Martina McBride, Kris Kristofferson Set For ‘Grammy Salute To Music Legends’ On PBS

Martina McBride, Kris Kristofferson, Don Was, Shelby Lynne and JD Souther will be among the performers and presenters for The Recording Academy’s Grammy Salute To Music Legends, an all-star concert to honor The Academy’s Special Merit Awards recipients for 2016, airing Friday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. on PBS.

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.

McBride and Souther will honor Ronstadt with a collaboration of “Blue Bayou,” while Souther also offers a rendition of “Faithless Love.”

Kristofferson and Lynne pay tribute to Foster with a turn at “Me and Bobby McGee,” with Lynne continuing for a take on “Oh Pretty Woman.”

Previously held during Grammy Week in February, this is the first time The Recording Academy has celebrated the Special Merit Awards with a stand-alone event and musical tribute. The celebration was recorded at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.