This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of The Recording Academy's National Trustees to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance*, to the field of recording. (*Through 1983, recipients included performers.)
Past Recipients
Alphabetical by recipient
| Chris Albertson Awarded: 1971 | Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss Awarded: 1997 |
| Harold Arlen Awarded: 1987 | George Avakian Awarded: 2009 |
| Clarence Avant Awarded: 2008 | Estelle Axton Awarded: 2007 |
| Burt Bacharach & Hal David Awarded: 1997 | Dave Bartholomew Awarded: 2012 |
| Béla Bartok Awarded: 1984 | Count Basie Awarded: 1981 |
| The Beatles Awarded: 1972 | Al Bell Awarded: 2011 |
| Marilyn & Alan Bergman Awarded: 2013 | Emile Berliner Awarded: 1987 |
| Chris Blackwell Awarded: 2006 | Harold Bradley Awarded: 2010 |
| Owen Bradley Awarded: 2006 | Hoagy Carmichael Awarded: 2005 |
| Elliott Carter Awarded: 2009 | Leonard & Phil Chess Awarded: 2013 |
| Dick Clark Awarded: 1990 | Aaron Copland Awarded: 1981 |
| Don Cornelius Awarded: 2005 | Pierre Cossette Awarded: 1995 |
| John Culshaw (see Solti) Awarded: 1967 | Hal David (see Bacharach) Awarded: 1997 |
| Clive Davis Awarded: 2000 | Walt Disney Awarded: 1989 |
| Thomas A. Dorsey Awarded: 1992 | Tom Dowd Awarded: 2002 |
| Lamont Dozier (see Holland/Dozier/Holland) Awarded: 1998 | Thomas A. Edison Awarded: 1977 |
| Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn Awarded: 1968 | Ahmet Ertegun Awarded: 1993 |
| Nesuhi Ertegun Awarded: 1995 | Christine M. Farnon Awarded: 1992 |
| Wilma Cozart Fine Awarded: 2011 | Alan Freed Awarded: 2002 |
| Milt Gabler Awarded: 1991 | Kenneth Gamble And Leon Huff Awarded: 1999 |
| George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin Awarded: 1986 | Ira Gershwin (see George Gershwin) Awarded: 1986 |
| Gerry Goffin & Carole King Awarded: 2004 | Berry Gordy Awarded: 1991 |
| Norman Granz Awarded: 1994 | Florence Greenberg Awarded: 2010 |
| Oscar Hammerstein II Awarded: 1992 | John Hammond NOTE: This is different person from John Hammond the blues artist. Awarded: 1971 |
| W.C. Handy Awarded: 1993 | Lorenz Hart Awarded: 1992 |
| Larry Hiller Awarded: 1971 | Holland/Dozier/Holland (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland) Awarded: 1998 |
| Jac Holzman Awarded: 2008 | Leon Huff (see Gamble And Huff) Awarded: 1999 |
| Steve Jobs Awarded: 2012 | Eldridge R. Johnson Awarded: 1985 |
| Quincy Jones Awarded: 1989 | Orrin Keepnews Awarded: 2004 |
| Jerome Kern Awarded: 1987 | Carole King (see Goffin) Awarded: 2004 |
| Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe Awarded: 1999 | Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller Awarded: 1999 |
| Goddard Lieberson Awarded: 1979 | Alfred Lion Awarded: 2005 |
| Alan Livingston Awarded: 2013 | Frederick Loewe (see Lerner & Loewe) Awarded: 1999 |
| Alan Lomax Awarded: 2003 | Bruce Lundvall Awarded: 2011 |
| Arif Mardin Awarded: 2001 | George Martin Awarded: 1996 |
| Cosimo Matassa Awarded: 2007 | Marian McPartland Awarded: 2004 |
| Johnny Mercer Awarded: 1987 | Walter C. Miller Awarded: 2010 |
| Willie Mitchell Awarded: 2008 | Robert Moog Awarded: 1970 |
| Jerry Moss (see Alpert) Awarded: 1997 | New York Philharmonic Awarded: 2003 |
| Les Paul Awarded: 1983 | Krzysztof Penderecki Awarded: 1968 |
| Sam Phillips Awarded: 1991 | Cole Porter Awarded: 1989 |
| Frances Preston Awarded: 1998 | Phil Ramone Awarded: 2001 |
| Richard Rodgers Awarded: 1998 | Al Schmitt Awarded: 2006 |
| George T. Simon Awarded: 1993 | Frank Sinatra Awarded: 1979 |
| Georg Solti & John Culshaw Awarded: 1967 | Stephen Sondheim Awarded: 2007 |
| Phil Spector Awarded: 2000 | Leopold Stokowski Awarded: 1977 |
| Mike Stoller (see Leiber & Stoller) Awarded: 1999 | Billy Strayhorn (see Ellington) Awarded: 1968 |
| Dr. Billy Taylor Awarded: 2005 | Allen Toussaint Awarded: 2009 |
| Rudy Van Gelder Awarded: 2012 | Paul Weston Awarded: 1971 |
| Jerry Wexler Awarded: 1996 |