Lifetime Achievement Award

This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to performers* who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. (*Through 1972, recipients included non-performers.)

Past Recipients

Roy Acuff
Awarded: 1987

The Allman Brothers Band     
Awarded: 2012

Marian Anderson
Awarded: 1991

Julie Andrews
Awarded: 2011

Louis Armstrong
Awarded: 1972

Eddy Arnold
Awarded: 2005

Fred Astaire
Awarded: 1989

Chet Atkins
Awarded: 1993

Gene Autry
Awarded: 2009

Burt Bacharach
Awarded: 2008

Joan Baez
Awarded: 2007

The Band
Awarded: 2008

Count Basie
Awarded: 2002

The Beach Boys
Awarded: 2001

The Beatles
Awarded: 2014

Bee Gees
Awarded: 2015

Harry Belafonte
Awarded: 2000

Tony Bennett
Awarded: 2001

Irving Berlin
Awarded: 1968

Leonard Bernstein
Awarded: 1985

Chuck Berry
Awarded: 1984

Black Sabbath
Awarded: 2019

Hal Blaine
Awarded: 2018

Art Blakey
Awarded: 2005

Bobby "Blue" Bland
Awarded: 1997

Blind Boys Of Alabama
Awarded: 2009

Booker T. & The MG's
Awarded: 2007

Pierre Boulez
Awarded: 2015

David Bowie
Awarded: 2006

James Brown
Awarded: 1992

Ruth Brown
Awarded: 2016

Dave Brubeck
Awarded: 1996

Shirley Caesar
Awarded: 2017

Maria Callas
Awarded: 2007

Cab Calloway
Awarded: 2008

Glen Campbell
Awarded: 2012

Benny Carter
Awarded: 1987

(Original) Carter Family
Awarded: 2005

Enrico Caruso
Awarded: 1987

Pablo Casals
Awarded: 1989

Johnny Cash
Awarded: 1999

Ray Charles
Awarded: 1987

Clifton Chenier
Awarded: 2014

Van Cliburn
Awarded: 2004

Patsy Cline
Awarded: 1995

George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic
Awarded: 2019

Rosemary Clooney
Awarded: 2002

Leonard Cohen
Awarded: 2010

Nat "King" Cole
Awarded: 1990

Ornette Coleman
Awarded: 2007

John Coltrane
Awarded: 1992

Perry Como
Awarded: 2002

Sam Cooke
Awarded: 1999

Cream
Awarded: 2006

Bing Crosby
Awarded: 1963

Celia Cruz
Awarded: 2016

Bobby Darin
Awarded: 2010

Sammy Davis Jr.
Awarded: 2001

Miles Davis
Awarded: 1990

Doris Day
Awarded: 2008

Neil Diamond
Awarded: 2018

Bo Diddley
Awarded: 1998

Fats Domino
Awarded: 1987

The Doors
Awarded: 2007

Bob Dylan
Awarded: 1991

Earth, Wind & Fire
Awarded: 2016

Billy Eckstine
Awarded: 2019

David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Awarded: 2010

Duke Ellington
Awarded: 1966

Bill Evans
Awarded: 1994

The Everly Brothers
Awarded: 1997

Ella Fitzgerald
Awarded: 1967

The Four Tops
Awarded: 2009

Aretha Franklin
Awarded: 1994

The Funk Brothers
Awarded: 2004

Judy Garland
Awarded: 1997

Marvin Gaye
Awarded: 1996

Dizzy Gillespie
Awarded: 1989

Benny Goodman
Awarded: 1986

Glenn Gould
Awarded: 2013

Morton Gould
Awarded: 2005

Stephane Grappelli
Awarded: 1997

Grateful Dead
Awarded: 2007

Al Green
Awarded: 2002

Woody Guthrie
Awarded: 2000

Buddy Guy
Awarded: 2015

Charlie Haden
Awarded: 2013

Merle Haggard
Awarded: 2006

Herbie Hancock
Awarded: 2016

Emmylou Harris
Awarded: 2018

George Harrison
Awarded: 2015

Donny Hathaway
Awarded: 2019

Roy Haynes
Awarded: 2011

Jascha Heifetz
Awarded: 1989

Jimi Hendrix
Awarded: 1992

Woody Herman
Awarded: 1987

Billie Holiday
Awarded: 1987

Buddy Holly
Awarded: 1997

John Lee Hooker
Awarded: 2000

Lightnin' Hopkins
Awarded: 2013

Lena Horne
Awarded: 1989

Vladimir Horowitz
Awarded: 1990

Julio Iglesias
Awarded: 2019

The Isley Brothers
Awarded: 2014

Mahalia Jackson
Awarded: 1972

Michael Jackson
Awarded: 2010

Ahmad Jamal
Awarded: 2017

Etta James
Awarded: 2003

Jefferson Airplane
Awarded: 2016

Ella Jenkins
Awarded: 2004

Flaco Jiménez
Awarded: 2015

Antonio Carlos Jobim
Awarded: 2012

Robert Johnson
Awarded: 2006

George Jones
Awarded: 2012

Hank Jones
Awarded: 2009

Janis Joplin
Awarded: 2005

Louis Jordan
Awarded: 2018

Juilliard String Quartet
Awarded: 2011

B.B. King
Awarded: 1987

Carole King
Awarded: 2013

The Kingston Trio
Awarded: 2011

Kraftwerk
Awarded: 2014

Kris Kristofferson
Awarded: 2014

Led Zeppelin
Awarded: 2005

Brenda Lee
Awarded: 2009

Peggy Lee
Awarded: 1995

John Lennon
Awarded: 1991

Jerry Lee Lewis
Awarded: 2005

Little Richard
Awarded: 1993

Loretta Lynn
Awarded: 2010

Louvin Brothers
Awarded: 2015

Henry Mancini
Awarded: 1995

Armando Manzanero
Awarded: 2014

Bob Marley
Awarded: 2001

Dean Martin
Awarded: 2009

Johnny Mathis
Awarded: 2003

Curtis Mayfield
Awarded: 1995

Paul McCartney
Awarded: 1990

The Memphis Horns
Awarded: 2012

The Meters
Awarded: 2018

Glenn Miller
Awarded: 2003

Mitch Miller
Awarded: 2000

The Mills Brothers
Awarded: 1998

Charles Mingus
Awarded: 1997

Joni Mitchell
Awarded: 2002

Thelonious Monk
Awarded: 1993

Bill Monroe
Awarded: 1993

Jelly Roll Morton
Awarded: 2005

Willie Nelson
Awarded: 2000

Jessye Norman
Awarded: 2006

Roy Orbison
Awarded: 1998

Patti Page
Awarded: 2013

Charlie Parker
Awarded: 1984

Dolly Parton
Awarded: 2011

Tom Paxton
Awarded: 2009

Pinetop Perkins
Awarded: 2005

Itzhak Perlman
Awarded: 2008

Oscar Peterson
Awarded: 1997

Maud Powell
Awarded: 2014

Elvis Presley
Awarded: 1971

André Previn
Awarded: 2010

Leontyne Price
Awarded: 1989

Charley Pride
Awarded: 2017

Richard Pryor
Awarded: 2006

Tito Puente
Awarded: 2003

Queen
Awarded: 2018

Ramones
Awarded: 2011

Otis Redding
Awarded: 1999

Max Roach
Awarded: 2008

Paul Robeson
Awarded: 1998

Smokey Robinson
Awarded: 1999

Jimmie Rodgers
Awarded: 2017

The Rolling Stones
Awarded: 1986

Sonny Rollins
Awarded: 2004

Linda Ronstadt
Awarded: 2016

Diana Ross
Awarded: 2012

Artur Rubinstein
Awarded: 1994

Run DMC
Awarded: 2016

Sam & Dave
Awarded: 2019

Gil Scott-Heron
Awarded: 2012

Earl Scruggs
Awarded: 2008

Pete Seeger
Awarded: 1993

Andrés Segovia
Awarded: 1986

Ravi Shankar
Awarded: 2013

Artie Shaw
Awarded: 2004

George Beverly Shea
Awarded: 2011

Wayne Shorter
Awarded: 2015

Simon & Garfunkel
Awarded: 2003

Nina Simone
Awarded: 2017

Frank Sinatra
Awarded: 1965

Bessie Smith
Awarded: 1989

Georg Solti
Awarded: 1996

The Staple Singers
Awarded: 2005

Isaac Stern
Awarded: 1987

Sly Stone
Awarded: 2017

Igor Stravinsky
Awarded: 1987

Barbra Streisand
Awarded: 1995

Art Tatum
Awarded: 1989

The Temptations
Awarded: 2013

Clark Terry
Awarded: 2010

Mel Tormé
Awarded: 1999

Arturo Toscanini
Awarded: 1987

Tina Turner
Awarded: 2018

Sarah Vaughan
Awarded: 1989

Velvet Underground
Awarded: 2017

Fats Waller
Awarded: 1993

Dionne Warwick
Awarded: 2019

Muddy Waters
Awarded: 1992

Doc Watson
Awarded: 2004

The Weavers
Awarded: 2006

Kitty Wells
Awarded: 1991

The Who
Awarded: 2001

Hank Williams
Awarded: 1987

Bob Wills
Awarded: 2007

Stevie Wonder
Awarded: 1996

Frank Zappa
Awarded: 1997