Artists receiving the recognition, which benefits the charity arm of the Recording Academy, traditionally receive a tribute on the Grammy Awards, which will be broadcast live for the East Coast on Jan. 31.
The honor is reserved for artists who have dedicated a portion of their career to charitable and philanthropic causes. Young co-founded Farm Aid in 1985 with musicians Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp to help raise money for family farms. The organization continues to host an annual concert, with this year's edition set for Oct. 4 in St. Louis, with Young, Nelson, Mellencamp, Wilco, Jason Mraz and Dave Matthews, among others, set to perform.
Young, who earlier this year released the “Archives: Vol. 1 1963-1972" box in a variety of formats, is also heavily involved in the Bridge School, which he and his wife, Pegi, helped found. The Hillsborough, Calif., facility is dedicated to serving children with severe speech and physical impairments. Young hosts an annual concert to benefit the institution. Dates are set for the weekend of Oct. 24, but a lineup has not yet been announced.
In naming Young the MusiCares recipient, Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow said in a statement, “Neil has set a standard of artistic integrity and iconoclastic creativity for more than four decades, and his achievements have been matched by his unwavering humanitarianism. He is a shining example of how music people offer their creative gifts to the world, and how they also give back through their commitments to charitable endeavors."
Recent recipients have included Neil Diamond (2009), Aretha Franklin (2008) and Don Henley (2007).
