Nile Rodgers, The Supremes and Heart's Ann & Nancy Wilson to receive Grammy Awards
The Lifetime Achievement award honours 'legends' who inspire and shape the music world.'
Last updated 5th Jan 2023
The Recording Academy has announced that Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, Nile Rodgers and The Supremes are among the recipients of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Held during Grammy week on Saturday 4th February 2023 at the intimate Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, The Recording Academy's Special Merit Awards Ceremony celebrates recipients of four different categories – the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award, Technical Grammy Award, and Best Song For Social Change Award.
Other winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award this year are Nirvana, Bobby McFerrin, Ma Rainey, and Slick Rick "The Ruler".
The Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award celebrates performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.
Past recipients over the last five decades include Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath, Queen, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Cream and John Lennon.
Explaining why Ann and Nancy Wilson are being honoured this year, The Recording Academy commented: ‘Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson are being recognised as Lifetime Achievement Award honourees for their creative work with the rock band Heart.
'Heart's influence can be palpably felt everywhere from rock and heavy metal to hip-hop and pop. As a result, their music resonates in nearly every corner of pop culture.’
The Recording Academy also said of The Supremes: 'Two-time GRAMMY Award nominees The Supremes were the leading act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded by Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard, The Supremes were trailblazers in the history of music, transcending all genres as the first female group that defined a generation.'
And, speaking about Nile Rodgers the organisation said: 'Nile Rodgers is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and a multiple GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist.
'As the co-founder of CHIC, Rodgers pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like 'Le Freak', the biggest-selling single in the history of Atlantic Records, and sparked the advent of hip-hop with 'Good Times.'
Elsewhere, music photographer Henry Diltz, Jazz pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis (posthumously) and Stax Records founder Jim Stewart (posthumously) are all Trustees Award Honourees.
The Technical Grammy Award Honourees are The Audio Engineering Society (AES) and auto-tune inventor Dr. Andy Hildebrand.
"The Academy is proud to celebrate this diverse slate of influential music people spanning numerous genres and crafts as our 2023 Special Merit Awards honorees," said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy.
"Each creator on this list has made an impact on our industry — from technical to creative achievements — representing the breadth of music's diverse community. We're excited to celebrate this group of legends next month that continues to inspire and shape the music world."
You can hear songs by many of these artists on Greatest Hits Radio.
Take a look through artists you didn't know Nile Rodgers had worked with:
Sister Sledge - 'We Are Family'
Nile Rodgers teamed up with the four siblings who made up Sister Sledge at the end of the 1970s.
Alongside CHIC collaborator Bernard Edwards, the pair worked on the band's breakthrough album 'We Are Family', with the track of the same name becoming the group's signature song.
It was the first track Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards wrote for anyone other than their own band CHIC. They also worked on Sister Sledge tracks 'He's The Greatest Dancer' and 'Lost In Music', featured on the same album.
Daft Punk - 'Get Lucky'
Released in 2013, 'Get Lucky' was co-written by Nile Rodgers, Pharrell Williams and electronic music duo Daft Punk.
Nile also plays guitar on the track, which became one of the best-selling songs of all time, topping charts all over the world and picking up two Grammy Awards.
Diana Ross - 'I'm Coming Out'
The incredibly talented Diana Ross enlisted CHIC's Nile and Bernard to write, produce and play on her 1980 album 'Diana' after she went to see the band in concert with her daughter.
'I'm Coming Out' became one of the biggest-selling records of Diana Ross' entire career.
Madonna - 'Like A Virgin'
The Queen of Pop chose Nile Rodgers as producer for her second studio album 'Like A Virgin', after her record label wouldn't allow her to have full artistic control.
The album produced two of Madonna's most iconic songs, 'Like A Virgin' and 'Material Girl'.
David Bowie - 'Lets Dance'
Truly a meeting of two music geniuses, David Bowie teamed up with Nile Rodgers for his 1983 album 'Let's Dance'.
The title track was released as the lead single from the album and became one of Bowie's best-selling songs.
Duran Duran - 'Notorious'
You may not be aware that Nile Rodgers had a huge part to play in the career of pop favourites Duran Duran. He produced their 1986 album 'Notorious' and it's title track.
During a 1986 performance, the band's frontman Simon Le Bon introduced Nile Rodgers on stage, saying: "This band went through a difficult time and it might not have made it if it weren't for this gentleman."
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