Grammy 2025 Special Merit Awards Honor Prince, the Clash, Frankie Valli and More

Prince speaks onstage at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards held at The Shrine Auditorium on March 4, 2011 in Los Angeles, California
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards

The 67th Grammy Awards are getting ready to air live on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, February 2, 2025, but there’s more to the show than just honoring new music. The Special Merit Awards, which will be given out on February 1 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, showcase those who have left their mark on the music industry — and this year’s honorees are Frankie Beverly, the Clash, Dr. Bobby Jones, Taj Mahal, Prince, Roxanne Shante and Frankie Valli. In addition, Trustees Awards will go to Erroll Garner, Glyn Johns, and Tania León, and the Technical Grammy Award will honor Dr. Leo Beranek.

Promotional portrait of British punk rock group The Clash, 1983. Left to right, Paul Simonon, Mick Jones, Pete Howard, and Joe Strummer (1952 - 2002)

Epic Records/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

“It’s an amazing privilege to honor this eclectic group of music icons during the year’s biggest week in music,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. “Each of this year’s Special Merit Award recipients has left an indelible mark on music, from paving the way for others to innovation that forever has changed the trajectory of the musical landscape. We can’t wait to celebrate this group and their achievements in February.”

NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO - JUNE 09: Frankie Valli of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons performs on the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino Resort on June 09, 2024 in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images

While some have called for the upcoming award shows to be postponed or canceled due to the wildfires in California, the 2025 Grammys telecast will be reimagined to raise funds to support wildfire relief efforts and aid music professionals impacted by the wildfires.

Will you be watching the Grammys this year? Download the full list of Grammy nominees here.

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Pop Music Legends

August 2017

Dedicated to the sights, sounds and stories of the golden age of pop.

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