Clive Davis and the Recording Academy’s annual pre-Grammy gala will honor longtime entertainment industry executive Irving Azoff on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016, the night before the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Recording Academy will present Azoff with the President’s Merit Award as part of its 2016 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons. The annual invitation-only fundraising event has in the past has honored David Geffen, Richard Branson, Berry Gordy, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, Richard Branson, Clive Davis and Ahmet Ertegun.
For the past eight years, the Recording Academy has collaborated on the event with veteran recording executive Clive Davis, who was long known for his pre-Grammy celebrations.
The event, sponsored by Harman, Hilton, Hyundai and MasterCard, will include musical performances and will take place at the Beverly Hilton.
In a statement, Recording Academy president and CEO Neil Portnow called Azoff “a visionary of our industry whose passion and innovation, combined with his championing some of the world’s greatest superstars, has helped to shape the musical landscape for decades.”
Azoff is the chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment, a company that oversees personal management, live performances, performing rights, digital media, television production, arena development and venue operation.
Since the 1970s, he has been one of the most successful managers in the music business, with clients that have included Christina Aguilera, Steely Dan, Bon Jovi and, from the beginning of their career, the Eagles.
He has also served as chairman of MCA Records, producer of the films “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Urban Cowboy,” CEO of Ticketmaster an executive chairman of Live Nation Entertainment. He launched Azoff MSG Entertainment in 2013, in a venture with the Madison Square Garden Company.
He has raised money for a number of charitable organizations and has been honored by the City of Hope and the T.J. Martell Foundation.