Gershwin Prize
You don’t want to miss Elton John & Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which will air in primetime on PBS stations nationwide on Monday (April 8). (Check local listings.)
The two-hour special was taped during a tribute concert at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. on March 20. Billboard had a (lucky) correspondent in the room, who filed this report.
The success of the show is a tribute to the quality and range of the songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, of course, and also to smart production choices by Ken Ehrlich, who executive produced and wrote the show. Ehrlich, who oversaw the annual Grammy telecast for 40 years, incorporated talk segments with both songwriters, as well as Elton’s long-time music director Davey Johnstone; past Gershwin Prize recipients Sir Paul McCartney (the only previous British honoree), Carole King, Stevie Wonder and Emilio & Gloria Estefan; and Robert Hilburn, the former Los Angeles Times pop music critic whose rave review of Elton’s 1970 show at the Troubadour in L.A. gave the singer a big boost.
Those talk segments provide much context and insight. In one, Elton said how much American music has always meant to him. “Thank you, America, for the music you’ve given us all over the world. It’s an incredible legacy that you have – all the wonderful blues, the jazz, classical, all the songs the Gershwin brothers [George and Ira] wrote. It’s just incredible. … I’m so proud to be British and to be here in America to receive this award, because all my heroes were American.”
Elton also put his music with Bernie in the context of the Great American Songbook. “We write songs that we hope will last. And our songs have lasted – and so have the Gershwins, Rodgers & Hammerstein, all those wonderful people. The Cole Porters of the world. They wrote classic songs, and once you write a classic that people love, it never goes away.”
Elton’s band backed the various artists, leading Elton to say “This is the first time in my life where I have sat in the audience and listened to my band. And I know they’re good, but they’re amazing!” He also paid the ultimate tribute to his partner. “He gives me the lyrics and then I write the song. Without the lyrics, I’d be working in any record store in the world.”
Elton John and Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is a co-production of WETA Washington, D.C.; Ken Ehrlich Productions, Inc.; and the Library of Congress. It will be available via broadcast and streaming on PBS.org and the PBS App.
An end title card dedicated the show to Tony Bennett, the 2017 Gershwin Prize recipient, who died in July at 96. The show honoring Bennett and last year’s show honoring Joni Mitchell both received Primetime Emmy nods. This show also deserves Emmy consideration.
All but one of the 14 songs performed on the show appeared on Billboard’s 2022 ranking The 75 Best Elton John Songs: Staff List, which was keyed to the star’s 75th birthday that year. If you missed it, here it is. Read it before or after the show, but not during. You don’t want to miss a moment.
Here are all the performances on the show ranked from least to most memorable. (Three artists performed multiple songs. We listed their songs together.) No shade to the performers who aren’t ranked high: The competition for “best of the night” honors was fierce. And how can Elton not be No. 1 on his own tribute? We’ve all heard him sing his songs many times, so there was no element of surprise there like there was with the top three selections.
Charlie Puth, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (1974)
Elton John and Bernie Taupin were the guests of honor Wednesday night (March 20) at DAR Constitution Hall in D.C., where the Library of Congress awarded the songwriting duo with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. And to help celebrate the pair, Metallica showed out to perform one of their most beloved songs — “Funeral […]
Artists from across the musical spectrum will perform in honor of Elton John and Bernie Taupin as they receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song on Wednesday, March 20. The lineup will include 2020 Gershwin Prize honoree Garth Brooks, plus Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Metallica, 2024 Billboard Women in Music Visionary honoree […]
Joni Mitchell will be the 2023 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Mitchell is the third woman to receive the honor, following Carole King and Gloria Estefan, who was honored alongside her husband, Emilio Estefan. Mitchell, who was born in Canada, is the third person born outside the U.S. to receive the honor, following Paul McCartney (who was born in England) and the Estefans (who were both born in Cuba).
Mitchell will receive the award at an all-star tribute concert in Washington, D.C., on March 1. PBS stations will broadcast the concert at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, March 31, and on PBS.org and the PBS Video App. The show, titled “Joni Mitchell: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song,” is a co-production of WETA Washington, D.C., Ken Ehrlich Productions and the Library of Congress.
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“Joni Mitchell’s music and artistry have left a distinct impression on American culture and internationally, crossing from folk music with a distinctive voice whose songs will stay with us for the ages,” Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, said in a statement. “Joni Mitchell’s music has so many artists and music lovers all singing her tunes. We are honored to present the Gershwin Prize to this musical genius.”
“This is a very prestigious award,” Mitchell said. “Thank you for honoring me.”
In making the selection, the Librarian of Congress consulted leading members of the music and entertainment communities, as well as curators from the Library’s Music Division, American Folklife Center and National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.
Mitchell redefined the role of women musicians in popular music. She oversaw all aspects of her albums, including songwriting, arrangements, performance, production and artwork.
Mitchell, 79, was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2021. A nine-time Grammy winner, Mitchell received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2002 and was named MusiCares person of the year in 2022.
Mitchell has also received the Polar Music Prize and an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.
In Canada, Mitchell has received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada’s highest honor in the performing arts, and has been named a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honor.
Mitchell has amassed three top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, though that number doesn’t begin to do justice to her impact and influence. Her highest charting albums are Court and Spark, which logged four weeks at No. 2 in 1974, and the live album Miles of Ailes, which hit No. 2 in February 1975.
Mitchell’s first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as a songwriter was “Both Sides Now” (No. 8 for Judy Collins in December 1968). Her first (and only, to date) top 10 hit as an artist was “Help Me” (No. 7 in June 1974).
Mitchell recently launched the Joni Mitchell Archives, which began with her curating her vast catalog to reveal hours of previously unissued studio and live recordings. In 2022, Mitchell won a Grammy for producing the first volume in the series, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 to 1967).
This is looking to be another landmark year for Mitchell as she brings her Joni Jam to the stage for her first headlining concert in more than two decades at Washington State’s Gorge Amphitheatre in June.
Named in honor of the legendary songwriting team of George and Ira Gershwin, the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is the nation’s highest award for influence, impact and achievement in popular music.
Established in 2007, the prize honors living musical artists whose contributions in the field of popular song exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwin brothers. Criteria for selection include artistic merit; influence in promoting music as a vehicle of cultural understanding; impact and achievement in entertaining and informing audiences; and inspiring new generations of musicians.
The honoree is selected by the Librarian of Congress in consultation with a board of scholars, producers, performers, songwriters and other music specialists.
Previous recipients are Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, King, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, the Estefans, Garth Brooks, and Lionel Richie.
The Gershwin name is used courtesy of the families of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. As the Library of Congress reminds us, GERSHWIN® is a registered trademark of Gershwin Enterprises.
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