Aerosmith will be honored as the 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year at a special 30th anniversary MusiCares benefit gala set to take place January 24th, two days before the Grammys.
The honor comes as Aerosmith celebrate their 50th year as a band. The award recognizes the group’s musical contributions as well as their philanthropic efforts, such as Steven Tyler’s Janie’s Fund, which provides support to young women who’ve suffered abuse and neglect.
Aerosmith announced the MusiCares prize during the Thursday night performance of their Vegas residency show, Deuces Wild. The group cracked a few sly jokes about a band being named “Person of the Year” — “Not me,” Joe Perry quipped — before Tyler said, “So let the music community live on and on, let the music do the talking!”
Each year, the MusiCares benefit gala features an all-star tribute to the person or artist being honored, although a lineup for the Aerosmith show has yet to be announced. The gala will also feature a silent auction and proceeds from the event will benefit MusiCares, which helps musicians in need of financial, medical or personal assistance.
“As we continue to expand our services to people in need, we are thrilled to pay tribute to one of the most beloved bands of all time,” said Deborah Dugan, President and CEO of MusiCares and the Recording Academy. “Aerosmith has walked the walk when it comes to raising funds to impact music people in recovery. It is sure to be an amazing evening.”
Aerosmith are in the thick of their massive Deuces Wild residency, the current leg of which will stretch through December 4th at the Park Theater at Park MGM in Las Vegas. The band will then resume proceedings in 2020 with a run that kicks off January 29th and wraps June 4th.
Last year, Dolly Parton became the first country artist to be named the MusiCares Person of the Year. The musician was honored with a tribute show that featured Katy Perry, Garth Brooks, Miley Cyrus, Pink and Kacey Musgraves, while Parton even reunited with her old Trio bandmates Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt for a surprise performance.