This Special Merit, The Lifetime Achievement 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.)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Past Recipients
| Roy Acuff Awarded: 1987 |
Allman Brothers Band, The 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 |
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 |
| Carter Family Awarded: 2005 |
Benny Carter Awarded: 1987 |
Enrico Caruso Awarded: 1987 |
| Pablo Casals Awarded: 1989 |
Johnny Cash Awarded: 1999 |
Chicago Awarded: 2020 |
| 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 |
Miles Davis Awarded: 1990 |
Sammy Davis Jr. Awarded: 2001 |
| Doris Day Awarded: 2008 |
Neil Diamond Awarded: 2018 |
Bo Diddley Awarded: 1998 |
| Fats Domino Awarded: 1987 |
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 |
Everly Brothers Awarded: 1997 |
Ella Fitzgerald Awarded: 1967 |
| Roberta Flack Awarded: 2020 |
Four Tops Awarded: 2009 |
Aretha Franklin Awarded: 1994 |
| Funk Brothers, The 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 |
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five Awarded: 2021 |
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 |
| Lionel Hampton Awarded: 2021 |
Herbie Hancock Awarded: 2016 |
Emmylou Harris Awarded: 2018 |
| George Harrison Awarded: 2015 |
Donny Hathaway Awarded: 2019 |
Isaac Hayes Awarded: 2020 |
| Roy Haynes Awarded: 2011 |
Heart Awarded: 2022 |
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 |
Marilyn Horne Awarded: 2021 |
Vladimir Horowitz Awarded: 1990 |
| Iggy Pop Awarded: 2020 |
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 |
Jelly Roll Morton Awarded: 2005 |
| 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 |
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 |
The Louvin Brothers Awarded: 2015 |
| Loretta Lynn Awarded: 2010 |
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 |
Bobby McFerrin Awarded: 2022 |
| Memphis Horns, The Awarded: 2012 |
The Meters Awarded: 2018 |
Glenn Miller Awarded: 2003 |
| Mitch Miller Awarded: 2000 |
Mills Brothers Awarded: 1998 |
Charles Mingus Awarded: 1997 |
| Joni Mitchell Awarded: 2002 |
Thelonious Monk Awarded: 1993 |
Bill Monroe Awarded: 1993 |
| Sam & Dave Awarded: 2019 |
Willie Nelson Awarded: 2000 |
Nirvana Awarded: 2022 |
| 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 |
John Prine Awarded: 2020 |
| Richard Pryor Awarded: 2006 |
Public Enemy Awarded: 2020 |
Tito Puente Awarded: 2003 |
| Queen Awarded: 2018 |
Ma Rainey Awarded: 2022 |
Bonnie Raitt Awarded: 2021 |
| Ramones Awarded: 2011 |
Otis Redding Awarded: 1999 |
Max Roach Awarded: 2008 |
| Paul Robeson Awarded: 1998 |
Smokey Robinson Awarded: 1999 |
Jimmie Rodgers Awarded: 2017 |
| Nile Rodgers Awarded: 2022 |
Rolling Stones Awarded: 1986 |
Sonny Rollins Awarded: 2004 |
| Linda Ronstadt Awarded: 2016 |
Diana Ross Awarded: 2012 |
Artur Rubinstein Awarded: 1994 |
| Run DMC Awarded: 2016 |
Salt-n-Pepa Awarded: 2021 |
Gil Scott-Heron Awarded: 2012 |
| Earl Scruggs Awarded: 2008 |
Pete Seeger Awarded: 1993 |
Andrés Segovia Awarded: 1986 |
| Selena Awarded: 2021 |
Ravi Shankar Awarded: 2013 |
Artie Shaw Awarded: 2004 |
| George Beverly Shea Awarded: 2011 |
Wayne Shorter Awarded: 2015 |
Simon And Garfunkel Awarded: 2003 |
| Nina Simone Awarded: 2017 |
Frank Sinatra Awarded: 1965 |
Slick Rick “The Ruler” Awarded: 2022 |
| Bessie Smith Awarded: 1989 |
Georg Solti Awarded: 1996 |
Staple Singers Awarded: 2005 |
| Isaac Stern Awarded: 1987 |
Sly Stone Awarded: 2017 |
Igor Stravinsky Awarded: 1987 |
| Barbra Streisand Awarded: 1995 |
The Supremes Awarded: 2022 |
Talking Heads Awarded: 2021 |
| Art Tatum Awarded: 1989 |
The Temptations Awarded: 2013 |
Clark Terry Awarded: 2010 |
| Sister Rosetta Tharpe Awarded: 2020 |
Doors, The Awarded: 2007 |
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 |
Weavers, The 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 |