Grammy Legend Award

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]

Grammy Legend Award
Awarded for	ongoing contributions and influence in the music industry
Country	United States
Presented by	The Recording Academy
First awarded	1990
Website	grammy.com

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		Andrew Lloyd Webber	[8]
		Liza Minnelli	[1]
		Smokey Robinson	[9]
		Willie Nelson	[7]
1991		Aretha Franklin	[10]
		Billy Joel	[11]
		Johnny Cash	[12]
		Quincy Jones	[7]
1992		Barbra Streisand	[13]
1993		Michael Jackson	[14]
1994		Curtis Mayfield	[15]
		Frank Sinatra	[16]
1998		Luciano Pavarotti	[17]
1999		Elton John	[7]
2003		Bee Gees	[18]

1. Each year is linked to an article about the Annual Grammy Awards ceremony of that year.

See also

• List of Grammy Award categories

References

General

• "Grammy Legend Award". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

Specific

1. Kotb, Hoda (March 12, 2004). "Liza: Life in the limelight". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Billy Joel biography". MTV. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
3. "Seen and heard at the 50th Grammy Awards". USA Today. Gannett. February 11, 2008. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
4. Henken, John (February 18, 2001). "The 2001 Grammys". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
5. Hilburn, Richard (March 13, 1970). "Top Grammy Winners Announced". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
6. "The Prem Rawat Foundation Presents Its Initiatives at the Grammy Awards". America's Intelligence Wire. February 9, 2007. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
7. "Grammy Legend Award". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
8. 2001 People Entertainment Almanac. People, Cader Books. 2000. p. 545. ISBN 978-1929049073.
9. Kalte, Pamela M. (2005). Contemporary Black Biography. Gale Group. p. 117. ISBN 0-7876-7921-6.
10. Barrera, Sandra (September 6, 2005). "Franklin not ready to rest on another laurel". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Journal Communications. Retrieved December 31, 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}
11. Gunderson, Edna (March 16, 1999). "Billy Joel enters his classical period Joining Hall of Fame, he leaves rock behind". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
12. "Critic's choice". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. McClatchy. February 15, 1991. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
13. "The 1992 Grammys an 'unforgettable' night for Natalie Cole, Bonnie Raitt and R.E.M". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Media Holdings. February 26, 1992. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
14. McShane, Larry (February 25, 1993). "Grammy moments – memorable and forgettable". Deseret News. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2009 – via Google News Archive.
15. "Curtis Mayfield, 57, entertainer, songwriter". Telegram & Gazette. The New York Times Company. December 27, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
16. Harrington, Richard (March 2, 1994). "The Grammy Whammy". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
17. Shmith, Michael (September 7, 2007). "Prince among tenors, undisputed king of high C's". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
18. "The 45th Annual Annual Grammy Awards". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Media Holdings. February 24, 2003. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2009.

External links

• Official website Archived 2015-07-07 at the Wayback Machine of the Grammy Awards