Trustees Award
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 |
| Emile Berliner Awarded: 1987 | Chris Blackwell Awarded: 2006 |
| Harold Bradley Awarded: 2010 | Owen Bradley Awarded: 2006 |
| Hoagy Carmichael Awarded: 2005 | Elliott Carter Awarded: 2009 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
