Inside Recording Academy’s 2026 Special Merit Awards Ceremony

The event departed from its usual format by opening with a video from industry legend Clive Davis, in which he shared specific memories of this year’s three honorees whom he had worked closely with – Paul Simon, Whitney Houston and Carlos Santana.

Davis told the story of his pushing for the power ballad “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” rather than the ultra-catchy and more obviously commercial “Cecilia,” to be the lead single from what turned out to be Simon & Garfunkel’s final studio album.

“I vividly remember I was blown away by ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ and I knew that they were expecting me to say, ‘Cecilia.’ It was uptempo and had a terrific chorus. But I looked up at them and I said, ‘I would go ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ because if you have a hit with that record, as I think you will, you go right up to The Beatles. You go right up to that status of being the American Beatles.”

For Houston, he recalled the singer’s audition, at age 18, when she sang “The Greatest Love of All,” apparently not knowing that Davis had played a key role in a 1977 recording of the song by George Benson for the Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest.  “And she found total meaning in that song that I never knew was there. She breathed fire into the words. She created a masterpiece. There was no question this artist would be an all-timer.”

For Santana, he recalled reuniting with the rock legend in the late 1990s, after not having been in touch for 25 years, and sensing Santana’s hunger to again be relevant.  “We arranged to meet in L.A. at the Beverly Hills Hotel. And he says, ‘Clive, my kids have not heard me on the radio ever – my teenage children.’ ‘I said, ‘I just got this song, and it’s called ‘Smooth.’ I said, ‘This could be a big, big, big hit.’ And I played it for him, and he said, ‘You know, I take your word. You know what hits are.’”

Warner Music executive Michael Ostin read some comments from Paul Simon: “I would like to express my gratitude and respect to Roy Halee and Phil Ramone, my engineers and co-producers. I’d also like to extend the same gratitude and respect to Clive Davis and Mo Ostin, the two record executives who supported my work and without whose help and friendship I wouldn’t have received this recognition.”

Accepting by video, Carlos Santana thanked two industry legends: “I am deeply grateful to Mr. Bill Graham, who helped us find our life on the Woodstock stage and all stages beyond, and Mr. Clive Davis, who helped us move the spiritual radio dial and hold it at the right frequency to touch people’s hearts across the globe.”

Accepting a Trustees Award, a clearly moved Sylvia Rhone said,“I’ve been fortunate to work across an extraordinary range of artists and traditions, Missy Elliott and Metallica, Motown and Meghan Trainor, Tracy Chapman and Travis Scott. That range taught me a simple truth. Music does not exist in silos. It grows through conversation, through translations, listening to one another and shaping what comes next – R&B, rap, Latin, jazz, gospel, blues, rock, folk, country, classical, electronic. Each carries its own grammar of feeling and form. Each shows us something essential about who we are, what we remember and what we imagine.

“None of this work happens alone. Every great recording is a shared achievement. Artists, producers, songwriters and craftspeople working in concert. … So while I accept this tonight, I do so on behalf of everyone who trusts me with their work, challenges my thinking and expanded my sense of what music can be.”

Accepting for Paul Simon, Michael Ostin said, “He was a master songwriter and a master record maker, and I had the incredible privilege of having a ringside scene at seeing him craft some of those records. I remember vividly going to his apartment in New York. He had a little office music room. And I remember he was listening to some South African instrumental music, and he was sitting there playing his music, and he had his acoustic guitar, he’s drumming, humming melodies and throwing out lyrics. And he could see Graceland being shaped sitting in that room, and it’s indelibly etched into my brain. It was extraordinary, and he taught me so much. I mean, he just taught me so much about the craft, how meticulous he was in the process. He taught me everything there was about just being a brilliant artist.”

“This journey has never been mine alone,” Khan said. “It has been guided by faith and purpose and by something greater than me. Over 50 years, I’ve been blessed to walk alongside extraordinary artists, musicians, writers, producers, creators and cuckoos.” That last, unexpected shoutout got a laugh, with the audience understanding that after 50+ years in the music business, Khan has no doubt come across more than a few “cuckoos.”

Cher sent a video in which she reminisced, “When I was little, all I wanted to be was a singer. When I was four years old, I used to run around my house naked, singing into a hairbrush – so not much has changed. Thank you Recording Academy. I want you to know how proud and grateful I am to receive this lifetime achievement award, and congratulations to all the other recipients.”

The veteran lyricist saluted six songwriters he holds in especially high regard.

“There are so many songwriters that I admire, so many of them that have passed away. And I’m going all the way back to people like Cole Porter and Duke Ellington, the great Merle Haggard, and then recently, my good friend Brian Wilson, one of the greats; one of the few people I might add who can be labelled a genius, along with one of the only people, I think, that can be called a poet, and that’s Leonard Cohen. We’re not poets, we’re songwriters, but Leonard Cohen was a poet.

“This brings me to the opportunity to salute someone who actually isn’t here tonight, but is getting one of these awards (a lifetime achievement award). And for me, I was going to think that he’s probably one of, but I think he is the greatest American songwriter alive – exquisite melodies, extraordinary lyrics and ideas that transcend the stars. So, while I’m happy to get this award tonight, I am absolutely thrilled to be the shadow of Paul Simon. Thank you.”

Taupin also shared 10 tips for songwriters, which were witty, pithy and wise.

RAYE, BloodPop (Michael Tucker) and Mike Sabath, the writers of RAYE’s “Ice Cream Man,” received this year’s Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award. The song deals with sexual assault and focuses on an incident when a producer took advantage of RAYE in a studio session.

RAYE said: “Thanks so much to the Recording Academy and to Harvey (Mason jr., Recording Academy CEO) for this very Special Merit Award for ‘Ice Cream Man,’ which is a song that was devastating to write and create and to perform. I’m currently on tour, and I’m singing it every night. But I’m just so grateful that a light has been shown on this. I say this very dark cloud now kind of has a silver lining….. Thank you for putting this this very, very sad song on such a special list and hopefully you can see the industry become a more nice place behind-the-scenes. Thank you very much.”

Michael Tucker (BloodPop) said: “I have the honor and the privilege to create a lot of music with RAYE, or Rachel, who is truly a generational artist, and she is a very fu–ing brave, strong woman. She was brave enough to write and share this song about her encounter.”

BloodPop quoted Harry Belafonte as saying artist are the gatekeepers of truth. “It’s time for artists to open those gates and sing louder than the noise of those trying to tear us apart. It’s time for accountability. It’s time for our communities to hold each other a little longer, check in on our loved ones, take care of each other. We need each other more than ever.”

After reciting the names of nine people who have been killed by ICE this year and calling for ICE’s abolition, he conceded: “I’m not gonna fix the world with one speech, but it’s a piece of the puzzle. It’s one step. If we each take one incremental step, if it’s writing a song, making a speech, a painting, holding your loved ones, and life is heavy with each of those steps, we will be walking in the right direction.

Pat Houston accepted the award for her sister-in-law, Whitney Houston. “Forty years later, her music still soars. Her influence still resonates, and her voice, that voice remains eternal. .. She didn’t just sing songs. She told our stories. She made joy sound triumphant, love sound eternal and heartbreak sound honest when she sang. …Whitney set a standard of excellence that very few ever reach, and even fewer sustain. She had a rare gift. Her voice carried power, precision and pure emotion. But what made her truly special was how she connected to people. Whitney was also human. She lived boldly, loved deeply, and she faced real challenges, yet through it all, she gave the world. Her age, her life reminds us that greatness and vulnerability can coexist, and that both deserve compassion and grace…. Her music still moves us, her voice still lifts us, and her legacy will live forever.”

Yeni Kuti, daughter of Afrobeats pioneer Fela Kuti, said: “I’m sure my father is smiling down at us.” Her younger brother Femi added: “Thank you for bringing our father here. It’s so important for us. It’s so important for Africa. It’s so important for all peace and the struggle. (People used to say) ‘When the force of Afrobeat starts to move, it will be unstoppable.’ Fast forward to 2026 and it is still unstoppable. Is is purely the music of the future.”

Eydie Palmieri, the daughter of Eddie Palmieri, called her father “genius, visionary, pianist, drummer, composer, arranger, innovator, global ambassador, bandstand warrior, el maestro, son of Latin music, social activist, hero of the people, teacher, mentor, soul traveler and seeker.”