Ry Cooder, Henry Gray, Jefferson Airplane, and Magnolia Sisters have been added to the "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" performance lineup. Serving as the official celebration for The Recording Academy's 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients, the awards ceremony and live tribute concert will tape April 23 at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will feature rare performances by honorees and never-before-seen renditions by those they've inspired. The special is produced in partnership with Thirteen Productions as part of the "Great Performances" series on PBS, and is set to air later this year. Additional performers will be announced shortly.
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This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Ruth Brown; Celia Cruz; Earth, Wind & Fire; Herbie Hancock; Jefferson Airplane; Linda Ronstadt; and Run DMC. John Cage, Fred Foster and Chris Strachwitz are Trustees Award honorees; and EMT and Dr. Harvey Fletcher are Technical GRAMMY Award recipients. Also being honored is Phillip Riggs, this year's recipient of the Music Educator Award.
San Francisco's Summer of Love pioneers Jefferson Airplane, including members Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, are set to revisit the group's memorable hits onstage with GRAMMY-nominated rock singer Cathy Richardson, who will stand in for Jefferson Airplane frontwoman Grace Slick. Slick will be on hand to accept her award.
Arhoolie Records founder Strachwitz will be saluted by six-time GRAMMY winner Cooder, GRAMMY-nominated blues artist Henry Gray and GRAMMY-nominated Cajun music group Magnolia Sisters.
A production of Thirteen Productions LLC for WNET, "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" will be written by David Wild and directed for television by David Horn, with Mitch Owgang as producer, and Horn and Neil Portnow as executive producers. Don Was is music director.
