"GRAMMY SALUTE TO MUSIC LEGENDS™" TO PREMIERE ON PBS' GREAT PERFORMANCES ON OCT. 14

buzzz worthy. . .




Ruth Brown, John Cage, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Linda Ronstadt, and Run DMC Among Distinguished Honorees

Live Performances by Ry Cooder, Lila Downs, Earth, Wind & Fire, Andy GarcĂ­a And The CineSon All Stars, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Kris Kristofferson, Lucrecia, Martina McBride, Magnolia Sisters, JD Souther, And More
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Aug. 30, 2016) — In collaboration with Great Performances, The Recording Academy® presents "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," a special all-star concert offering a primetime spotlight for The Academy's 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients. The awards ceremony and tribute concert will feature rare performances by honorees and never-before-seen renditions by those they've inspired.

The celebration, recorded at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, will air Friday, Oct. 14 from 9–11:30 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.) Previously held during GRAMMY® Week, this is the first time The Recording Academy has celebrated the Special Merit Awards with a stand-alone event and musical tribute.


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™.

Along with never-before-seen video packages celebrating each of the honorees' contributions to the music industry and our cultural heritage and heartfelt testimonials from presenters, the star-studded event features performances by Patti Austin, Ry Cooder, Lila Downs, Earth, Wind & Fire, David Foster, Andy Garcia And The CineSon All Stars, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, J'Nai Bridges, Kris Kristofferson, Lucrecia, Shelby Lynne, Magnolia Sisters, Martina McBride, Naughty By Nature, Anthony Parce, and JD Souther. Other presenters include David Crosby, Foster, Jimmy Jam, LL Cool J, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Don Was.

Among numerous highlights, psychedelic rock pioneers Jefferson Airplane take fans back in time as they play some of their most memorable hits that shaped much of the San Francisco scene in the 1960s and earned them international mainstream success. Standing in for legendary frontwoman Grace Slick (who is present to accept her award) is GRAMMY-nominated rock songstress Cathy Richardson.

Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz has made a living recording, preserving, selling, and celebrating the music he loves — music that formed the fabric of both American and international culture. Paying homage to the multifaceted and uniquely talented producer/businessman will be six-time GRAMMY-winning guitar virtuoso Ry Cooder, Chicago bluesman and GRAMMY nominee Henry Gray, and Cajun music jewels and GRAMMY nominees the Magnolia Sisters.

Paying tribute to three-time GRAMMY winner and four-time Latin GRAMMY winner Celia Cruz — internationally known as the "Queen Of Salsa" — are Latin GRAMMY nominee Lucrecia and GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY winner Andy GarcĂ­a, who will bring his Cuban musical group, Andy GarcĂ­a And The CineSon All Stars, to the stage.

Six-time GRAMMY winners Earth, Wind & Fire, one of the most important and innovative musical forces influencing music and popular culture across generations, offer a roof-raising performance.

A salute to 10-time GRAMMY winner Linda Ronstadt features pop, country and Latin musical offerings from GRAMMY and four-time Latin GRAMMY winner Lila Downs and GRAMMY nominees Martina McBride and JD Souther.

The full musical program follows (the honorees in bold type; performers in parentheses):

Linda Ronstadt
"Faithless Love" (JD Souther)
"Gritenme Piedras Del Campo" (Lila Downs with Mariachi Los Camperos De Nati Cano)
"Blue Bayou" (Martina McBride with JD Souther)

Fred Foster
"Me And Bobby McGee" (Kris Kristofferson with Shelby Lynne)
"Oh, Pretty Woman" (Shelby Lynne)

John Cage
"Water Walk" (Anthony Parce)
"The Wonderful Widow Of Eighteen Springs" (J'Nai Bridges)

Ruth Brown
"(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" (Patti Austin)

Jefferson Airplane
"Somebody To Love" (Jefferson Airplane)
Medley: "Embryonic Journey"/"Come Back Baby" (Jefferson Airplane)

Celia Cruz
"Guantanamera" (Andy GarcĂ­a And The CineSon All Stars with Lucrecia)
"Quimbara" (Andy GarcĂ­a And The CineSon All Stars with Lucrecia)

Run DMC
Medley: "King Of Rock"/"Rock Box"/"Peter Piper"/"My Adidas"/"It's Tricky"/"Beats To The Rhyme" (Naughty By Nature)

Chris Strachwitz
"Blues Won't Let Me Take My Rest" (Ry Cooder with Henry Gray)
Medley: "Blues De Voyage"/"Magnolia Hop" (Magnolia Sisters with "Ry Cooder)

Herbie Hancock
"Nuance" (Herbie Hancock with Wayne Shorter)

Earth, Wind & Fire
Medley: Intro/"Shining Star"/"Celebrate"/"In the Stone"/"Fantasy"/"September" (Earth, Wind & Fire with David Foster)
"That's The Way Of The World" (Earth, Wind & Fire)

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award recognizes contributions in areas other than performance. Both awards are determined by vote of The Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of The Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing® Advisory Council and Chapter Committees, and are ratified by The Academy's Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. Presented by The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation®, the Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education. 

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