Beatles, Kraftwerk, Isley Brothers to Receive Lifetime Grammys

The Beatles, Kraftwerk, Kris Kristofferson and the Isley Brothers are among the artists that will honored with the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award at a special ceremony the night before the 56th Annual Grammys in January. Additionally, rock photographer Jim Marshall, the legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone and Rick Hall, the owner of Muscle Shoals, Alabama's famed FAME Studios, will all recieve the Recording Academy's Trustees award.

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"It is a great privilege to recognize such an exceptional group of honorees and celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to the recording industry," Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow said in a statement. "Their legacies are timeless and legendary, and their creativity will continue to influence and inspire future generations."

The Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award is perhaps the lone remaining music industry honor the Beatles had yet to receive. The Beatles were nominated for 25 awards between a Record of the Year nod in 1964 for "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and a a 1997 win for The Beatles Anthology in the Best Music Video Long Form category. The Fab Four won eight Grammys, most notably Best New Artist in 1965 and the 1968 Album of the Year for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. That winning tradition continues into 2014 as Paul McCartney was nominated for three awards at the 56th Grammy Awards.

Krautrock pioneers Kraftwerk will also receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Starting with their debut in 1971, the unique sound created by founding member Ralf Hutter and his army of collaborators has been credited with influencing everyone from David Bowie to Daft Punk. The Recording Academy also recognizes the group's boundary-pushing use of music technology. Kraftwerk's honor comes just a month and a half before the group is scheduled to perform each of their albums over the course of a eight-concert residency at Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall.

While perhaps best remembered for his countless acting roles, Kristofferson was one of his era's premier country music songwriters, penning Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" in addition to his own solo work. The Isley Brothers, who have been active in the music industry for almost 60 years, are recognized as one of pop music's longest-running acts; brothers Ron and Ernie Isley continue to tour together. The "Shout!" group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Also receiving Lifetime Achievement Awards are violinist Maud Powell, "King of Zydeco" Clifton Chenier, and Mexican singer Armando Manzanero.

Jim Marshall, whose photos of the Beatles and Woodstock remain some of music's most iconic images, is the first photographer ever to receive the Trustees award. Marshall passed away in 2010.

Ennio Morricone, the prolific and still-active composer with hundreds of scores in his catalog, is best known for his spaghetti western works on The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West.

Rick Hall and his FAME Studios helped form the distinctive Muscle Shoals sound in the small Alabama town that drew Bob Dylan and the Allman Brothers.

Finally, Emile Berliner, the inventor of the gramophone, will posthumously receive the Technical Grammy Award.