Grammys To Celebrate 2021 Lifetime Honorees

• The Recording Academy® announced that the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees will be celebrated with the return of the Special Merit Awards Ceremony and 64th Annual GRAMMY® Nominees Reception event, to be held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Sun, Jan. 30, 2022. The recipient of the 2022 Music Educator Award™, presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum®, will also be honored at this event.

The previously announced Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne, Salt-N-Pepa, Selena, and Talking Heads. Ed Cherney, Benny Golson and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds were named Trustees Award honorees; and Daniel Weiss is the Technical GRAMMY® Award recipient.

Given the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, honorees were unable to attend the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards®, nor receive in-person recognition during the show, but were acknowledged in the telecast. Bonnie Raitt, who was unable to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award last year due to COVID restrictions, joins the list of previously announced 2021 honorees.

“We are so excited to celebrate the 2021 honorees at the 64th GRAMMYs® to ensure they get the celebration they deserve,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “With the strict COVID protocols in place for the 63rd show, we were not able to properly and fairly honor our Special Merit Award honorees as we have done in past years. Before we induct a new class, we must come together to recognize this group of iconic creators who have paved the way not only in music, but also within our culture.”