The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, will be honored during Grammy week in 2008 as MusiCares Person of the Year, with a dinner and tribute concert.

Proceeds from this annual GRAMMY Week gala–set for Friday, February 8, 2008 in Los Angeles (two days prior to the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards)—provide essential support for MusiCares and offers financial, medical and personal assistance to music industry people and performers truly in need.

Lady Soul is a 17-time Grammy winner and also the recipient of a 2005 Presidential Medal of Freedom honor (the United States’ highest honor), the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy Living Legend Award, and numerous other awards and accolades.

Franklin is being honored for her extraordinary artistic achievements, as well as her philanthropic efforts, which include Save The Children, Easter Seals and various churches and food banks in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said, “As we celebrate the milestones of 50 years for The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Awards, it is most fitting that we honor one of the most influential and legendary talents in music—the incomparable Aretha Franklin.’

The evening will begin with a special reception and silent benefit auction followed by a gala dinner, an award presentation, and a star-studded tribute concert. The event is being chaired by Clive Davis, Berry Gordy, and The Recording Academy’s 50th Celebration Ambassador, Quincy Jones. The event will also be broadcast on the CBS Television Network at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

For more information about The Academy, visit www.grammy.com.

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