For the first time in its 26 years of presenting the award, the Recording Academy has selected a group to be their “Person” of the Year. It is the first time a group has been selected.
Fleetwood Mac will be honored on Friday, January 26, 2018 with the prestigious award that recognizes their significant creative accomplishments and their longtime support of a number of charitable causes, including MusiCares, the premier safety net of critical resources for the music industry.
Neil Portnow, President & CEO of the Academy said “Our 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute is a celebration of firsts—the first time our annual signature gala will be held in New York City in 15 years, and the first time in the benefit’s history that we will honor a band. This excitement is only matched by the genuine thrill and privilege of paying tribute to Fleetwood Mac, a legendary and influential group of artists whose music has provided the soundtrack for music lovers around the world.”
Mick Fleetwood spoke for the band. “It’s a tremendous honor to be the first band to receive the MusiCares Person of the Year award. Independently and together, we all set off on a journey to spend our lives as artists, songwriters, and musicians. None of us did it alone and there were plenty of helping hands along the way, so we applaud and celebrate MusiCares’ guiding principles of giving musicians a helping hand and a place to turn in times of need. We are very appreciative of this recognition.”
The night of the MusiCares gala traditionally includes a dinner, silent auction and a tribute concert featuring many different artists performing the music of the honored guest.
The previous honorees:
1991 – David Crosby
1992 – Bonnie Raitt
1993 – Natalie Cole
1994 – Gloria Estefan
1995 – Tony Bennett
1996 – Quincy Jones
1997 – Phil Collins
1998 – Luciano Pavarotti
1999 – Stevie Wonder
2000 – Elton John
2001 – Paul Simon
2002 – Billy Joel
2003 – Bono
2004 – Sting
2005 – Brian Wilson
2006 – James Taylor
2007 – Don Henley
2008 – Aretha Franklin
2009 – Neil Diamond
2010 – Neil Young
2011 – Barbra Streisand
2012 – Paul McCartney
2013 – Bruce Springsteen
2014 – Carole King
2015 – Bob Dylan
2016 – Lionel Richie
2017 – Tom Petty
2018 – Fleetwood Mac
