The Recording Academy will celebrate 20 years of advocacy at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., on April 18 by honoring Little Big Town at the 2018 GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards. The GRAMMY-winning group, who will perform as part of a lineup of unique live performances and musical surprises, joins a distinguished group of past honorees, including Alicia Keys, John Mayer and last year's honoree, Keith Urban.
Little Big Town — Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook — have made several contributions to the music industry that align with some of the Academy's key advocacy and organizational causes, including advocating for music education and supporting MusiCares, which provides a safety net of support for the music community.
Uniting the worlds of music and politics, GRAMMYs on the Hill also recognizes legislators who have improved the environment for music by advocating for music creators' rights. The 2018 congressional honorees include Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus, and Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), author of the Music Modernization Act and vice chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet.
“Little Big Town's advocacy efforts, coupled with the legislative momentum on Capitol Hill to protect creators, further the Academy's vision of a brighter future for music — something the Recording Academy has been championing since its inception, and made an even greater commitment to when it established its D.C. offices in 1998," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "We also are privileged to recognize the significant contributions of Reps. Chu and Collins, who have long supported the creative community's right to be fairly compensated and to have meaningful copyright protections, advocating for the current comprehensive legislation, and supporting our continuing campaign for a terrestrial performance right."
"We’re honored to stand alongside the Academy and Reps. Chu and Collins in speaking out and protecting an industry that has done so much for us," said Sweet.
"Music is healing and powerful, and music education gives our children an outlet for expression that is absolutely necessary for their overall growth and well-being," continued Fairchild. "We will continue to do our part to protect music education, songwriters, recordings, and the artists who bring them to life."
