Credit: Danny ClinchEach year, the Recording Academy salutes an individual music artist at the prestigious MusiCares Person of the Year gala. However, the organization has announced that, for the first time ever, the 2018 honoree won’t be a person, but a band. Fleetwood Mac will be celebrated at a star-studded tribute event held during Grammy Week on January 26 at New York’s famous Radio City Music Hall.
The rock legends, whose classic current lineup features Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie and John McVie, will be recognized for their career achievements and charitable efforts, including their longtime support of MusiCares.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be the first band to receive the MusiCares Person of the Year award,” says Fleetwood on behalf of his band. “Independently and together, we all set off on a journey to spend our lives as artists, songwriters, and musicians. None of us did it alone and there were plenty of helping hands along the way, so we applaud and celebrate MusiCares’ guiding principles of giving musicians a helping hand and a place to turn in times of need.”
Recording Academy and MusiCares Foundation CEO/president Neil Portnow notes, “Our 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute is a celebration of firsts — the first time our annual signature gala will be held in New York City in 15 years, and the first time in the benefit’s history that we will honor a band. This excitement is only matched by the genuine thrill and privilege of paying tribute to Fleetwood Mac, a legendary and influential group of artists whose music has provided the soundtrack for music lovers around the world.”
The gala benefits the MusiCares Foundation, which provides medical, financial and personal assistance to in-need music community members.
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