Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

The Grammy
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. is known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS. Established in 1957, it is a U.S....
to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording" . This award is distinct from the Grammy Hall of Fame Award

Grammy Hall of Fame Award

The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"....
, which honors specific recordings rather than individuals, and the Grammy Trustees Award

Grammy Trustees Award

The Grammy Award Trustees Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording" ....
, which honors non-performers.
following individuals have received Lifetime Achievement Awards, listed by year. class="wikitable">

Year

Recipient

1962

Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an United States popular singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death.One of the first multimedia stars, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby held a nearly unrivaled command of record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses....

1965

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an United States singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a solo artist with great success in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers"....

1966

Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and bandleader.Duke Ellington was recognized during his life as one of the most influential Jazz royalty, if not in all American music and he is of only four jazz musicians ever to have been featured on the cover of Time magazine ....

1967

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as "Jazz royalty" and the "First Lady of Song", is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century....

1968

Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin was a Jewish American composer and lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters in history. Berlin was one of the few Tin Pan Alley/Broadway theater songwriters who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs....

1971

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....

1972

Louis Armstrong

Louis Daniel Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer.Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an innovative cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performers....
, Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson was an United States gospel music singer, widely regarded as the best in the history of the genre, and is the first "Queen of Gospel Music"....

1981

Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire was an United States Academy Award-winning film and Broadway theatre dance, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of seventy-six years, during which he made thirty-one musical films....

1984

Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.Chuck Berry is an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music....
, Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker

Charles Parker, Jr. was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.Parker is widely considered one of the most influential of jazz musicians, along with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington....

1985

Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was a multi-Emmy-winning and Academy Award for Original Music Score nominated American Conductor , composer, author, music lecturer and Piano....

1986

Benny Goodman

Benjamin David Goodman, was an United States jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing ", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman"....
, The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
, Andrés Segovia

Andrés Segovia

Andr?s Torres Segovia, 1st Marquess of Salobre?a was a Spain classical guitarist born in Linares, Ja?n, Spain. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures of the classical guitar in the beginning and mid 20th century....

1987

Roy Acuff

Roy Claxton Acuff was an USA country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music," Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful....
, Benny Carter

Benny Carter

Bennett Lester Carter was an United States jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King ....
, Enrico Caruso

Enrico Caruso

Enrico Caruso was an italians tenor. Caruso was also one of the most significant and renowned singers in any genre in both the 19th and 20th Centuries, and one of the most important pioneers of recorded music....
, Ray Charles

Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an United States pianist, singer, and songwriter who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues....
, Fats Domino

Fats Domino

Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is a classic Rhythm and blues and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter....
, Woody Herman

Woody Herman

Woodrow Charles Herman , better known as Woody Herman, was an United States jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band band leader....
, Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter.Nicknamed Lady Day by her loyal friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing....
, B. B. King

B. B. King

B. B. King is an United States blues guitarist and singer-songwriter known for his expressive singing and inimitable guitar playing. As Komara has written, "King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed." Critic...
, Isaac Stern

Isaac Stern

Isaac Stern was a Jewish violin virtuoso born in the Ukraine.He was renowned for his Sound recordings and for discovering new musical talent....
, Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer, considered by many to be the most influential composer of 20th century music. He was a quintessentially Cosmopolitanism Russian who was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the century....
, Arturo Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini was an Italian people conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th Centuries, he was renowned for his brilliant intensity, his restless perfectionism, his phenomenal ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory....
, Hank Williams Sr.

1989

Fred Astaire

Pablo Casals

Pau Casals i Defill? , best known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spain Catalan people cellist and later conductor....
, Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie [/g?'l?spi/] was an United States jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer. He was born in Cheraw, South Carolina, the youngest of nine children....
, Jascha Heifetz

Jascha Heifetz

Jascha Heifetz was a Jewish violin virtuoso born in Lithuania . He is hailed as the greatest violinist of the 20th century.Early life ...
, Lena Horne

Lena Horne

Lena Mary Calhoun Horne is an American singer and actress. She has recorded and performed extensively, independently and with other jazz notables, including Artie Shaw, Teddy Wilson, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Charlie Barnet, Benny Carter, and Billy Eckstine....
, Leontyne Price

Leontyne Price

Mary Violet Leontyne Price in Laurel, Mississippi in the United States is one of America's most beloved and widely recorded operatic sopranos....
, Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith was an United States blues singer.The most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s, Smith is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era, and along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on subsequent jazz vocalists....
, Art Tatum

Art Tatum

Arthur Tatum Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso.With an exuberant style that combined dazzling technique and sophisticated use of harmony, Art Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time....
, Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Lois Vaughan was an United States jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century"....

1990

Nat "King" Cole, Miles Davis

Miles Davis

Miles Dewey Davis III was an United States jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz from World War II to the 1990s: he played on various early bebop records and recorded one of the first cool jaz...
, Vladimir Horowitz

Vladimir Horowitz

Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz ; ) was a Russian American pianist. His technique, use of Timbre and the excitement of his playing are legendary....
, Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney Member of the Order of the British Empire is a multiple Grammy Award-winning England singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record producer, film producer, Painting, and Animal rights....

1991

Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson was an United States Contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. She possessed a rich and vibrant voice with an intrinsic quality of beauty....
, Bob Dylan, John Lennon

John Lennon

John Winston Ono Lennon, Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music musician, singer, songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles....
, Kitty Wells

Kitty Wells

Ellen Muriel Deason, known professionally as Kitty Wells is an United States. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," made her the first female country singer to top the U.S....

1992

James Brown, John Coltrane

John Coltrane

John William Coltrane was an United States jazz saxophonist and composer.Starting in bebop and hard bop, Coltrane later pioneered free jazz. He influenced generations of other musicians, and remains one of the most significant tenor saxophonists in jazz history....
, Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter whose guitar playing continues to be a considerable influence on rock music....
, Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield , better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues"....

1993

Chet Atkins

Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins was an influential American guitarist and record producer.His picking style, inspired by Merle Travis, Django Reinhardt, George Barnes and Les Paul, brought him admirers both within and outside the country scene, both in the United States and internationally....
, Little Richard

Little Richard

Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman , better known by the stage name Little Richard, is anAmerican singer, songwriter and pianist. He is considered a key figure in the transition from Rhythm and blues to Rock and roll in the 1950s....
, Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer.Widely considered one of the most important musicians in jazz -- he is one of only three jazz musicians to be featured on the cover of Time magazine -- Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epi...
, Bill Monroe

Bill Monroe

William Smith Monroe was an United States musician who helped develop the style of music known as bluegrass music, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky....
, Pete Seeger

Pete Seeger

Peter "Pete" Seeger is an United States folk singer, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 50s as a member of The Weavers, most notably the 1950 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight, Irene" that topped the charts f...
, Fats Waller

Fats Waller

Fats Waller was an United States Jazz piano, organ , composer and comedy entertainer....

1994

Bill Evans

William John Evans was one of the most famous and influential American jazz pianists of the 20th century. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Denny...
, Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock and roll, blues, Pop music, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel music....
, Arthur Rubinstein

Arthur Rubinstein

Arthur Rubinstein Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire was a Poland-United States pianist who is widely considered as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century....

1995

Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline was an United States country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville Sound in the early 1960s....
, Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee was an United States jazz and traditional pop singer and songwriter and Academy Award-nominated actress. She was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota....
, Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini was an Academy Award winning American composer, Conducting and arranger. He is remembered particularly for being a composer of film and television scores....
, Curtis Mayfield, Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand is an United states singer and film and theatre actress. She has also achieved note as a composer, political activist, film producer and film director....

1996

Dave Brubeck

David Warren Brubeck , better known as Dave Brubeck, is an United States Jazz piano. Regarded as a jazz icon, he has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke"....
, Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye was an United States singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range....
, Georg Solti

Georg Solti

Sir Georg Solti, Order of the British Empire was a Hungary-United Kingdom orchestral and operatic Conducting....
, Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. A prominent figure in popular music during the latter half of the 20th century, Wonder has recorded more than thirty US top ten hits, won twenty-two Grammy Awards , plus one for Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, won an Academy Award for Best Song, an...

1997

Bobby "Blue" Bland

Bobby Bland

Robert Calvin Bland better known as Bobby ?Blue? Bland, is an United States singer of blues and soul music. He is an original member of The Beale Streeters....
, The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers are brothers and top-selling country music-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing....
, Judy Garland

Judy Garland

Judy Garland was an American actress and alto singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage....
, Stéphane Grappelli

Stéphane Grappelli

St?phane Grappelli was a French people jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first of all-string jazz bands....
, Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly

Charles Hardin Holley, known professionally as Buddy Holly was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his The Day the Music Died, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." His works and...
, Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus was an United States jazz bassist, composer, bandleader, and occasional pianist. He was also known for his activism against racism....
, Oscar Peterson

Oscar Peterson

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, Order of Canada, National Order of Quebec, Order of Ontario was a Canada jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends, and was a member of jazz royalty....
, Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa

Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock music, jazz, electronic music, orchestral, and musique concr?te works....

1998

Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley , was an original and influential American rock and roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known as "The Originator" because of his key role in the transition from blues music to rock & roll, influencing a host of legendary acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton....
, The Mills Brothers, Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison

Roy Kelton Orbison was an influential Grammy Award-winning United States singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades....
, Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson

Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson was an American actor of film and stage, All-American and professional sportsperson, writer, multi-lingual orator, lawyer, and basso profondo concert singer who was also noted for his wide-ranging social justice activism....

1999

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Primarily a country music artist, his songs and sound spanned many other genres including rockabilly and rock and roll , as well as blues, folk music and Gospel music....
, Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke

Samuel Cook, better known as Sam Cooke, was an United States gospel music, R&B, soul music, and popular music singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur....
, Otis Redding

Otis Redding

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an United States soul music singer. He is renowned for an ability to convey strong emotion through his voice. According to the website of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , Redding's name is "synonymous with the term soul, music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of Gospel musi...
, Smokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson

William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an USA R&B and soul music singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is noted for being one of the primary figures associated with Motown Records, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy....
, Mel Tormé

Mel Tormé

Melvin Howard Torm? , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known as one of the great jazz singers. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books....

2000

Harry Belafonte

Harold George Belafonte, Jr. is a Jamaican American musician, actor and social activist. One of the most successful popular singers in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso music" a title which he was very reluctant to accept for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s....
, Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie

Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an United States singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, Traditional music and children's songs, ballads and improvised works....
, John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker was an influential United States post-war blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter born in Coahoma County, Mississippi near Clarksdale, Mississippi....
, Mitch Miller

Mitch Miller

Mitchell William Miller is an United States musician, singer, Conductor , record producer, A&R man and record company executive. He was one of the most influential figures in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of Artists & Repertoire at Columbia Records and as a best-selling recording artist....
, Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson

Willie Hugh Nelson is an United States country music singer-songwriter author, poet and actor. He reached his greatest fame during the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, but remains Cultural icon, especially in American popular culture....

2001

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing....
, Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett is an United States singer of traditional pop music, pop standards and jazz.Raised in New York City, Bennett began singing at an early age....
, Sammy Davis, Jr.

Sammy Davis, Jr.

Samuel George ?Sammy? Davis, Jr. was an United States entertainer. He was a dancer, singer, multi-instrumentalist , Impressionist , comedian, convert to Judaism, and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor....
, Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley Jamaican Order of Merit was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands: The Wailers and Bob Marley & the Wailers ....
, The Who

The Who

The Who are an England Rock music band formed in 1964. The primary lineup was guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon....

2002

Count Basie

William "Count" Basie was an United States Jazz piano, organist, bandleader, and composer. Widely regarded as one of the most important jazz bandleaders of his time, Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years....
, Rosemary Clooney

Rosemary Clooney

Rosemary Clooney was an United States singer and actor. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers "Botch-a-Me " , "Mambo Italiano ", and "This Ole House", songs which tended to obscure her talents as a jazz vocalist....
, Perry Como

Perry Como

Pierino "Perry" Como was an United States singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with it in 1943....
, Al Green, Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell, Order of Canada is a Canada musician, songwriter, and Painting.Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Western Canada and then busking on the streets of Toronto....

2003

Etta James

Etta James is an American blues, soul music, rhythm and blues, rock & roll, gospel and jazz singer and songwriter. James is the winner of four Grammys and seventeen Blues Music Awards....
, Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis is an United States singer of popular music.One of the last in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the 1960s, Mathis concentrated on romantic jazz and pop standards for the adult contemporary audience through to the 1980s....
, Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller

Alton Glenn Miller , was an United States jazz musician, arranger, composer, and band leader in the Swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1942, leading one of the best known "Big band"....
, Tito Puente

Tito Puente

Tito Puente, Sr., , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., was an influential Latin jazz and Mambo musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey" of the timbales and "The King of Latin Music"....
, Simon and Garfunkel

Simon and Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel were an American singer-songwriter duo consisting of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. They formed the group "Tom and Jerry" in 1957, and had their first taste of success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl"....

2004

Van Cliburn

Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. , is an United States pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958, when at age 23, he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War....
, The Funk Brothers

The Funk Brothers

The Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until 1972, when the company moved to Los Angeles, California....
, Ella Jenkins

Ella Jenkins

Ella Jenkins is an American folk singer. Dubbed ?The First Lady of the Children?s Folk Song? by the Wisconsin State Journal, Jenkins has been a leading performer of children?s music for fifty years....
, Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins

Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is an United States jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins' long, prolific career began at the age of 11, and he was playing with piano legend Thelonious Monk before reaching the age of 20....
, Artie Shaw

Artie Shaw

Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an United States jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest jazz clarinetists of his time....
, Doc Watson

Doc Watson

Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an United States guitar player, songwriter and singer of Bluegrass music, American folk music, country music, blues and gospel music....

2005

Eddy Arnold

Richard Edward Arnold was among the most popular country music singers in United States history and helped to create the Nashville sound....
, Art Blakey

Art Blakey

Arthur Blakey , born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, he was an United States jazz drummer and bandleader....
, The Carter Family, Morton Gould

Morton Gould

Morton Gould was an United States pianist, composer, conductor, and arranger.Born in Richmond Hill, New York, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and music composition....
, Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin

Janis Lyn Joplin was an United States singer, songwriter, and music arranger, from Port Arthur, Texas. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo artist....
, Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock music band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal music bands....
, Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame....
, Jelly Roll Morton

Jelly Roll Morton

Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton was an United States ragtime pianist, bandleader and composer.Widely recognized as a pivotal figure in early jazz, Morton claimed, in self-promotional hyperbole, to have invented jazz outright in 1902....
, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers were an United States Gospel music, soul music, and R&B singing group. Pops Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis Staples ....

2006

David Bowie

David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and Arrangement. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s....
, Cream

Cream (band)

Cream were a 1960s United Kingdom blues-rock Musical ensemble consisting of bassist/lead vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker....
, Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard

Merle Ronald Haggard is an United States country music singer, guitarist, instrumentalist, and songwriter.Merle Haggard has become one of the true giants of country music, as a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and instrumentalist....
, Robert Johnson, Jessye Norman

Jessye Norman

Jessye Norman is a four-time Grammy Award-winning African American opera singer. Norman is one of the most admired contemporary opera singers and recitalists, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music....
, Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III was an United States comedian, actor and writer.Pryor was a storyteller known for unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life, and was well-known for his frequent use of colorful, vulgar and profane language and racial epithets....
, The Weavers

The Weavers

The Weavers were an influential American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. They sang traditional folk songs from around the world, as well as blues, gospel music, children's songs, labor songs and American ballads, selling millions of records at the height of their popularity....

2007

Joan Baez

Joan Chandos Baez is a Mexican-United States folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. Many of her songs are Topical song and deal with social issues....
, Booker T.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award'

Start a new discussion about 'Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

Grammy Hall of Fame Award

Grammy Trustees Award

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

The following individuals have received Lifetime Achievement Awards, listed by year.

Year	Recipient
1962	Bing Crosby Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an United States popular singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death.One of the first multimedia stars, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby held a nearly unrivaled command of record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses....
1965	Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an United States singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a solo artist with great success in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers"....
1966	Duke Ellington Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and bandleader.Duke Ellington was recognized during his life as one of the most influential Jazz royalty, if not in all American music and he is of only four jazz musicians ever to have been featured on the cover of Time magazine ....
1967	Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as "Jazz royalty" and the "First Lady of Song", is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century....
1968	Irving Berlin Irving Berlin Irving Berlin was a Jewish American composer and lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters in history. Berlin was one of the few Tin Pan Alley/Broadway theater songwriters who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs....
1971	Elvis Presley Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
1972	Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer.Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an innovative cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performers.... , Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson was an United States gospel music singer, widely regarded as the best in the history of the genre, and is the first "Queen of Gospel Music"....
1981	Fred Astaire Fred Astaire Fred Astaire was an United States Academy Award-winning film and Broadway theatre dance, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of seventy-six years, during which he made thirty-one musical films....
1984	Chuck Berry Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.Chuck Berry is an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music.... , Charlie Parker Charlie Parker Charles Parker, Jr. was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.Parker is widely considered one of the most influential of jazz musicians, along with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington....
1985	Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein was a multi-Emmy-winning and Academy Award for Original Music Score nominated American Conductor , composer, author, music lecturer and Piano....
1986	Benny Goodman Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman, was an United States jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing ", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman".... , The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards.... , Andrés Segovia Andrés Segovia Andr?s Torres Segovia, 1st Marquess of Salobre?a was a Spain classical guitarist born in Linares, Ja?n, Spain. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures of the classical guitar in the beginning and mid 20th century....
1987	Roy Acuff Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff was an USA country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music," Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.... , Benny Carter Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter was an United States jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King .... , Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso was an italians tenor. Caruso was also one of the most significant and renowned singers in any genre in both the 19th and 20th Centuries, and one of the most important pioneers of recorded music.... , Ray Charles Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an United States pianist, singer, and songwriter who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues.... , Fats Domino Fats Domino Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is a classic Rhythm and blues and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.... , Woody Herman Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman , better known as Woody Herman, was an United States jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band band leader.... , Billie Holiday Billie Holiday Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter.Nicknamed Lady Day by her loyal friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday was a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing.... , B. B. King B. B. King B. B. King is an United States blues guitarist and singer-songwriter known for his expressive singing and inimitable guitar playing. As Komara has written, "King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed." Critic... , Isaac Stern Isaac Stern Isaac Stern was a Jewish violin virtuoso born in the Ukraine.He was renowned for his Sound recordings and for discovering new musical talent.... , Igor Stravinsky Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer, considered by many to be the most influential composer of 20th century music. He was a quintessentially Cosmopolitanism Russian who was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the century.... , Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini was an Italian people conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th Centuries, he was renowned for his brilliant intensity, his restless perfectionism, his phenomenal ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory.... , Hank Williams Sr.
1989	Fred Astaire Fred Astaire Fred Astaire was an United States Academy Award-winning film and Broadway theatre dance, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of seventy-six years, during which he made thirty-one musical films.... , Pablo Casals Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defill? , best known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spain Catalan people cellist and later conductor.... , Dizzy Gillespie Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie [/g?'l?spi/] was an United States jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer. He was born in Cheraw, South Carolina, the youngest of nine children.... , Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz was a Jewish violin virtuoso born in Lithuania . He is hailed as the greatest violinist of the 20th century.Early life ... , Lena Horne Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne is an American singer and actress. She has recorded and performed extensively, independently and with other jazz notables, including Artie Shaw, Teddy Wilson, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Charlie Barnet, Benny Carter, and Billy Eckstine.... , Leontyne Price Leontyne Price Mary Violet Leontyne Price in Laurel, Mississippi in the United States is one of America's most beloved and widely recorded operatic sopranos.... , Bessie Smith Bessie Smith Bessie Smith was an United States blues singer.The most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s, Smith is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era, and along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on subsequent jazz vocalists.... , Art Tatum Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso.With an exuberant style that combined dazzling technique and sophisticated use of harmony, Art Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time.... , Sarah Vaughan Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan was an United States jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century"....
1990	Nat "King" Cole, Miles Davis Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III was an United States jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz from World War II to the 1990s: he played on various early bebop records and recorded one of the first cool jaz... , Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz ; ) was a Russian American pianist. His technique, use of Timbre and the excitement of his playing are legendary.... , Paul McCartney Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney Member of the Order of the British Empire is a multiple Grammy Award-winning England singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record producer, film producer, Painting, and Animal rights....
1991	Marian Anderson Marian Anderson Marian Anderson was an United States Contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. She possessed a rich and vibrant voice with an intrinsic quality of beauty.... , Bob Dylan, John Lennon John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon, Order of the British Empire was an English Rock music musician, singer, songwriter, artist, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles.... , Kitty Wells Kitty Wells Ellen Muriel Deason, known professionally as Kitty Wells is an United States. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," made her the first female country singer to top the U.S....
1992	James Brown, John Coltrane John Coltrane John William Coltrane was an United States jazz saxophonist and composer.Starting in bebop and hard bop, Coltrane later pioneered free jazz. He influenced generations of other musicians, and remains one of the most significant tenor saxophonists in jazz history.... , Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix James Marshall Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter whose guitar playing continues to be a considerable influence on rock music.... , Muddy Waters Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield , better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues"....
1993	Chet Atkins Chet Atkins Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins was an influential American guitarist and record producer.His picking style, inspired by Merle Travis, Django Reinhardt, George Barnes and Les Paul, brought him admirers both within and outside the country scene, both in the United States and internationally.... , Little Richard Little Richard Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman , better known by the stage name Little Richard, is anAmerican singer, songwriter and pianist. He is considered a key figure in the transition from Rhythm and blues to Rock and roll in the 1950s.... , Thelonious Monk Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer.Widely considered one of the most important musicians in jazz -- he is one of only three jazz musicians to be featured on the cover of Time magazine -- Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epi... , Bill Monroe Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe was an United States musician who helped develop the style of music known as bluegrass music, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky.... , Pete Seeger Pete Seeger Peter "Pete" Seeger is an United States folk singer, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 50s as a member of The Weavers, most notably the 1950 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight, Irene" that topped the charts f... , Fats Waller Fats Waller Fats Waller was an United States Jazz piano, organ , composer and comedy entertainer....
1994	Bill Evans Bill Evans William John Evans was one of the most famous and influential American jazz pianists of the 20th century. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Denny... , Aretha Franklin Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock and roll, blues, Pop music, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel music.... , Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire was a Poland-United States pianist who is widely considered as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century....
1995	Patsy Cline Patsy Cline Patsy Cline was an United States country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville Sound in the early 1960s.... , Peggy Lee Peggy Lee Peggy Lee was an United States jazz and traditional pop singer and songwriter and Academy Award-nominated actress. She was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota.... , Henry Mancini Henry Mancini Henry Mancini was an Academy Award winning American composer, Conducting and arranger. He is remembered particularly for being a composer of film and television scores.... , Curtis Mayfield, Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand is an United states singer and film and theatre actress. She has also achieved note as a composer, political activist, film producer and film director....
1996	Dave Brubeck Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck , better known as Dave Brubeck, is an United States Jazz piano. Regarded as a jazz icon, he has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke".... , Marvin Gaye Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye was an United States singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range.... , Georg Solti Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti, Order of the British Empire was a Hungary-United Kingdom orchestral and operatic Conducting.... , Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. A prominent figure in popular music during the latter half of the 20th century, Wonder has recorded more than thirty US top ten hits, won twenty-two Grammy Awards , plus one for Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, won an Academy Award for Best Song, an...
1997	Bobby "Blue" Bland Bobby Bland Robert Calvin Bland better known as Bobby ?Blue? Bland, is an United States singer of blues and soul music. He is an original member of The Beale Streeters.... , The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers are brothers and top-selling country music-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing.... , Judy Garland Judy Garland Judy Garland was an American actress and alto singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage.... , Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli St?phane Grappelli was a French people jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first of all-string jazz bands.... , Buddy Holly Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley, known professionally as Buddy Holly was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his The Day the Music Died, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." His works and... , Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Charles Mingus was an United States jazz bassist, composer, bandleader, and occasional pianist. He was also known for his activism against racism.... , Oscar Peterson Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, Order of Canada, National Order of Quebec, Order of Ontario was a Canada jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends, and was a member of jazz royalty.... , Frank Zappa Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer, and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock music, jazz, electronic music, orchestral, and musique concr?te works....
1998	Bo Diddley Bo Diddley Bo Diddley , was an original and influential American rock and roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known as "The Originator" because of his key role in the transition from blues music to rock & roll, influencing a host of legendary acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.... , The Mills Brothers, Roy Orbison Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison was an influential Grammy Award-winning United States singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades.... , Paul Robeson Paul Robeson Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson was an American actor of film and stage, All-American and professional sportsperson, writer, multi-lingual orator, lawyer, and basso profondo concert singer who was also noted for his wide-ranging social justice activism....
1999	Johnny Cash Johnny Cash Johnny Cash was a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Primarily a country music artist, his songs and sound spanned many other genres including rockabilly and rock and roll , as well as blues, folk music and Gospel music.... , Sam Cooke Sam Cooke Samuel Cook, better known as Sam Cooke, was an United States gospel music, R&B, soul music, and popular music singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur.... , Otis Redding Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an United States soul music singer. He is renowned for an ability to convey strong emotion through his voice. According to the website of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , Redding's name is "synonymous with the term soul, music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of Gospel musi... , Smokey Robinson Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an USA R&B and soul music singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is noted for being one of the primary figures associated with Motown Records, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy.... , Mel Tormé Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Torm? , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known as one of the great jazz singers. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books....
2000	Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte Harold George Belafonte, Jr. is a Jamaican American musician, actor and social activist. One of the most successful popular singers in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso music" a title which he was very reluctant to accept for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s.... , Woody Guthrie Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an United States singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, Traditional music and children's songs, ballads and improvised works.... , John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker was an influential United States post-war blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter born in Coahoma County, Mississippi near Clarksdale, Mississippi.... , Mitch Miller Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller is an United States musician, singer, Conductor , record producer, A&R man and record company executive. He was one of the most influential figures in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of Artists & Repertoire at Columbia Records and as a best-selling recording artist.... , Willie Nelson Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson is an United States country music singer-songwriter author, poet and actor. He reached his greatest fame during the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, but remains Cultural icon, especially in American popular culture....
2001	The Beach Boys The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing.... , Tony Bennett Tony Bennett Tony Bennett is an United States singer of traditional pop music, pop standards and jazz.Raised in New York City, Bennett began singing at an early age.... , Sammy Davis, Jr. Sammy Davis, Jr. Samuel George ?Sammy? Davis, Jr. was an United States entertainer. He was a dancer, singer, multi-instrumentalist , Impressionist , comedian, convert to Judaism, and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor.... , Bob Marley Bob Marley Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley Jamaican Order of Merit was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands: The Wailers and Bob Marley & the Wailers .... , The Who The Who The Who are an England Rock music band formed in 1964. The primary lineup was guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon....
2002	Count Basie Count Basie William "Count" Basie was an United States Jazz piano, organist, bandleader, and composer. Widely regarded as one of the most important jazz bandleaders of his time, Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years.... , Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney was an United States singer and actor. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers "Botch-a-Me " , "Mambo Italiano ", and "This Ole House", songs which tended to obscure her talents as a jazz vocalist.... , Perry Como Perry Como Pierino "Perry" Como was an United States singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with it in 1943.... , Al Green, Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell, Order of Canada is a Canada musician, songwriter, and Painting.Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Western Canada and then busking on the streets of Toronto....
2003	Etta James Etta James Etta James is an American blues, soul music, rhythm and blues, rock & roll, gospel and jazz singer and songwriter. James is the winner of four Grammys and seventeen Blues Music Awards.... , Johnny Mathis Johnny Mathis Johnny Mathis is an United States singer of popular music.One of the last in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the 1960s, Mathis concentrated on romantic jazz and pop standards for the adult contemporary audience through to the 1980s.... , Glenn Miller Glenn Miller Alton Glenn Miller , was an United States jazz musician, arranger, composer, and band leader in the Swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1942, leading one of the best known "Big band".... , Tito Puente Tito Puente Tito Puente, Sr., , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, Jr., was an influential Latin jazz and Mambo musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey" of the timbales and "The King of Latin Music".... , Simon and Garfunkel Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American singer-songwriter duo consisting of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. They formed the group "Tom and Jerry" in 1957, and had their first taste of success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl"....
2004	Van Cliburn Van Cliburn Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. , is an United States pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958, when at age 23, he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War.... , The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until 1972, when the company moved to Los Angeles, California.... , Ella Jenkins Ella Jenkins Ella Jenkins is an American folk singer. Dubbed ?The First Lady of the Children?s Folk Song? by the Wisconsin State Journal, Jenkins has been a leading performer of children?s music for fifty years.... , Sonny Rollins Sonny Rollins Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is an United States jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins' long, prolific career began at the age of 11, and he was playing with piano legend Thelonious Monk before reaching the age of 20.... , Artie Shaw Artie Shaw Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an United States jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest jazz clarinetists of his time.... , Doc Watson Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an United States guitar player, songwriter and singer of Bluegrass music, American folk music, country music, blues and gospel music....
2005	Eddy Arnold Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold was among the most popular country music singers in United States history and helped to create the Nashville sound.... , Art Blakey Art Blakey Arthur Blakey , born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, he was an United States jazz drummer and bandleader.... , The Carter Family, Morton Gould Morton Gould Morton Gould was an United States pianist, composer, conductor, and arranger.Born in Richmond Hill, New York, New York, Gould was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and music composition.... , Janis Joplin Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin was an United States singer, songwriter, and music arranger, from Port Arthur, Texas. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo artist.... , Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal music bands.... , Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.... , Jelly Roll Morton Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton was an United States ragtime pianist, bandleader and composer.Widely recognized as a pivotal figure in early jazz, Morton claimed, in self-promotional hyperbole, to have invented jazz outright in 1902.... , Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, The Staple Singers The Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an United States Gospel music, soul music, and R&B singing group. Pops Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis Staples ....
2006	David Bowie David Bowie David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and Arrangement. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s.... , Cream Cream (band) Cream were a 1960s United Kingdom blues-rock Musical ensemble consisting of bassist/lead vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker.... , Merle Haggard Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard is an United States country music singer, guitarist, instrumentalist, and songwriter.Merle Haggard has become one of the true giants of country music, as a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and instrumentalist.... , Robert Johnson, Jessye Norman Jessye Norman Jessye Norman is a four-time Grammy Award-winning African American opera singer. Norman is one of the most admired contemporary opera singers and recitalists, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music.... , Richard Pryor Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III was an United States comedian, actor and writer.Pryor was a storyteller known for unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life, and was well-known for his frequent use of colorful, vulgar and profane language and racial epithets.... , The Weavers The Weavers The Weavers were an influential American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. They sang traditional folk songs from around the world, as well as blues, gospel music, children's songs, labor songs and American ballads, selling millions of records at the height of their popularity....
2007	Joan Baez Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez is a Mexican-United States folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. Many of her songs are Topical song and deal with social issues.... , Booker T. & The MG's, Maria Callas Maria Callas Maria Callas was an American-born Greeks soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the twentieth century. She combined an impressive bel canto technique with great dramatic gifts.... , Ornette Coleman Ornette Coleman Ornette Coleman is an United States saxophoneist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1950s and 1960s.... , The Doors The Doors The Doors were an United States rock music band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California by Singer Jim Morrison, keyboard instrument Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger.... , The Grateful Dead, Bob Wills Bob Wills James Robert Wills was an United States Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by many music authorities one of the fathers of Western swing and called by his fans the "King of Western Swing."...
2008	Burt Bacharach Burt Bacharach Burt Bacharach is an United States pianist and composer. He is best known for his many pop hits from the early 1960s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David, many of which were produced for and recorded by Dionne Warwick.... , The Band The Band The Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and one American, Levon Helm .... , Cab Calloway Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was a famous American jazz singer and bandleader.Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the United States' most popular African American big bands from the start of the 1930s through the late 1940s.... , Doris Day Doris Day Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff is a German-American singer, actress, and animal welfare advocate known as Doris Day. Able to sing, dance, and play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of the biggest box-office stars.... , Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-United States of America violin virtuoso, conducting, and teacher.... , Max Roach Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history.... , Earl Scruggs Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs is a musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger style on the 5-string banjo that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music....
2009	Gene Autry Gene Autry Orvon Gene Autry was an United States performing arts who gained fame as "Singing cowboy" on the Radio in the United States, in Cinema of the United States and on Television in the United States for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s.... , The Blind Boys of Alabama The Blind Boys of Alabama The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel music group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. The three main vocalists of the group and their drummer/percussionist are all blind.... , The Four Tops Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, and showtunes.... , Hank Jones Hank Jones Henry "Hank" Jones is an United States jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable.... , Brenda Lee Brenda Lee Brenda Lee is an United States country music-pop music singer popular during the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1960s she had more US charted hits than any other female and only three male singers or groups .... , Dean Martin Dean Martin Dean Martin was an United States singer, film actor and comedian of Italians descent. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s.... , Tom Paxton Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton is an United States folk music singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years....

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

External links