STAR-STUDDED EVENT TO FEATURE 2011 GRAMMY SALUTE TO INDUSTRY ICONS® HONORING ENTERTAINMENT ENTREPRENEUR DAVID GEFFEN

Gala to Take Place on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Clive Davis and The Recording Academy® will continue the tradition of the annual Pre-GRAMMY® Gala, and this year’s event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., the evening before the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards® (www.grammy.com).
This exclusive, star-studded celebration will feature special musical
performances and is attended by artists and industry VIPs in music, film
and television. For updates and breaking news, please visit The
Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

As part of the evening’s celebration, the 2011 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons® will honor Geffen Records founder and DreamWorks SKG co-founder David Geffen.
The Recording Academy will present Geffen with the President’s Merit
Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the music
industry and the impact his efforts have had on music and the business
of music. Past recipients of the GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons
President’s Merit Award include Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, Clive Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, Berry Gordy, Doug Morris, and Mo Ostin.

“It is a true pleasure to again partner with the legendary Clive Davis to present our Pre-GRAMMY Gala, a memorable evening of special musical moments and camaraderie,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “This year, we are especially pleased and proud to honor David Geffen,
a unique and pioneering entrepreneur in music, stage, and film who has
had a profound impact on our culture, on the entertainment industry, and
whose  notable philanthropy has positively affected the lives of so
many through his charitable acts.”

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y.,
Geffen began his career in the mailroom at William Morris Agency, where
he worked his way up as an agent for top talents. He launched his first
record label, Asylum, in 1971 signing such artists as Jackson Browne, the Eagles, and Joni Mitchell. In 1980, he formed Geffen Records, building a roster that included Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Elton John, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. During this time he began Geffen Pictures, which would produce such films as Beetlejuice, Little Shop of Horrors, and Risky Business.
After selling Geffen Records to MCA in 1990, Geffen remained
Chairman/CEO and inaugurated another label, DGC, which launched
successful acts such as Beck, Counting Crows, Nirvana, and Sonic Youth.

In 1994, Geffen
parlayed his creative vision into a bigger venture by co-founding
DreamWorks SKG, the first new studio to be formed in 50 years, with
partners Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. He helped shepherd the launch of DreamWorks Animation which would create the successful Shrek
films, among many others. He financed Broadway productions of “Cats”
and “Dreamgirls,” a project he would later make into a motion picture
through DreamWorks. He brokered the sale of DreamWorks Pictures and its
catalogue to Paramount Pictures in 2006. In 2009 along with Spielberg,
he secured private funding to once again make DreamWorks a private
company before retiring from the entertainment industry.

Passionate
about many causes, Geffen is a philanthropist who has made many
charitable donations to a diverse array of organizations. In 2002, he
made a $200 million donation to the UCLA
School of Medicine, as well as gifts to St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital and Save the Children. As an industry leader in the fight
against AIDS, he has contributed to AIDS Project Los Angeles, amfAR,
Project Angel Food, and more. A prolific supporter of the arts, he is a
lead benefactor of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and has made generous donations to the Museum of Contemporary Art, National Public Radio, and USC School of Cinema-Television, among others.

The Pre-GRAMMY
Gala is part of the GRAMMY Week series of events, culminating with
Music’s Biggest Night®. The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place on
Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Clive Davis began his career at Columbia Records where he was appointed president in 1967 and signed such legendary rock artists as Janis Joplin, Santana, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Chicago, Loggins & Messina, and Earth, Wind & Fire. In 1974, Davis went on to co-found Arista Records and signed Barry Manilow, Patti Smith and Whitney Houston and developed the careers of The Grateful Dead, Eurythmics, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin and Carly Simon among the diverse roster under his leadership. His business ventures include forming LaFace Records in 1989 with Babyface and L.A. Reid,
and creating Bad Boy Records in 1994 with Sean “Diddy” Combs. In 2000, J
Records was born (in partnership with BMG) and emerged as a dominant
force, releasing the works of Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross
and Maroon 5. Davis was then appointed Chairman/CEO of BMG U.S. Label
Group in which he oversaw an expanded RCA Music Group including J
Records, RCA Records, and Arista Records. After BMG and Sony Music
merged in 2008, Davis was appointed Chief Creative Officer, Sony Music
Worldwide.

Established in
1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers,
engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the
cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers.
Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent
peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand
in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking
professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and
human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission
of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of
music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our
culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization’s social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/thegrammys, a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/thegrammys, and a YouTube channel subscriber at www.youtube.com/thegrammys.

The Recording Academy