Grammys Bestow Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards on Music Icons
The Recording Academy has paid tribute to some of music's most influential figures by presenting them with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys Special Merit Awards ceremony. The distinguished honourees include the legendary Chaka Khan, the iconic Cher, the late Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, and the unforgettable singing superstar Whitney Houston. They were joined by the celebrated musicians Carlos Santana and Paul Simon in receiving this exceptional accolade, which recognises outstanding artistic contributions to the recording industry.
Chaka Khan's Emotional Acceptance Speech
Chaka Khan was the sole Lifetime Achievement recipient to make a personal appearance at the intimate ceremony, held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. The event served as a prelude to Sunday's main Grammy Awards show. Dressed in a radiant sea green gown, Khan delivered a moving speech that resonated deeply with the audience.
"Music has been my prayer, my healing, my joy, my truth," Khan declared as she accepted her award. "Through it, I saved my life." She expressed profound gratitude for her five-decade career, acknowledging the many collaborators who had shaped her journey. "Over 50 years I am blessed to walk alongside extraordinary artists, musicians, writers, producers and creatives," she stated, before adding with characteristic humour, "and cuckoos."
Her acceptance was preceded by a short documentary showcasing her remarkable career, highlighting her work with the funk band Rufus and her successful solo endeavours. The film featured classic hits such as:
- 1974's Stevie Wonder-penned "Tell Me Something Good"
- 1978's empowering anthem "I'm Every Woman"
- 1983's timeless favourite "Ain't Nobody"
- 1984's Prince-written chart-topper "I Feel For You"
Posthumous Honours for Houston and Kuti
Family members accepted the awards on behalf of two late legends whose impact continues to reverberate through the music world. Pat Houston, Whitney Houston's sister-in-law, close confidante, and longtime manager, received the honour for the vocal powerhouse who tragically passed away in 2012.
"Her voice — that voice! — remains eternal," Pat Houston affirmed. "Her legacy will live forever."
Three of Fela Kuti's children collected the award for their father, the Nigerian Afrobeat revolutionary who died in 1997. Introduced as a "producer, arranger, political radical, outlaw and the father of Afrobeat," Kuti made history as the first African musician to receive this particular Grammy honour.
"Thank you for bringing our father here," said his son Femi Kuti. "It's so important for us, it's so important for Africa, it's so important for world peace and the struggle."
Cher and Santana Share Video Messages
The audience expressed audible disappointment when Recording Academy President Harvey Mason Jr. announced that Cher would not be attending in person. The superstar instead delivered a brief but characteristically witty video message, reflecting on her lifelong passion for singing.
"The only thing I ever wanted to be was a singer," Cher revealed. "When I was 4 years old I used to run around the house naked, singing into a hair brush. Things haven't changed all that much."
Carlos Santana also addressed the ceremony via video after his son Salvador accepted the trophy on his behalf. The guitar virtuoso spoke about music's healing power in troubled times. "The world is so infected with fear that we need the music and message of Santana to bring hope, courage and joy to heal the world," he stated.
Additional Special Merit Awards Presented
The ceremony also honoured several other significant contributors to the music industry through various Special Merit Awards. Elton John's longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin, who received a Trustees Award for non-performing career contributions, delivered a heartfelt tribute to fellow honouree Paul Simon.
Taupin praised Simon as "the greatest American songwriter alive" and shared some of his personal songwriting principles, which included:
- Avoid clichés
- Never write songs in cubicles
- Don't claim you'll die if she leaves you—because you won't
Remarkably, despite co-writing the majority of Elton John's hits, Taupin has never won a competitive Grammy, though he is nominated for one at Sunday's main ceremony. "I've been waiting 57 years for one of these," he remarked, looking at his honorary trophy.
Other Trustees Award recipients included:
- Eddie Palmieri, the pioneering pianist, composer and bandleader who revolutionised Latin jazz and rumba. Palmieri, who passed away last year at 88, made history as the first Latino to win a Grammy Award in 1975.
- Sylvia Rhone, recognised as the first Black woman to lead a major record label.
The Technical Grammy Award went to John Chowning, whose groundbreaking work as a Stanford professor in the 1960s was fundamental to developing the synthesizer sounds that defined 1980s music. Meanwhile, the Grammys Music Educator Award was presented to Jennifer Jimenez, a band director from South Miami Senior High School, and Raye's "Ice Cream Man" received the Harry Belafonte Song for Social Change Award.
This special ceremony served as a powerful reminder of music's enduring legacy and the extraordinary artists who have shaped its evolution across generations and genres.
