Beatles to get Grammys lifetime achievement award

LOS ANGELES - Agence France-Presse

Grammys organizers announced lifetime achievement awards on Dec 12 for The Beatles and six other acts, including the Isley Brothers and electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk.

Kris Kristofferson is also among artists who will get their awards in the week before the January 26 Grammys show, along with Mexican composer Armando Manzanero, creole “King of Zydeco” singer Clifton Chenier and late US violinist Maud Powell. “It is a great privilege to recognize such an exceptional group of honorees and celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to the recording industry,” said Neil Portnow, head of the Recording Academy, which organizes music’s annual version of the Oscars. The Academy described the seven-times Grammy-winning Beatles, also known as the “Fab Four,” as one of the most influential groups in music history, whose music was “rooted in 1950s rock and roll” but developed to range from “pop ballads to psychedelic rock.” It is not clear who will pick up the honor in January. The two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, are still performing. McCartney sang at the last Grammys show this year. The Isley Brothers, who had hits with “It’s Your Thing,” enjoyed “one of the longest legacies in pop music.”