The Recording Academy announced its Special Merit Awards recipients today, and this year's selections are: Allman Brothers Band, Glen Campbell, Antonio Carlos Jobim, George Jones, the Memphis Horns, Diana Ross and Gil Scott-Heron as Lifetime Achievement Award recipients; Dave Bartholomew, Steve Jobs and Rudy Van Gelder as Trustees Award honorees; and Celemony and Roger Nichols as Technical GRAMMY Award® honorees. The special invitation-only ceremony will be held during GRAMMY® Week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, and a formal acknowledgment will be made during the 54th Annual GRAMMYAwards telecast, which will be held at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, and broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/thegrammys, a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/thegrammys.
"This year's honorees offer a variety of brilliance, contributions and lasting impressions on our culture," said President/CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow. "It is an honor to recognize such a diverse group of individuals whose talents and achievements have had an indelible impact on our industry."
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording while the Trustees Award recognizes such contributions in areas other than performance. Both awards are determined by vote of The Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are determined by vote of The Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing Advisory Council and Chapter Committees as well as The Academy's Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.
As pioneers of Southern rock, the Allman Brothers Band created a unique sound blending elements of blues, country, jazz and rock. Known for their outstanding improvisational and jam-style shows, the band's breakthrough album, 1971's At Fillmore East, is a definitive live concert recording. The band has achieved artistic and commercial success with hits such as "Whipping Post," "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica," the latter having earned them a 1995 GRAMMY for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In 1995 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
During his 50-plus years in show business, five-time GRAMMY winner Glen Campbell has released more than 70 albums. In 1967 he won GRAMMYs in both country and pop categories for his hits "Gentle On My Mind" and "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," respectively. Campbell has three recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame and has also been inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the famed Wrecking Crew, Los Angeles' group of top studio musicians in the '60s. In 2011 he released his farewell album, Ghost On The Canvas, which featured collaborations with Jakob Dylan, Chris Isaak and Billy Corgan, among others.
Widely known as the composer of the GRAMMY-winning "The Girl From Ipanema," arranger, singer and pianist/guitarist Antonio Carlos Jobim* was influential in the creation of the Brazilian bossa nova style and its international popularity. His songs and arrangements have been performed by numerous artists around the world. In 1995 he won a posthumous Best Latin Jazz Performance GRAMMY for his album Antonio Brasileiro.
TrumPeter Wayne Jackson and tenor saxophonist Andrew Love comprise one of the greatest and most recorded horn sections, the Memphis Horns. Early in their career, the duo appeared on nearly every Stax Records recording, helping the label define its sound. Known for their unique funk/soul style, the Musicians Hall of Fame inductees have appeared on recordings for artists such as Al Green, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, and U2.
