ACADEMY TO HONOR N.W.A, JOEL KATZ

N.W.A, Donna Summer, Laurie Anderson, DJ Kool Herc and attorney Joel Katz are among the recipients of the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards. The ceremony will be held 2/3 at Los Angeles' Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

Anderson, N.W.A and Summer will receive the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award along with gospel group The Clark Sisters, Gladys Knight and Tammy Wynette. Manager-producer Peter Asher, DJ Kool Herc and Katz will be recipients of Trustees Awards. EDnet’s Tom Kobayashi and Tom Scott will be honored in the Technical Grammy Award category.

K’naan, Steve McEwan and Gerald Eaton (aka Jarvis Church) will be recognized with the Best Song for Social Change Award for their “Refugee.”

“The Academy is honored to pay tribute to this year’s Special Merit Award recipients—a remarkable group of creators and industry professionals whose impact resonates with generations worldwide,” said Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “Their contributions to music span genres, backgrounds and crafts, reflecting the rich diversity that fuels our creative community. We look forward to honoring these music-industry trailblazers next month as part of our weeklong celebration leading up to Music’s Biggest Night.”