Emmylou Harris Earns Lifetime Achievement Honor

Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy via a star-studded TV event next month.

Harris joins native Tennessean Tina Turner, plus the British rock group Queen, the seminal New Orleans band The Meters, pop singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, vintage “jump blues” stylist Louis Jordan and renowned “Wrecking Crew” drummer Hal Blaine in being honored by the Academy. Their special will tape in Los Angeles at The Dolby Theater on Saturday, July 14.

Also in the spotlight will be this year’s Trustees Awards winners, film composer John Williams, Fillmore concert impresario Bill Graham and famed Sire Records founder Seymour Stein. In addition, the special will salute this year’s Technical Grammy recipients, recording-studio innovators/inventors Tony Agnello and Richard Factor.

The Louis Jordan and Bill Graham awards are posthumous. Collectively, the Lifetime, Trustee and Technical honors are known as the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards.

“This year’s Special Merit Awards recipients are a prestigious group of diverse and influential creators who have crafted or who have contributed to some of the most distinctive recordings in music history,” said Neil Portnow, the Academy’s President/CEO. “Their outstanding accomplishments and passion for their craft have created a timeless legacy.”

In addition to Harris, the TV special will feature appearances by Trisha Yearwood, Sammy Hagar, Ledisi, Angela Bassett, Henry Rollins, Mickey Dolenz and Herb Alpert. More performers and presenters will be announced in the weeks to come.

The show will air this fall as part of the PBS Great Performances series of specials.

Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. On Oct. 5, 2018, the museum will open a major new exhibit devoted to her career.