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GRAMMYs

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Buy tickets for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" dwight-yoakam-andra-day-salute-grammy-legends-new-york

Dwight Yoakam, Andra Day to salute GRAMMY Legends in New York

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"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" taping to feature performances honoring Sly Stone, Nina Simone, Charley Pride, and other 2017 Recording Academy Special Merit Awards recipients
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jun 2, 2017 - 6:00 am

GRAMMY winners Kirk Franklin, Randy Newman and Dwight Yoakam and GRAMMY nominee Andra Day will pay tribute to Sly Stone, Nina Simone and Charley Pride, among others, at "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," an awards ceremony and live tribute concert honoring The Recording Academy's 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients.

The event will tape on July 11 at The Beacon Theatre in New York, the host city of the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

Purchase tickets for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"

Led by GRAMMY-winner Paul Shaffer as musical director, the tribute concert will feature rare performances by honorees and never-seen renditions by artists they've inspired. Additional performers will be announced.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will recognize 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Shirley Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, Simone, Stone, and the Velvet Underground, as well as Trustees Award recipients Thom Bell, Mo Ostin and Ralph Peer. Also being recognized are Alan Dower Blumlein and Keith Hancock, the respective 2017 Technical GRAMMY Award and Music Educator Award recipients.

In addition to the tribute concert, special celebrity guests will present recipients their award statues and guests will enjoy never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to our cultural heritage.

Now in its second year, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will be produced in partnership with PBS' "Great Performances" series, and will air on the network later this year.

More GRAMMY legends: Buy A GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends book

2017 "Salute To Music Legends" performers
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Buy tickets for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" charley-pride-shirley-caesar-perform-grammy-pbs-special

Charley Pride, Shirley Caesar to perform on GRAMMY PBS special

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"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" taping will also feature the Velvet Underground's John Cale, jazz pianist Stanley Cowell and R&B singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jul 7, 2017 - 10:00 am

Looking For Info About 2018's Special Merit Awards? Check out our coverage.

Recording Academy 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients Shirley Caesar, Charley Pride and the Velvet Underground's John Cale have been added to the lineup for the "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" taping on July 11 at The Beacon Theatre in New York.

Jazz pianist Stanley Cowell and GRAMMY nominee Valerie Simpson have also been added to the performance lineup.

Previously announced performers include GRAMMY winners Dionne Warwick, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Newman, and Kirk Franklin, and GRAMMY nominees Charlie Wilson, Catherine Russell, and Andra Day. GRAMMY winner Paul Shaffer will serve as musical director.

Kirk Franklin to pay tribute to Shirley Caesar: What songs will he pick?

The tribute concert will honor 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, and the Velvet Underground, as well as Trustees Award recipients Thom Bell, Mo Ostin, and Ralph Peer. Also being recognized are Technical GRAMMY Award recipient Alan Dower Blumlein and Music Educator Award honoree Keith Hancock.

In addition to the tribute concert, celebrity guests will present recipients with their award statues and guests will enjoy never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to our cultural heritage.

Now in its second year, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will be produced in partnership with PBS' "Great Performances" series, and will air on the network later this year.

Last chance: Get your tickets for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"

2017 Special Merit Awards recipients

Photos: Getty Images/WireImage.com

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How well do you know these GRAMMY music legends? sly-stone-velvet-underground-11-facts-about-grammy-legends

Sly Stone to Velvet Underground: 11 facts about GRAMMY legends

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Test your knowledge about Nina Simone, Charley Pride and the entire cast of 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients; tickets now on sale for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" in NYC on July 11
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Jun 16, 2017 - 6:00 am

Are you a big music fan? Will you be in New York in early July?

If you answered yes to both of these questions, you have an unprecedented opportunity to attend a once-in-a-lifetime tribute to 11 individuals who changed the landscape of popular music.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," a TV special celebrating The Recording Academy's 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients, is set to tape on July 11 at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City.

Led by longtime "Late Show With David Letterman" musical director Paul Shaffer, GRAMMY winners Kirk Franklin, Randy Newman and Dwight Yoakam, and GRAMMY nominee Andra Day will perform and pay tribute to an esteemed group of legendary performers and music trailblazers that includes Shirley Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Sly Stone, Nina Simone, and Charley Pride. The event will also recognize Music Educator Award recipient Keith Hancock.

Tickets are now available for the taping, which will air later this year as part of PBS' "Great Performances."

After you grab your tickets, be sure to brush up on these 11 facts about this year's cast of GRAMMY music legends who will be saluted.

Sly Stone

Before forming Sly & The Family Stone, Stone (whose real name is Sylvester Stewart) worked as a staff record producer for San Francisco-based Autumn Records. Among the groups he produced were the Beau Brummels, Bobby Freeman and Great Society, Grace Slick's first band. Of course, Slick would go on to front fellow Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Jefferson Airplane.

Shirley Caesar

Caesar, who has the most GRAMMYs by a female gospel artist with 11, has dabbled in acting. Among her credits, the First Lady of Gospel Music appeared in a 2003 episode of the UPN sitcom "The Parkers," a spinoff of the series "Moesha." Caesar played the role of Grace, the guardian angel to main character Nikki (Mo'Nique).

Ahmad Jamal

The legendary jazz pianist, 86, truly defines the term musical prodigy. Jamal, whose classics include "Poinciana," started playing piano at age 3 and commenced formal music lessons at 7. He joined a musicians union at the age of 14 and he began touring at 17, following his high school graduation.

Charley Pride

Before launching his music career, Pride was a professional pitcher for the Memphis Red Sox and Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro League. The country singer/songwriter — who would later write classics such as "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" and "Crystal Chandeliers" — pitched against future MLB hall of famers Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Pride later had tryouts with the California Angels and New York Mets.

Learn more about the 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients

Jimmie Rodgers

Considered by many as the father of country music, Rodgers helped bring rural music to the masses with his early recordings with fellow Special Merit Award recipient Ralph Peer. His distinctive style set him apart from his contemporaries and launched a career that would influence countless country stars from Gene Autry to Bill Monroe to Johnny Cash. However, his career prior to making music was on the railroad as a brakeman, earning Rodgers the moniker "the Singing Brakeman" once he made the jump from railroads to records.

Nina Simone

An artist who influenced everyone from Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright to Erykah Badu and Mary J. Blige, Simone's indelible musical impact continues today. Rihanna sang a few verses of the High Priestess of Soul's "Do What You Gotta Do" on Kanye West's 2016 album, The Life Of Pablo. Other West songs that sample Simone include "Blood On The Leaves" (from 2013's Yeezus) and his collaboration with Jay Z, "New Day" (from 2011's Watch The Throne).

Velvet Underground

Released in 1967, the Velvet Underground's debut, The Velvet Underground & Nico, ranks No. 13 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. "European Son," the last song on the album, was dedicated to Delmore Schwartz, the American poet who mentored the late Lou Reed while he was a student at Syracuse University. 

Thom Bell

A true architect of the Philadelphia sound, Bell produced soulful hits such as the Stylistics' "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)," the Spinners' "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love" and the Delfonics' "La-La Means I Love You." At the 17th GRAMMY Awards in 1975, the Jamaican-born producer became the first person to win the GRAMMY for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, topping Stevie Wonder, Billy Sherrill, Lenny Waronker, and fellow Trustees Award recipient Rick Hall.

Mo Ostin

The esteemed Warner Bros. executive, who signed the likes of Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Prince, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers during his storied career, is a big supporter of two of Los Angeles' renowned universities. Ostin serves on the board of counselors for the USC Thornton School of Music. He also donated $10 million to UCLA for a state-of-the-art campus music facility to be christened as the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center.

Ralph S. Peer

Known for his seminal work engineering and producing field recordings and discovering musical talent in the South, in January 1928 Peer established the Southern Music Publishing Company, which became the foundation for Peer Music. Among his numerous accomplishments, Peer is credited as discovering fellow Special Merit Awards recipient Jimmie Rodgers. He managed Rodgers' career until the country singer/songwriter's death in 1933.

Alan Dower Blumlein

A prolific inventor who filed more than 120 patents during his lifetime, including the famous stereo microphone technique that bears his name, Blumlein is enshrined at the vaunted Abbey Road Studios, home to the Beatles, among other acts, in recognition of his standing as a pioneer of stereo technology.

Get your tickets to "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" now

Andra Day Salute To Music Legends

Andra Day

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2017 "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" Set List 2017-grammy-salute-music-legends-who-performed

2017 "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends": Who Performed?

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From Andra Day and Sly Stone to Charley Pride and Shirley Caesar, here's your exclusive viewer's guide to the televised Recording Academy presentation on Friday, Oct. 13 on PBS
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 13, 2017 - 11:00 pm

The second annual "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" aired Friday, Oct. 13 on PBS. 

Kirk Franklin Praises Shirley Caesar

The exciting two-hour program centered around the presentation of this year's Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Awards to honorees Shirley Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Charley Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, and the Velvet Underground, as well as the presentation of the Technical GRAMMY Award to audio inventor Alan Dower Blumlein, and Recording Academy Trustee Awards to producer/arranger/songwriter Thom Bell; record executive Mo Ostin; and recording executive, A&R man and music publisher Ralph S. Peer.

Along with never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to the music industry and its cultural heritage, the star-studded event featured performances by GRAMMY winners Kirk Franklin, Randy Newman, Le'Andria Johnson, Dionne Warwick, Dwight Yoakam, and Living Colour founder/guitarist Vernon Reid; GRAMMY nominees Andra Day, Neal McCoy, Charlie Wilson, Valerie Simpson, Russell Thompkins Jr. of the Stylistics, and Catherine Russell.

Here's a recap of the full lineup of performances:
(Note: performers are listed in parentheses)

Thom Bell
•    "You Make Me Feel Brand New" (Russell Thompkins Jr.)
•    "Then Came You" (Dionne Warwick)

Ahmad Jamal
•    "But Not For Me"/"Ahmad's Blues"/"Poinciana" (Stanley Cowell)
    
 Nina Simone
•    "Mississippi Goddam" (Andra Day)

Jimmie Rodgers
•    "Hobo Bill's Last Ride"/"Mule Skinner Blues"/"T For Texas" (Dwight Yoakam)

Dwight Yoakam Salute To Music Legends

Ralph S. Peer
•    "Crazy Blues" (Catherine Russell)
•    "The Great Pretender" (Russell Thompkins Jr.)
•    "Georgia On My Mind" (Andra Day)

The Velvet Underground
•    "I'm Waiting For The Man"/"Sunday Morning" (John Cale Band with Maureen "Moe" Tucker)

Shirley Caesar
•    Medley: "You Name It"/ "It’s Alright, It's OK"/"You’re Next In Line For A Miracle"/ "Satan, We're Going To Tear Your Kingdom Down" (Kirk Franklin with Le'Andria Johnson)
•    "Caught Up"/"Jesus, I Love Calling Your Name" (Shirley Caesar)

Mo Ostin
•    "A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country"/"I Think It's Going To Rain Today" (Randy Newman)

Charley Pride
•    "Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone" (Neal McCoy)
•    "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" (Charley Pride)

Charley Pride Salute To Music Legends

 

Charlie Wilson, Valerie Simpson Honor Sly Stone

Sly Stone
•    "I Want To Take You Higher"/"Everybody Is A Star"/"Sex Machine"/ "Dance To The Music" (Charlie Wilson, Valerie Simpson, Vernon Reid)

Also honored at the event was Keith Hancock, this year's recipient of the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's Music Educator Award.
 

More "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"
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GRAMMYs

Shirley Caesar Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

GRAMMYs

Charlie Wilson, Valerie Simpson Honor Sly Stone

GRAMMYs

Andra Day Praises "Incredible" Nina Simone Anthem

GRAMMYs

Kirk Franklin Praises Shirley Caesar

GRAMMYs

John Cale On Lou Reed, Velvet Underground

GRAMMYs

Honoring Thom Bell's Musical Prowess

GRAMMYs

Russell Thompkins Jr. On Thom Bell's Impact

GRAMMYs

Keith Hancock On Funding The Arts, Music Mentors

Sly Stone

Sly Stone

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

News
The Academy to honor Nina Simone, Sly Stone, more 2017-special-merit-awards-sly-stone-velvet-underground-nina-simone

2017 Special Merit Awards: Sly Stone, Velvet Underground, Nina Simone

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Shirley Caesar and Charley Pride are also among The Recording Academy's 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

The Recording Academy announced its 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients. The Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Shirley Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Charley Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, Nina Simone, Sly Stone and The Velvet Underground. Thom Bell, Mo Ostin and Ralph S. Peer are Trustees Award honorees; Alan Dower Blumlein is the Technical GRAMMY Award recipient.

More information on the 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients

"This year's Special Merit Awards recipients comprise a prestigious group of diverse and influential creators who have crafted or contributed to some of the most distinctive recordings in music history," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "These exceptionally inspiring figures are being honored as legendary performers, creative architects, and technical visionaries. Their outstanding accomplishments and passion for their respective crafts have created a timeless legacy."

The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award honors contributions in areas other than performance. The recipients are determined by vote of The Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are voted on by The Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing Advisory Council and Chapter Committees, and are ratified by The Academy's Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and/or companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording industry.

Additionally, The Recording Academy and Hal Leonard Books will release A GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends, a hardcover book that collects two decades of artist-written tributes to The Academy's annual Special Merit Awards honorees. Among those who have written tributes included in the book are Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Whoopi Goldberg, Ice Cube, Miranda Lambert, Queen guitarist Brian May, Dolly Parton, Carly Simon, Patti Smith and Yo-Yo Ma. The tributes were originally commissioned for the annual GRAMMY Awards program book and never published widely until now. A GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends will be available in early January.

Pre-Order A GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends

The 59th GRAMMY Awards will take place Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, live from Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 pm ET/5–8:30 pm PT. Follow Recording Academy/GRAMMYs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and use #GRAMMYs to join the conversation.

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.