RECORDING ACADEMY® TO CELEBRATE MUSIC LEGENDS AT 2026 SPECIAL MERIT AWARDS CEREMONY DURING GRAMMY® WEEK
THE CEREMONY RETURNS TO THE WILSHIRE EBELL THEATRE ON SATURDAY, JAN. 31, 2026 SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (DEC. 19, 2025) — The Recording Academy ® ’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony celebrating the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustee Award and Technical Grammy ® Award recipients will be held on Jan. 31, 2026, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. Carlos Santana , Chaka Khan , Cher , Fela Kuti , Paul Simon , and Whitney Houston are the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award honorees; Bernie Taupin , Eddie Palmieri and Sylvia Rhone are the Trustees Award honorees; and John Chowning is the Technical Grammy Award honoree. The Grammy Week event will celebrate the honorees’ outstanding contributions to the recording field. “It’s a true honor to recognize this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres and the very foundation of...