- Singer and Songwriter Is First Recipient of New Prize -
PAUL SIMON: THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG, airing Wednesday, June 27, 2007, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET on PBS, celebrates Paul Simon, one of America's most respected songwriters and musicians and the first recipient of the prize. Taped at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2007, the high-definition special features tributes from a star-studded line-up of performers and presenters, including Yolanda Adams, Marc Anthony, Dixie Hummingbirds, Jerry Douglas, Art Garfunkel, Alison Krauss, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lyle Lovett, Stephen Marley, James Taylor and Buckwheat Zydeco. Presenters include former poet laureate Billy Collins, Bob Costas and Lorne Michaels.
Upon being notified of receiving the honor, Simon said, "I am grateful
to be the recipient of the Gershwin Prize and doubly honored to be the first.
Spending an evening in the company of artists I admire is a songwriter's dream
come true."
During his distinguished career, Paul Simon has received many awards and prizes,
including 12 Grammy Awards, three for album of the year; the 1986 winner Graceland
was recently selected as part of the Library's National Recording Registry.
Simon also is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once
as half of the Simon and Garfunkel duo and again in 2001 as a solo artist. He
is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a 2002 Kennedy Center Honoree.
In 2006, Time magazine named Paul Simon one of the "100 People Who Shaped
the World." Simon was the first American artist invited by President Nelson
Mandela to perform in post-apartheid South Africa.
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is named in honor of
the legendary George and Ira Gershwin. This newly created award recognizes the
profound and positive effect of popular music on the world's culture. The prize
will be given annually to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions
exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins.
In the same manner that Librarian of Congress James H. Billington consults with
the wider cultural community to select the Poet Laureate and the John W. Kluge
Prize for the Study of Humanity, he turned to leading members of the music community
and to the expertise of the Library's Music Division to develop an award that
recognizes musical achievement in popular culture all over the world. "The
Gershwin Prize is a milestone in the Library's mission to recognize and celebrate
creativity in order to spark imagination in this and future generations,"
said Billington. "Few songwriters have had a broader influence or contributed
more to song genres than Paul Simon. Because of the depth, range and sheer beauty
of his music, as well as its ability to bridge peoples and cultures, he is the
perfect first recipient of this prestigious award," says Billington.
Underwriters: Public Television Viewers, PBS and Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Label V Jam. VJR-081
1 DVDr
Paul Simon & Stevie Wonder - Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
Alison Krauss & Shawn Colvin with Jerry Douglas - The Boxer
Bob Costas Speaks
Lyle Lovett - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
Stephen Marley - Mother And Child Reunion
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Homeless
Bob Costas
Paul Simon At Yankee Stadium 1999 - Mrs. Robinson
James Taylor with Dixie Hummingbirds - Slip Slidin' Away
Lyle Lovett & Buckwheat Zydeco - That Was Your Mother
Lorne Michaels Speaks
James Taylor - Still Crazy After All These Years
Charles Groden Speaks
Marc Anthony - El Condor Pasa
2 DVDr
Marc Anthony - Late In The Evening
Yolanda Adams & Jesse Davis - Gone At Last
The Library of Congress Films
Diane Reeves - Something So Right
Grover & Elmo - 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
Alison Krauss with Jerry Douglas - Graceland
James H. Billington Presentation
Paul Simon & Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Diamonds On The Souls Of Her Shoes
Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Paul Simon - Father And Daughter
Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder & Dixie Hummingbirds - Loves Me Like A Rock