Grammys to Honor Summer, Wynette, Others With Lifetime Awards

Disco trailblazer Donna Summer, country-music queen Tammy Wynette, pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A. and performance artist-turned-sonic-maverick Laurie Anderson are among the Recording Academy’s 2024 Special Merit Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award recipients. Summer was the subject of the 2017 LA Jolla Playhouse production, “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports they will be celebrated at an afternoon ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 3, the day before this year’s Grammy Awards take place. The other 2024 Lifetime Achievement honorees being feted by the Recording Academy — under whose auspices the Grammys are presented — include Motown singing great Gladys Knight and The Clark Sisters, who are top-selling female vocal group in gospel-music history.

“The Academy is honored to pay tribute to this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — a remarkable group of creators and industry professionals whose impact resonates with generations worldwide,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason in a statement released Friday.

“Their contributions to music span genres, backgrounds and crafts, reflecting the rich diversity that fuels our creative community. We look forward to honoring these music industry trailblazers next month as part of our week-long celebration leading up to Music’s Biggest Night.”