Laurie Anderson, The Clark Sisters, Gladys Knight, N.W.A, Donna Summer and Tammy Wynette are the Recording Academy’s 2024 lifetime achievement award honorees. Also announced on Friday (Jan. 5), Peter Asher, DJ Kool Herc and Joel Katz are trustees award recipients; Tom Kobayashi and Tom Scott are technical Grammy award honorees; and “Refugee,” written by K’naan, Steve McEwan, and Gerald Eaton (a.k.a. Jarvis Church), is being honored with the best song for social change award.
The Recording Academy’s 2024 Special Merit Award honorees, as they are collectively known, will be saluted at a Grammy Week ceremony on Feb. 3 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
“The Academy is honored to pay tribute to this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — a remarkable group of creators and industry professionals whose impact resonates with generations worldwide,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Their contributions to music span genres, backgrounds and crafts, reflecting the rich diversity that fuels our creative community. We look forward to honoring these music industry trailblazers next month as part of our week-long celebration leading up to Music’s Biggest Night.”
Two of this year’s honorees are current Grammy nominees. Laurie Anderson is nominated for best historical album for Words & Music, May 1965 (Deluxe Edition). Karen Clark-Sheard of The Clark Sisters is nominated on her own for best gospel performance/song for “God Is Good.”
Four are being honored posthumously – Donna Summer, Tammy Wynette, Eazy-E of N.W.A, and sound engineer Tom Kobayashi.
Here’s a quick look at this year’s 11 Special Merit Award honorees:
