Grammys To Honor Special Merit Award Recipients With Television Special

The Recording Academy will honor its 2017 Special Merit Awards recipients with an awards ceremony and live tribute concert on Tuesday, July 11 at The Beacon Theatre in New York City. Lifetime Achievement Award honorees for 2017 are Shirley Caesar, Ahmad Jamal, Charley Pride, Jimmie Rodgers, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, and the Velvet Underground.

The tribute concert will feature rare performances by honorees and never-seen renditions by artists they’ve inspired. Currently scheduled to perform are Andra Day, who will be honoring Simone, Kirk Franklin, who will pay tribute to Caesar, Randy Newman, who will honor Ostin, and Dwight Yoakam, who will salute Rodgers. Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for the event will be on sale via Ticketmaster beginning Monday, June 5.

“We are thrilled to once again partner with THIRTEEN Productions and PBS to bring our ‘Grammy Salute To Music Legends’ event to life in an extraordinary fashion,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “We look forward to celebrating the exceptional contributions and accomplishments of our honorees at New York City’s famed Beacon Theatre, and the event serves as the perfect kickoff to the exciting lead up to the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, which will also take place in The Big Apple for the first time in 15 years.”

Now in its second year, the “Grammy Salute to Music Legends” event will be produced as part of the “Great Performances” series on PBS, and will air later this year. Previously held during Grammy Week, this is the second year the Recording Academy has celebrated the Special Merit Awards with a stand-alone event and musical tribute. 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 the industry and our cultural heritage.