U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and 13-Time Grammy winner Pharrell Williams will be honored by the Recording Academy at its annual Grammys on the Hill Awards, taking place on April 26.
The event is intended to bring together congressional leaders and music makers to recognize those who have led the fight for creators’ rights, and the three will be honored for their contributions to support music creators. Special guests and attendees will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Grammys on the Hill is a celebration like no other, spotlighting music’s unifying power as we bring together our nation’s leaders with some of the most renowned artists in the world,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “It’s a privilege to honor Pharrell alongside Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Cassidy, all of whom have fought tirelessly for pro-music policy that protects the creatives that make up our community.”
“It’s an honor to be recognized at this year’s Grammys on the Hill for Congress’s work to support the recording and performance industry during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Schumer. “I was proud to lead the fight in Congress alongside musicians, venue owners, operators, and employees to pass the Save Our Stages Act bringing critical relief to thousands of workers in the music industry.”
Dr. Cassidy stated, “Music carried the spirits of the students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music through to freedom. No matter where you are in the world — Kabul or New Orleans — music communicates resilience, passion and culture.”
Williams said, “I’m very grateful to be honored at this year’s Grammys on the Hill among some incredible other honorees who have done tremendous advocacy work for others. It’s important that we show up for each other and support one another to ensure that we can keep creating.”
Schumer and Cassidy are the congressional honorees being recognized for their support of creators. Together, they have championed key policies in support of music people, including co-sponsoring the Save Our Stages Act, which was included in the bipartisan COVID relief package passed in December 2020. As Senate Majority Leader, Schumer ensured essential pandemic relief was available to assist gig workers and small music businesses. Schumer also sponsored the resolution designating Aug. 11, 2021 as “Hip Hop Celebration Day” and the month of November 2021 as “Hip Hop History Month,” while Cassidy served as an original co-sponsor of the measure, which passed unanimously in the Senate. In 2018, Schumer and Cassidy were both co-sponsors of the historic Music Modernization Act. Cassidy, along with Schumer, also played a key role in efforts to help 272 young musicians, faculty and staff from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and safely reach Qatar in 2021. Today, many of the institute’s activities have been re-established in Portugal, such as the Zohra Orchestra, Afghanistan’s first all-female orchestra.
Williams has demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting creators’ rights and to philanthropy, founding organizations such as Black Ambition and YELLOW, and working with former Virginia Governor Northam to make Juneteenth a paid state holiday. In addition to his 13 Grammy Awards and two Academy Award nominations, he received an Emmy nomination for his original song “Letter to My Godfather,” for Netflix’s “The Black Godfather” about legendary music executive Clarence Avant. In 2020, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The awards dinner and presentation will take place at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., featuring live performances and special guests. The following day, April 27, the Recording Academy will host the annual Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day, which brings musicians and music industry representatives to meet with lawmakers to discuss issues facing today’s music creators. This year, music creators will meet with Members of Congress to advance several key issues that the Academy and its members continue to advocate for, including:
• The HITS Act, which would allow an artist or songwriter to fully expense the cost of new studio recordings on their taxes, up to $150,000.
• The Restoring Artistic Protection Act, which would limit the use of lyrics and creative expression as evidence in court — a common practice that disproportionately affects the rap community.
• Reform of the live event ticketing marketplace to better protect artists and fans.
• The American Music Fairness Act, which establishes a performance right for artists on AM/FM radio.
