Queen, Neil Diamond, drummer Hal Blaine of the Wrecking Crew, Emmylou Harris, and Tina Turner were among those honored with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy™ . On September 12, the Academy announced the October 5 premiere of GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends®, in collaboration with PBS’ Great Performances series.
This third annual all-star concert, recorded live at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, offers a primetime spotlight for the Academy’s 2018 Special Merit Awards recipients. Among the performers: Micky Dolenz alongside Diamond, eight-time Grammy winner Herb Alpert with Blaine, and Sammy Hagar paying tribute to Queen and concert promoter Bill Graham. (See the full performance list below.)
The celebration and tribute concert feature rare performances by honorees and never-before-seen renditions of their classic songs by those they’ve inspired. Other recipients include Louis Jordan and the Meters. Other Special Merit Awards are being conferred are Trustees Awards to Graham, Sire Records co-founder Seymour Stein, and composer-conductor John Williams.
Related: Classic rock nominees at the 2018 Grammy Awards
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.
Starting his career in the 1950s, Hal Blaine is best known as the lead drummer and founder of the legendary Wrecking Crew. He has recorded with scores of iconic artists such as Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, and many more. Of the nearly 6,000 tracks that Blaine has worked, 350 have been Top 10 hits, and 40 have been #1s (including fellow honoree Neil Diamond’s “Song Sung Blue”), and worked on six consecutive Record Of The Year GRAMMY-winning tracks between 1965 and 1970.
Neil Diamond has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide across more than five decades with 38 Top 40 singles and 16 Top 10 albums. Before becoming one of the most noted and successful recording artists in the world, his early recognition came as a songwriter. Diamond’s recorded songs include “Solitary Man,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon,” “I’m A Believer,” “Red Red Wine,” “Holly Holy,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “I Am…I Said” and “Song Sung Blue.”
13-time Grammy Award-winner Emmylou Harris‘ career has been evolving since the 1970s, encompassing pop, folk, country, and now, alternative. She has collaborated with Gram Parsons, Beck, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Roy Orbison, to name a few, as well as with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton as part of the group Trio.
Louis Jordan enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s as the King of the Jukebox. The American musician, songwriter, and bandleader helped pioneer the sound of rock.
The Meters—Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, Art Neville, Cyril Neville, Leo Nocentelli, and George Porter Jr.—are considered by many to be the founding fathers of funk and, for more than 50 years, they have grooved their way around the globe. They have toured and performed with such artists as the Rolling Stones, Dr. John, Robert Palmer, Labelle, Earl King, Allen Toussaint, and Lee Dorsey.
Queen—John Deacon, Brian May, Mercury, and Roger Taylor—has amassed a staggering list of sales, awards, and hall of fame inductions. The classic rock band has an impressive string of #1 albums and top-charting singles including two recordings enshrined in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame®—”Bohemeian Rhapsody” and “We Will Rock You”/”We Are The Champions.”
Tina Turner has been the Queen of Rock and Roll since she started her musical career in the 1950s. She is well-known for her extravagant live performances and impressive raw voice.
At the Fillmore Auditorium, Fillmore West, Winterland, and Fillmore East, Bill Graham helped create the modern rock concert. He discovered and managed Santana, and organized national tours for Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and George Harrison.
Seymour Stein co-founded Sire Records with producer Richard Gottehrer in 1966. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Some of his most notable discoveries include Ramones, the Pretenders, Talking Heads, k.d. Lang, Barenaked Ladies, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Cult, the Cure, Tom Tom Club, Seal, Madness, Madonna, Depeche Mode and the Smiths.
John Williams is one of the most prolific and celebrated film composers of all-time. He has won 23 GRAMMY Awards and five Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and four Emmys. His 1977 soundtrack to Star Wars was an Album Of The Year nominee and was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2007.
Performance List
Neil Diamond
“Holly Holy” (performed by Yolanda Adams)
“I’m A Believer” (performed by Micky Dolenz and Neil Diamond)
“Sweet Caroline” (performed by Neil Diamond)
Emmylou Harris
“Boulder To Birmingham” (performed by Emmylou Harris)
“Love And Happiness” (performed by Emmylou Harris and Trisha Yearwood)
Hal Blaine
“A Taste Of Honey” (performed by Herb Alpert)
Louis Jordan
Medley: “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” / “Let The Good Times Roll” (performed by Ledisi)
Tina Turner
Medley: “What’s Love Got To Do With It” / “Proud Mary” / “The Best” (performed by Sheléa)
John Williams
“Theme from Schindler’s List” (performed by Anne Akiko Meyers, David Newman, and the American Youth Symphony)
“Air And Simple Gifts” (performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic Quartet)
The Meters
“Cissy Strut” / “Fire On The Bayou” (performed by the Meters)
Bill Graham and Queen
“Right Now” and “We Will Rock You” (performed by Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony)
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