Honorary Degree Recipients

There is a select group of performing and recording artists, educators, and contributors to today's professional music who are recipients of the honorary doctorate degree from Berklee College of Music. Their contributions have the enduring qualities that define the musical era in which they played a leading role. Past recipients include forerunners from all different areas and styles of music and reflect the broad range of interests, talents, and aspirations of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

First nameLast nameYear
DukeEllington1971
ArthurFiedler1972
Harry EllisDickson1973
William "Count"Basie1974
TonyBennett1974
MabelMercer1975
GeorgeWein1976
WoodyHerman1977
SarahVaughan1978
LawrenceBerk1979
TeddyWilson1979
BuddyRich1980
JohnWilliams1980
JohnHammond1981
BillyTaylor1981
JohnDankworth1982
CleoLaine1982
QuincyJones '511983
LeonardFeather1984
OscarPeterson1984
B.B.King1985
ArifMardin '611985
HerbieHancock1986
PaulSimon1986
MattBetton1987
ArtBlakey1987
RaymondKurzweil1987
PhilRamone1987
DaveGrusin1988
ClarkTerry1988
JoeWilliams1988
ArmandZildjian1988
GaryBurton '621989
DizzyGillespie1989
PercyHeath1989
MiltJackson1989
ConnieKay1989
JohnLewis1989
GeorgeMartin1989
GeorgeBenson1990
WillisConover1990
JackDeJohnette1990
JerryGoldsmith1990
CarloPagnotta1990
WilliamStanley1990
PhilCollins1991
AhmetErtegun1991
RoyHaynes1991
AlJarreau1991
IkutaroKakehashi1991
JoeZawinul '591991
PeterErskine1992
FrancesPreston1992
BonnieRaitt1992
JosephSmith1992
CherylBentyne1993
KarlBruhn1993
MichaelGreene1993
TimHauser1993
BillyJoel1993
JohnnyMandel1993
AlanPaul1993
JanisSiegel1993
OletaAdams1994
Amar G.Bose1994
Sting 1994
NancyWilson1994
AlanBergman1995
MarilynBergman1995
RayBrown1995
PinoCandini1995
NatalieCole1995
JohnnyGriffin1995
JimHall1995
HerbPomeroy '521995
TitoPuente1995
AlanSilvestri '701995
JamesTaylor1995
AlfClausen '661996
MiltHinton1996
PattiLaBelle1996
PatMetheny1996
HoraceSilver1996
SadaoWatanabe '651996
BruceCockburn '651997
ChickCorea1997
AndraéCrouch1997
HenryMancini1997
JohnScofield '731997
ToshikoAkiyoshi '591998
JerryLeiber1998
JoeLovano '721998
EddiePalmieri1998
VitoPascucci1998
CarlySimon1998
MikeStoller1998
DavidBowie1999
CurtisFuller1999
BennyGolson1999
RobertMorgan1999
WayneShorter1999
HerbAlpert2000
PattiAustin2000
MichelCamilo2000
DaveHolland2000
JenniferHolliday2000
JohnSykes2000
SteveVai '792000
JamesMoody2000
CaetanoVeloso2000
JoãoGilberto2000
WalterBecker2001
WilliamDavis2001
DonaldFagen '662001
ElvinJones2001
AlKooper2001
LarryLinkin2001
DavidFoster2002
ShirleyHorn2002
PattyLarkin '742002
RobertMoog2002
Terri LyneCarrington '832003
PaquitoD'Rivera2003
BobbyMcFerrin2003
MakotoOzone '832003
DianneReeves2003
SonnyRollins2003
GiovanniTommaso2003
StevenTyler2003
Lee EliotBerk2004
MichaelBrecker2004
DennisChambers2004
ChakaKhan2004
PhilWilson2004
AnitaBaker2005
RubenBlades2005
RonCarter2005
KevinEubanks '792005
SteveGadd2005
HankJones2005
AbeLaboriel Sr. '722005
MarianMcPartland2005
EnricoRava2005
PatriceRushen2005
EarlScruggs2005
McCoyTyner2005
OrnetteColeman2006
MelissaEtheridge ’802006
ArethaFranklin2006
Israel "Cachao"Lopez2006
BranfordMarsalis ’802006
AndyMcGhee2006
ElliotScheiner2006
TheEdge2007
ClintEastwood2007
EmilioEstefan2007
GloriaEstefan2007
ChristopherGuest2007
AndrewHill2007
LorettaLynn2007
PhilipBailey2008
RosaPassos2008
HowardShore ’692008
RickySkaggs2008
MauriceWhite2008
SteveWinwood2008
BurtBacharach2009
DaveBrubeck2009
Juan LuisGuerra ’822009
EmmylouHarris2009
GeorgeMassenburg2009
Bernice JohnsonReagon2009
SmokeyRobinson2009
LindaRonstadt2009
RenzoArbore2010
KennyBarron2010
Pacode Lucia2010
StefanoBollani2010
KennethGamble2010
Horacio "El Negro"Hernandez2010
GiovanniHidalgo2010
LeonHuff2010
AngeliqueKidjo2010
DocWatson2010
KennyGarrett2011
MichaelMcDonald2011
Pandit RaviShankar2011
MavisStaples2011
BeboValdés2011
ChuchoValdés2011
MulatuAstatke ’582012
GeorgeClinton2012
GlennFrey2012
DonHenley2012
AlisonKrauss2012
TimothySchmit2012
JoeWalsh2012
WilliamCepeda ’852013
EddieGomez2013
CaroleKing2013
AnnieLennox2013
WillieNelson2013
AlejandroSanz2013
GeriAllen2014
HarryBelafonte2014
TharaMemory2014
JimmyPage2014
A. R.Rahman2014
AlSchmitt2014
ValerieSimpson2014
Dee DeeBridgewater2015
PaoloFresu2015
JulioIglesias2015
CharlesLloyd2015
HarveyMason ’672015
DougMorris2015
LucianGrainge2016
ErnieIsley2016
RonaldIsley2016
WangLeehom ’992016
RitaMoreno2016
MiltonNascimento2016
RaySantos2016
BillFrisell ’772017
MichaelGibbs ’632017
Joong HyunShin2017
JohnMcLaughlin2017
NeilPortnow2017
LionelRichie2017
ToddRundgren2017
LucindaWilliams2017
RosanneCash2018
AlDi Meola2018
EllisMarsalis2018
NileRodgers2018
GarySlaight2018
EsperanzaSpalding ’052018
ImogenHeap2019
MissyElliott2019
AlexLacamoire ’942019
JustinTimberlake2019
SylviaRhone2019
ZakirHussain2019
JohnLegend2020
SheilaE.2020
CassandraWilson2020
LilaDowns2020
GilbertoGil2021
CelineDion2021
PharrellWilliams2021
ChadHugo2021
DonaldHarrison ’812021
JoniMitchell2022
AlbertoIglesias2022
RingoStarr2022
LalahHathaway ’902022
JamesNewton Howard2022
ChuckRainey2022
Usher 2023
RobertaFlack2023
SonaJobarteh2023
YvetteNoel-Schure2023
Q-Tip 2024
Ledisi 2024
GilbertoSanta Rosa2024
YoussouN'Dour2024