006

Harold Bradley
Awarded: 2010

Owen Bradley
Awarded: 2006

John Cage
Awarded: 2016

Hoagy Carmichael
Awarded: 2005

Elliott Carter
Awarded: 2009

Leonard & Phil Chess
Awarded: 2013

Dick Clark
Awarded: 1990

Aaron Copland
Awarded: 1981

Don Cornelius
Awarded: 2005

Pierre Cossette
Awarded: 1995

John Culshaw
(see Solti)
Awarded: 1967

Hal David
(see Bacharach)
Awarded: 1997

Clive Davis
Awarded: 2000

Walt Disney
Awarded: 1989

Thomas A. Dorsey
Awarded: 1992

Tom Dowd
Awarded: 2002

Lamont Dozier
(see Holland/Dozier/Holland)
Awarded: 1998

Thomas A. Edison
Awarded: 1977

Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
Awarded: 1968

Ahmet Ertegun
Awarded: 1993

Nesuhi Ertegun
Awarded: 1995

Christine M. Farnon
Awarded: 1992

Wilma Cozart Fine
Awarded: 2011

Fred Foster
Awarded: 2016

Alan Freed
Awarded: 2002

Milt Gabler
Awarded: 1991

Kenneth Gamble And Leon Huff
Awarded: 1999

George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin
Awarded: 1986

Ira Gershwin
(see George Gershwin)
Awarded: 1986

Gerry Goffin & Carole King
Awarded: 2004

Berry Gordy
Awarded: 1991

Norman Granz
Awarded: 1994

Florence Greenberg
Awarded: 2010

Rick Hall
Awarded: 2014

Oscar Hammerstein II
Awarded: 1992

John Hammond
NOTE: This is different person from John Hammond the blues artist.
Awarded: 1971

W.C. Handy
Awarded: 1993

Lorenz Hart
Awarded: 1992

Larry Hiller
Awarded: 1971

Holland/Dozier/Holland
(Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland)
Awarded: 1998

Jac Holzman
Awarded: 2008

Leon Huff
(see Gamble And Huff)
Awarded: 1999

Steve Jobs
Awarded: 2012

Eldridge R. Johnson
Awarded: 1985

Quincy Jones
Awarded: 1989

Orrin Keepnews
Awarded: 2004

Jerome Kern
Awarded: 1987

Carole King
(see Goffin)
Awarded: 2004

Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe
Awarded: 1999

Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Awarded: 1999

Goddard Lieberson
Awarded: 1979

Alfred Lion
Awarded: 2005

Alan Livingston
Awarded: 2013

Frederick Loewe
(see Lerner & Loewe)
Awarded: 1999

Alan Lomax
Awarded: 2003

Bruce Lundvall
Awarded: 2011

Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Awarded: 2015

Arif Mardin
Awarded: 2001

Jim Marshall
Awarded: 2014

George Martin
Awarded: 1996

Cosimo Matassa
Awarded: 2007

Marian McPartland
Awarded: 2004

Johnny Mercer
Awarded: 1987

Walter C. Miller
Awarded: 2010

Willie Mitchell
Awarded: 2008

Dr. Robert Moog
Awarded: 1970

Ennio Morricone
Awarded: 2014

Jerry Moss
(see Alpert)
Awarded: 1997

New York Philharmonic
Awarded: 2003

Mo Ostin
Awarded: 2017

Les Paul
Awarded: 1983

Ralph S. Peer
Awarded: 2017

Krzysztof Penderecki
Awarded: 1968

Richard Perry
Awarded: 2015

Sam Phillips
Awarded: 1991

Cole Porter
Awarded: 1989

Frances Preston
Awarded: 1998

Phil Ramone
Awarded: 2001

Richard Rodgers
Awarded: 1998

Al Schmitt
Awarded: 2006

George T. Simon
Awarded: 1993

Frank Sinatra
Awarded: 1979

Georg Solti & John Culshaw
Awarded: 1967

Stephen Sondheim
Awarded: 2007

Phil Spector
Awarded: 2000

Leopold Stokowski
Awarded: 1977

Mike Stoller
(see Leiber & Stoller)
Awarded: 1999

Chris Strachwitz
Awarded: 2016

Billy Strayhorn
(see Ellington)
Awarded: 1968

Dr. Billy Taylor
Awarded: 2005

Allen Toussaint
Awarded: 2009

Rudy Van Gelder
Awarded: 2012

Cynthia Weil
(see Mann)
Awarded: 2015

George Wein
Awarded: 2015

Paul Weston
Awarded: 1971

Jerry Wexler
Awarded: 1996