TNI Bureau: Legendary sitar maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar, who passed away yesterday, is going to be conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award posthumously. The organisers of the top awards of the music industry spoke about their decision on Wednesday.
The Lifetime Achievement Award, which honours performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance in the field of recording, is determined by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees.
The Sitar maestro is a part of a seven-name list, which includes musicians like Carol King and The Temptations, to be awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award this year at the Grammy’s.
“The decision to honour Ravi was made before his death. He was personally notified by phone by our President/CEO Neil Portnow last week,” Grammy spokeswoman Stephanie Schell said after the awards were announced.
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“Just last week, I had the honour to inform him that he would receive a 2013 Lifetime Achievement this February. He was deeply touched and so pleased, that he extended a gracious and personal invitation to visit with him at his home,” Portnow said.
The Bharat Ratna awardee and three-time Grammy award winner, Shankar had spearheaded the worldwide spread of Indian music and had a major influence on Western musicians.
A national treasure and global ambassador of Indian cultural heritage, Ravi Shankar taught the likes of George Harrison the art of playing the Sitar. He last performed in California on November 4 along with his daughter Anoushka Shankar.
In the past, the Lifetime Achievement Award has gone to among others icons like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Julie Andrews and Glen Campbell.
The award would be presented on February 10 at the 55th Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.