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Special Merit Awards to honor 2016 class

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John Cage, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Linda Ronstadt, and Run-D.M.C. among The Recording Academy's 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

The Recording Academy today announced its class of 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are Ruth Brown, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Linda Ronstadt, and Run-D.M.C.; the Trustees Award honorees are John Cage, Fred Foster and Chris Strachwitz; and EMT and Dr. Harvey Fletcher are Technical GRAMMY Award recipients.

More information on the 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients

A special ceremony and concert celebrating the honorees will be held in the spring. Additional details regarding the ceremony will be announced in the coming weeks.

"Each year, The Academy has the distinct privilege of honoring those who have greatly contributed to our industry and cultural heritage, and this year we have a gifted and brilliant group of honorees," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy." Their exceptional accomplishments, contributions, and artistry will continue to influence and inspire generations to come."

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award recognizes contributions in areas other than performance. Both awards are determined by vote of The Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of 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 companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.

The 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live on CBS on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. For breaking GRAMMY news, follow The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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GRAMMY special to feature Run DMC, Linda Ronstadt, more

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PBS special will celebrate 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients with live tribute concert; an awards ceremony and broadcast to air later this year
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

The Recording Academy will honor its 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients with an awards ceremony and live tribute concert on April 23 at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will be produced in partnership with Thirteen Productions as part of PBS' "Great Performances" series, and is set to air later this year. Led by GRAMMY winner Don Was as musical director, the tribute concert will feature rare performances by some of the honorees and showcase never-before-seen renditions of their songs by artists they've inspired.

This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Ruth Brown; Celia Cruz; Earth, Wind & Fire; Herbie Hancock; Jefferson Airplane; Linda Ronstadt; and Run DMC. John Cage, Fred Foster and Chris Strachwitz are Trustees Award honorees; and EMT and Dr. Harvey Fletcher are Technical GRAMMY Award recipients. Also being honored is Phillip Riggs, this year's recipient of the Music Educator Award. Performers will be announced shortly.

Previously held during GRAMMY Week, this is the first time The Recording Academy has celebrated the Special Merit Awards with a stand-alone event and musical tribute. In addition to the concert, special celebrity guests will present recipients with their awards and guests will enjoy video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to the music industry and our cultural heritage.

"For many years now, we've wanted to honor Special Merit Awards recipients on a larger scale with an event like 'GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends,' so I'm delighted to partner with Thirteen Productions and PBS to bring this worthy celebration to a bigger stage," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "The contributions of our honorees are innumerable, and we look forward to an unforgettable evening as we pay tribute to their exceptional accomplishments."

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award recognizes such contributions in areas other than performance. Both awards are determined by vote of The Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of 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 companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.

Tickets for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will be on sale via Ticketmaster beginning Tuesday, March 29 at 10 a.m. PT.

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12 Things To Know About The 2016 Special Merit Awards Class

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Do you know these facts about music legends Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Linda Ronstadt, Run DMC, and more? "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" to air on PBS Oct. 14
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Oct 25, 2016 - 11:31 pm

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," a special all-star concert honoring The Recording Academy's 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients, is scheduled to air Oct. 14 from 9–11:30 p.m. on PBS. Ahead of the broadcast, dive in to 12 facts you need to know about this year's recipient class.

A key activist in the movement to reform musicians' royalty payments in the 1980s, Ruth Brown helped net a $1.5 million donation from Atlantic Records, which led to the creation of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1987.

A three-time GRAMMY winner, Celia Cruz won consecutive awards at the first three Latin GRAMMY Awards, including Best Salsa Performance for Celia Cruz And Friends: A Night Of Salsa at the inaugural Latin GRAMMY telecast in 2000.

Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star" netted the band a couple of firsts. The song earned the band the first of their six GRAMMYs for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus for 1975. It also marked the first and only Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit of their career.

Herbie Hancock's trailblazing 1983 single "Rockit" is considered one of the first songs to feature "scratching," or sounds being manipulated using a turntable to the beat. The GRAMMY-winning song has been featured on TV ("30 Rock") and in film (Zoolander) and video games ("Grand Theft Auto: Vice City").

Jefferson Airplane's classic "White Rabbit" (GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, 1998) was penned by frontwoman Grace Slick. The song has been covered by two GRAMMY winners: George Benson, who interpreted it on his 1971 solo album titled White Rabbit, and Pink, who covered it for the 2016 film Alice Through The Looking Glass.

Linda Ronstadt's 10 GRAMMY Awards include wins in the Children's, Country, Pop, and Latin Fields.

Run DMC were the sole hip-hop act to perform at 1985's historic Live Aid concert, which featured performances by U2, David Bowie, Madonna, and Paul McCartney, among others.

In 1952 John Cage introduced "4'33"," a piece featuring four minutes and 33 seconds during which the performers do not play their instruments. The resulting sounds of the environment that the listeners hear are designed to be the "music."

Fred Foster is credited as a co-writer with Kris Kristofferson on "Me And Bobby McGee." The classic 1971 single by Janis Joplin was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2002.

The first recording released on Chris Strachwitz's Arhoolie Records label was Mance Lipscomb's 1960 album, Texas Sharecropper And Songster. A total of 250 copies were initially pressed.

Germany-based company EMT made a breakthrough in audio technology in 1957 with the release of the EMT 140 plate reverb, which utilized a resonating metal plate to create ambience.

In 1949 Dr. Harvey Fletcher became the second person elected an honorary fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, following fellow Technical GRAMMY Award recipient Thomas A. Edison.

Performers for "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"
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Watch 'GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends' on Oct. 14

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All-star concert featuring performances by Earth, Wind & Fire, Andy García, Martina McBride, and more to air on PBS Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

\"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends\" To Air Oct. 14

In collaboration with PBS' "Great Performances" series, The Recording Academy will air "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" — a special all-star concert honoring The Recording Academy's 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients — on Oct. 14 from 9–11:30 p.m. ET/PT on PBS.

Taped at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the special features tribute performances and never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the recipients' contributions to the music industry and our cultural heritage. The lineup features performances by Patti Austin; Ry Cooder; Lila Downs; Earth, Wind & Fire; David Foster; Andy García And The CineSon All Stars; Herbie Hancock; Henry Gray; Jefferson Airplane; J'Nai Bridges; Kris Kristofferson; Lucrecia; Shelby Lynne; Magnolia Sisters; Martina McBride; Naughty By Nature, Anthony Parce; and JD Souther. Presenters include David Crosby, Jimmy Jam, LL Cool J, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Don Was.

View a complete list of " GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends" performances 

This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Ruth Brown, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Linda Ronstadt, and Run DMC. John Cage, Fred Foster and Chris Strachwitz are Trustees Award honorees; and EMT and Dr. Harvey Fletcher are Technical GRAMMY Award recipients. Also being honored is Phillip Riggs, this year's recipient of the Music Educator Award.

Among numerous highlights, psychedelic rock pioneers Jefferson Airplane take fans back in time as they play some of their most memorable hits that shaped much of the San Francisco scene in the 1960s and earned them international mainstream success. Standing in for legendary frontwoman Grace Slick (who is present to accept her award) is GRAMMY-nominated rock songstress Cathy Richardson.

Arhoolie Records founder Strachwitz has made a living recording, preserving, and celebrating the music he loves — music that formed the fabric of both American and international culture. Paying homage to the multifaceted and uniquely talented producer/businessman will be six-time GRAMMY-winning guitar virtuoso Cooder, GRAMMY-nominated Chicago bluesman Gray and GRAMMY nominees the Magnolia Sisters.

Paying tribute to three-time GRAMMY winner and four-time Latin GRAMMY winner Celia Cruz — internationally known as the Queen of Salsa — are Latin GRAMMY nominee Lucrecia and GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY winner García, who will bring his Cuban musical group, Andy García And The CineSon All Stars, to the stage.

Six-time GRAMMY winners Earth, Wind & Fire offer a roof-raising performance.

A salute to 10-time GRAMMY winner Linda Ronstadt features pop, country and Latin musical offerings from GRAMMY and four-time Latin GRAMMY winner Downs and GRAMMY nominees McBride and Souther.

A production of Thirteen Productions LLC for WNET, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" is written by David Wild and directed for television by David Horn, with Mitch Owgang as producer, and Horn and Neil Portnow as executive producers. Was is music director. For "Great Performances," Bill O'Donnell is series producer; Horn is executive producer.

GRAMMYs
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Tune In Tonight On PBS: "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"

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Special performances and all-star appearances make tonight's broadcast one to watch
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Oct 5, 2018 - 4:57 pm

Each year the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards honor the music community's finest. Tonight on PBS, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" presents musical moments and heritage not to be missed.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" On PBS Oct. 5

Lifetime Achievement Award recipients for 2018 honored tonight are the Wrecking Crew's Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, the Meters, Queen, and Tina Turner. Master of ceremonies Yolanda Adams and Micky Dolenz will honor Diamond. Trisha Yearwood will perform a duet with Harris. Sheléa will be honoring Turner, Sammy Hagar for Queen, and Herb Alpert honoring Wrecking Crew drummer Blaine. Ledisi is performing a medley in honor of Jordan.

The Trustees Award recognizes those whose leadership may be outside performance and this year's honorees are Bill Graham, Sire Records co-founder Seymour Stein, and the 24-time GRAMMY winner, composer and conductor John Williams. Composer Gustavo Dudamel and violinist  Anne Akiko Meyers will honor Williams.

Technical GRAMMY Award recipients this year are Tony Agnello and Richard Factor, whose company Eventide made an enormous contribution to the craft. This year's recipient of the Music Educator Award is Melissa Salguero.

Check your local listings for the PBS station near you, tonight at 9p.m. "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will later be available at PBS Great Performances online. This is an array of legends honoring legends who represent the finest in music excellence.

900 Music Creators Invited To Join Recording Academy As Voting Members