Grammy Awards will salute lifetime achievers
LOS ANGELES » The Recording Academy has announced the honorees for its 2021 Special Merit Awards.
The Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne, Salt-N-Pepa, Selena and Talking Heads.
Ed Cherney, Benny Golson and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds are Trustees Award honorees; and Daniel Weiss is the Technical Grammy Award recipient.
The honorees will be recognized at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 31. Given the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, more details about the special award presentation event will be announced at a later date, according to the announcement.
“As we welcome the new class of Special Merit Award honorees, it gives us a chance to reward and recognize the influence they’ve had in the music community regardless of genre,” said Harvey Mason Jr., interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy.
“As a music creator and music lover, I am grateful that we are able to look back at our influences and see the impact that they have made on our community. In a year where music has helped keep us together, I look forward to honoring this iconic group of music creators.”
According to the announcement, the Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award honors such contributions in areas other than performance.
The Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees determines the honorees of both awards. 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 companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording industry.
Grammy Award nominations were announced in November, led by Beyoncé with nine, followed by Taylor Swift, Roddy Ricch and Dua Lipa with six apiece.