Grammy Legend Award

Last updated
Grammy Legend Award
Awarded forongoing contributions and influence in the music industry
CountryUnited States
Presented by The Recording Academy
First awarded 1990
Website grammy.com

The Grammy Legend Award, or the Grammy Living Legend Award, [1] [2] is a special award of merit given to recording artists by the Grammy Awards, a music awards ceremony that was established in 1958. [3] [4] Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. [5] [6]

Contents

The first Grammy Legend Awards were issued in 1990 to Smokey Robinson, Willie Nelson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Liza Minnelli. The honor was inaugurated to recognize "ongoing contributions and influence in the recording field". [7] The next year, four more musicians (Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Johnny Cash and Quincy Jones) were acknowledged with Grammy Legend Awards. The award was given to Barbra Streisand in 1992 and Michael Jackson in 1993.

After 1994, when the American musicians Curtis Mayfield and Frank Sinatra were both issued Grammy Legend Awards, the honors have been given to recording artists intermittently. Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti was the 1998 recipient of the award. The following year, British singer-songwriter Elton John was recognized with the honor. The Bee Gees became the first recipients of the award in the 21st century when the brothers were acknowledged by the Grammys in 2003. Overall, fourteen solo musicians and one band have received the Grammy Legend Award.

Recipients

Year [lower-alpha 1]   Ref.
1990 Upiorwoperze ALWebber (cropped).jpg Andrew Lloyd Webber [8]
Liza Minnelli Cabaret 1972 crop.JPG Liza Minnelli [1]
Smokey Robinson by Gage Skidmore.jpg Smokey Robinson [9]
Willie Nelson.jpg Willie Nelson [7]
1991 Aretha Franklin 1968.jpg Aretha Franklin [10]
Billy Joel Shankbone NYC 2009.jpg Billy Joel [11]
JohnnyCash1969.jpg Johnny Cash [12]
Quincy Jones May 2014.jpg Quincy Jones [7]
1992 Barbra Streisand - 1966.jpg Barbra Streisand [13]
1993 Michael Jackson 1984.jpg Michael Jackson [14]
1994 Curtis Mayfield.png Curtis Mayfield [15]
Frank Sinatra '57.jpg Frank Sinatra [16]
1998 Luciano Pavarotti 15.06.02 cropped.jpg Luciano Pavarotti [17]
1999 Elton John 2011 Shankbone 2.JPG Elton John [7]
2003 Bee Gees 1977.JPG Bee Gees [18]
  1. Each year is linked to an article about the Annual Grammy Awards ceremony of that year.

See also

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