Tom Petty is the 2017 MusiCares Person of the Year

Tom Petty 2017 MusiCares Person of the Year
Tom Petty (Photo Credit: Neal Preston)

Grammy Award winner Tom Petty has been named as the recipient of the 2017 MusiCares® Person of the Year award by The Recording Academy. Petty will receive the honor during an awards dinner to be held on Friday, February 10, 2017, two nights before the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. The 27th annual awards dinner will benefit MusiCares, a non-profit established to ensure “music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical, and personal need.”

“Tom burst into our musical consciousness and never let go,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the MusiCares Foundation® and The Recording Academy. “His brand of rock and roll benefits from a celebratory rebelliousness, infectious rhythms, and unforgettable lyrics that are incised in our imaginations. His artistic talents coupled with his quiet philanthropy make him a great MusiCares Person of the Year honoree, and we are very fortunate to have the support of our Board, past honorees, and the musical community around this special event.”

“I am so very pleased to be honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year. I have so much respect for this organization, which really does care about the people in our industry,” stated Petty. “I myself know many people who MusiCares has aided in desperate situations. Again, let me say this is a true honor.”

The award is being given to Petty in recognition of his “significant creative accomplishments, his career-long interest in defending artists’ rights, and the charitable work he has undertaken throughout his career, which has notably focused on the homeless population in Los Angeles. Widely recognized by a younger generation of musicians as an example of what an engaged artist can accomplish in his field and beyond, Petty has come to represent the lasting possibilities of rock and roll.”

“Tom Petty is an icon whose incomparable artistry has provided inspiration to fans and musicians all over the world,” said Alexandra Patsavas, Chair of the MusiCares Foundation Board. “To honor him with this tribute is so fitting, and we certainly look forward to an exciting and extraordinary evening.”