Photo of Tom Petty by Neal Preston via the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
An all-star cast will perform at the 2017 MusiCares Person of the Year event which is honoring Tom Petty. The benefit dinner and concert take place on February 10 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, two nights before the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
Among the names scheduled to appear (alphabetically): the Bangles, Jackson Browne, Foo Fighters, Don Henley, Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen, Norah Jones, Jeff Lynne, Randy Newman and Stevie Nicks. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers will close the evening’s performances, and multi-Grammy-winning artist and producer T Bone Burnett will serve as musical director.
According to the announcement, Petty “is being honored in recognition of his significant creative accomplishments, his career-long interest in defending artists’ rights, and the charitable work he has undertaken throughout his career, which has notably focused on the homeless population in Los Angeles.”
Additional performers include Gary Clark, Jr., Elle King, Kings of Leon, Regina Spektor, George Strait and Lucinda Williams. More artists are expected to participate.
Lynne’s attendance means that two of the three surviving members of the Traveling Wilburys will be performing. Should Bob Dylan’s recent studio effort, Fallen Angels, garner any award nominations, perhaps the three would share the stage. Dylan was MusiCares’ 2015 honoree.
Watch Jeff Lynne perform with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in 2015
The gala will begin with a reception and silent auction offering an exclusive selection of luxury items, VIP experiences, and one-of-a-kind celebrity memorabilia for bidding guests. The reception and silent auction will be followed by a dinner, the award presentation and the tribute concert. We’ll break the news to you now… You likely can’t afford to attend: individual tickets start at $1750. (And, no, that’s not the secondary market.)
In each of his five decades as a recording artist, Petty has charted albums in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. His most recent album with the Heartbreakers, 2014’s Hypnotic Eye, entered at #1.
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Besides Dylan in 2015, previous Person of the Year honorees include, among others, Bono, Phil Collins, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul Simon, Sting and Brian Wilson.
Established in 1989 by The Recording Academy®, MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares’ services and resources cover a wide range of nancial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and con dentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community.
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1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationI makes me to sad that so many musicians of my generation have passed away. A generation of music we’ll never see again and cant be replaced by todays music.