We want a playlist dedicated to these just-announced Grammy Lifetime Achievement winners

We look forward to The Grammys every year, but we just got news of some special Grammy awards that we’re extra excited about. The annual Special Merit awards, presented to musicians and music industry workers who have significantly altered the world of music through their talent, are always the perfect showcase for the best of the industry, and this year, they’ve outdone themselves!

According to an official release at Grammy.com, Lifetime Achievement Awards for 2016 will go to Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Run-D.M.C, Ruth Brown, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Linda Ronstadt. Also announced, Trustee Awards will go to  Chris Strachwitz, John Cage, and Fred Foster. Technical Awards, another Special Merit category, will be given to Dr. Harvey Fletcher and EMT.

Let’s go over a crash-course for some of these nominees, just in case a few are before your time. Linda Ronstadt came out of the folk rock era of the 1960s, and was so successful she was monikered “The Queen of Rock.” She’s won 11 Grammies and 3 AMAs. Herbie Hancock is a composer and bandleader, known not only for his early work with Miles Davis, but also for helping jazz transition into the electronic music age. Celia Cruz is one of the biggest names in Latin music history and was awarded with a National Medal of the Arts in 1994; she sadly passed away in 2003. If you don’t know who Run-D.M.C are, stop reading this article and look it it up right now.

Among the Trustee Award winners, the late John Cage was a notable avant-garde composer in the 20th century, Chris Strachwitz is an influential record producer known for blues and roots musics, and Fred Foster is best known as the producer for many of Roy Orbison’s greatest hits.

Man, we are swooning at the levels of talent here! It’s so great to see long careers of tenacious, daring, and dedicated performers and industry players recognized with such prestigious honors. Be sure to watch the Grammys on February 15 for a glimpse of these historic stars!

(Image via Shutterstock.)