Forty years after his passing, Chicago’s own Donny Hathaway is about to receive his second Grammy Award.
The Recording Academy has announced that Hathaway will be posthumously honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the 2019 Grammy Awards celebration. Hathaway’s other Grammy win came in 1973 alongside Roberta Flack, for best performance by a pop duo or group with vocals for “Where is the Love?” Hathaway and Flack paired for several other hits including “Where is the Love” and “The Closer I Get To You.” Hathaway’s multitude of hits also include “A Song for You,” “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” and what some consider the definitive recording of the holiday classic “This Christmas.”
Jazz great Billy Eckstine will also receive a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award, it was announced earlier this month.
The list of honorees also includes British heavy metal greats Black Sabbath, funk icons George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Latin/crossover legend Julio Iglesias, soul duo Sam & Dave and pop legend Dionne Warwick.
Also honored with special Grammy awards will be Lou Adler, Ashford & Simpson, and Johnny Mandel, who will each receive the Trustee Award.
“The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award honors such contributions in areas other than performance,” the announcement stated.
The awards will be presented at a special ceremony/concert on May 11.
The 61st annual Grammy Awards ceremony will air at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 on CBS.
