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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
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am
GRAMMY.com

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
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am
GRAMMY.com

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
GRAMMYs
Oct 25, 2016 - 11:31 pm
GRAMMY.com

"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
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am
GRAMMY.com

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.

Tina Turner

Tina Turner

Photo: Bill Marino/Sygma

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Tina Turner To Queen: 2018 Recording Academy Special Merit Awards

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Emmylou Harris, the Meters, Bill Graham, and John Williams are also among this year's crop of honorees who have made a lasting impression on the recording industry
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jan 9, 2018 - 6:30 am

It's time to celebrate another class of exceptional music creators with the Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award.

This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, the Meters, Queen, and Tina Turner. Bill Graham, Seymour Stein and John Williams will receive the Trustees Award. Tony Agnello and Richard Factor are the Technical GRAMMY Award recipients.

Hal Blaine
2018 Special Merit Awards Recipients

A special award presentation ceremony and concert celebrating the Special Merit Awards honorees will be held in summer 2018. Additional details regarding the ceremony will be announced.

In the meantime, why are these industry luminaries up for a Special Merit Award? Let's take a closer look.

Blaine is best known for his role as the lead drummer/founder of the Wrecking Crew studio band that backed iconic artists such as Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, and more. He worked on six consecutive Record Of The Year GRAMMY-winning tracks between 1965 and 1970, including Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night" and Simon And Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson."

Diamond's rich catalog has become a part of the fabric of America's songbook with hits such as "Sweet Caroline," "Solitary Man" and "You'll Be A Woman Soon." He earned a GRAMMY at the 16th GRAMMY Awards for Album Of Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special for Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2009.

A 13-time GRAMMY winner, Harris' genre-spanning style has earned her a permanent place among the contemporary country elite. She earned her first GRAMMY at the 19th GRAMMY Awards for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female for Elite Hotel. She most recently won for Best Americana Album for Old Yellow Moon at the 56th GRAMMYs.

The late Jordan has been dubbed the Father of Rhythm & Blues and the Grandfather of Rock and Roll for his recordings from the late 1930s to early 1950s. He has four recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame with his band Tympany Five: "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" (inducted 2013), "Caldonia Boogie" (1998), "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" (2008), and "Let The Good Times Roll" (2009).

The Meters — comprising drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, frontman Art Neville, percussionist/vocalist Cyril Neville, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, and bassist George Porter Jr. — are considered to be among the founding fathers of funk with iconic tunes such as "Cissy Strut," "Good Old Funky Music" and "Chicken Strut." "Cissy Strut" was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2011.

One of the most lauded rock bands of all time, Queen — bassist John Deacon, guitarist Brian May, frontman Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor — have made an indelible impact on the music industry with blockbuster hits such as the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame-inducted recordings "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Will Rock You"/"We Are The Champions."

Heralded as the Queen of Rock and Roll, Turner remains a global recording star worldwide. She earned her first GRAMMY at the 14th GRAMMY Awards with Ike Turner for their rendition of "Proud Mary," which took home Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Group. She's since added an additional seven wins to her tally, most recently as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock's Album Of The Year-winning River: The Joni Letters at the 50th GRAMMY Awards.

The late manager/concert promoter Graham is credited with creating the modern rock concert thanks to his tour organization for legendary artists such as Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and George Harrison.

As a vice president of Warner Bros. Records and founder of Sire Records, Stein is responsible for ushering in the careers of some of our favorite artists, including the Ramones, the Pretenders, Talking Heads, k.d. lang, Barenaked Ladies, the Cure, Seal, Madonna, Depeche Mode, and Ice-T, among others.

Prolific composer Williams has made history for his unforgettable film scores, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. He is one of the top GRAMMY winners of all time with 23 GRAMMYs to his name, most recently for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media for Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the 59th GRAMMY Awards. Star Wars — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Technical GRAMMY Awards recipients Agnello and Factor have influenced the record-making process through their company Eventide, which produces a wide variety of original audio effects devices. The company's H910 Harmonizer effects processor, whose underlying technology forms the basis of all pitch-shifting and pitch-correction devices today, impacted the sound of classic LPs such as David Bowie's Low, Kraftwerk's Computer World and AC/DC's Back In Black, among others.

"This year's Special Merit Awards recipients are 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 craft have created a timeless legacy."