The Latin Recording Academy® to honor Milly Quezada, Martinho Da Vila, Emmanuel, Sheila E. & Pete Escovedo, Fito Páez, Joaquín Sabina and Gilberto Santa Rosa with The Lifetime Achievement Award
MIAMI (JUNE 24, 2021) — The Latin Recording Academy® announced today that Martinho da Vila, Emmanuel, Sheila E. & Pete Escovedo, Fito Páez, Milly Quezada, Joaquín Sabina and Gilberto Santa Rosa will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, Guillermo “Memo” Acosta and Egidio Cuadrado will receive the Trustees Award. The honorees will be celebrated during a private ceremony executive produced by Eduardo Osorio at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas on Nov. 17, 2021, as part of the 22nd Annual Latin GRAMMY week.
“We are delighted to recognize this remarkable group of legendary artists, who remain very active, with this year’s Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards,” said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy. “Their outstanding accomplishments have created a timeless legacy within the Latin music world and beyond, and we look forward to honoring and celebrating each of them during Latin GRAMMY Week as we return to Las Vegas this November with our resilient community of Latin music lovers.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to Latin music and its communities. The Trustees Award is bestowed on individuals who have made significant contributions to Latin music during their careers in ways other than performance. Both distinctions are voted on by The Latin Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees.
2021 Lifetime Achievement Award:
Milly Quezada (Dominican Republic)
In a field dominated by men until her arrival in the ’70s, Milly Quezada single-handedly changed the history of merengue through the warmth and exuberant energy of her voice. Always true to the authentic roots of the Dominican Republic’s quintessential dance genre, she quickly established herself as “the queen of merengue.” As a teen, she formed the group Milly, Jocelyn & Los Vecinos with her sister and brothers, and enjoyed a succession of hits like “Volvió Juanita,” that allowed her to tour the Americas, Europe and even Japan. Quezada took an extended break from the limelight following the tragic death of her husband in 1996, but returned as a solo artist the following year, cementing her reputation as a Dominican legend thanks to classics like “Entre Tu Cuerpo Y El Mío,” “Toma Mi Vida,” “Porque Me Amaste” and “Para Darte Mi Vida.” She has received three Latin GRAMMYs.
Latin GRAMMYS: LatinGRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award 2021