ACADEMY TO HONOR NIRVANA, SUPREMES, RAINEY, RODGERS...

The Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards Ceremony will return on 2/4 for the first time since 2020 at Los Angeles' Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

The proceedings will honor recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award, Technical Grammy Award and Best Song for Social Change Award.

Lifetime Achievement Awards will be bestowed upon Bobby McFerrin, Nirvana, blues singer Ma Rainey, Nile Rodgers, Slick Rick, The Supremes and Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart. Photographer Henry Diltz, pianist/educator Ellis Marsalis and Stax co-founder Jim Stewart are Trustees Award recipients. And the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and Dr. Andy Hildebrand will pick up Technical Grammy Awards.

"The Academy is proud to celebrate this diverse slate of influential music people spanning numerous genres and crafts as our 2023 Special Merit Awards honorees," said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. "Each creator on this list has made an impact on our industry—from technical to creative achievements—representing the breadth of music's diverse community. We're excited to celebrate this group of legends that continues to inspire and shape the music world."