Chicago To Be Lifetime Achievement Awardees

Brass-jazz rockers Chicago are slated to receive the Lifetime Achievement award at the Recording Academy’s 2020 Special Merit awards, along with legendary musical acts such as gospel-rocker pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Isaac Hayes of Stax Records, iconic singer Roberta Flack, underrated singer-songwriter John Prime, and hip hop icons Public Enemy, among others. The awards ceremony will take place on the 18th of April in Pasadena, California.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to “performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording.” Deborah Duga, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement that “Our industry is one that prides itself on influence and paying it forward, and each year the Recording Academy has the privilege of honoring a select group of visionaries whose creative contributions have rippled throughout our culture.” 

“Our Special Merit Awards recipients have molded their musical passion into pieces of history that will continue to influence and inspire generations of music creators and music lovers to come,” she continued. In a press release, Chicago qualified for the award as they were “among the first acts to bring big jazz band-style horns into rock music.”