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Sheryl Crow, k.d. lang and James Taylor are among artists who will perform at a ceremony in which Canadian rocker Neil Young is named the MusiCares Person of the Year during Grammy Awards weekend.

Young will be honoured at a gala dinner at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Jan. 29.

Other performers announced include Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Dave Matthews, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Mellencamp, Crosby Stills & Nash, Josh Groban and Wilco.

The award is given based on exceptional artistic achievements as well as philanthropic work. Past honourees include Bono, Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

Young receives the honour despite having never actually won a Grammy.

The 52nd Grammy Awards will be held on Jan. 31.

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ABC says Paul McCartney and Beyonce will star in back-to-back one-hour specials on U.S. Thanksgiving.

The evening starts at 10 p.m. AST with a Beyonce concert that was taped over the summer in Las Vegas.

That will be followed by a McCartney special that includes highlights from his July concert at Citi Field in New York City. The stadium in Queens is next to the former site of Shea Stadium, where he and his fellow Beatles rocked at the height of Beatlemania. Footage from that 1965 concert also will air during the special.

Both specials will offer interviews and personal glimpses of the stars.

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Celebrity Birthdays:

* Actress Madeleine Sherwood (The Flying Nun) is 87.

* Producer-director-actor Garry Marshall is 75.

* Country singer-songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard is 63.

* Actor Joe Mantegna is 62.

* Country singer J-C Crowley is 62.

* Actor Chris Noth (Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Sex and the City) is 55.

* Actress Whoopi Goldberg is 54.

* Actor Rex Linn (CSI: Miami) is 53.

* Comedian Jimmy Kimmel is 42.

* Actor Steve Zahn (Happy, Texas, That Thing You Do!) is 42.

* Actress Aisha Hinds (True Blood) is 34.

* Actress Monique Coleman (High School Musical) is 29.