Paul McCartney: Named as Only the THIRD Recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize
The Library of Congress awards a special prize very sparingly to artists. Paul McCartney was just named as only the third recipient ever to win this award. Let's get a few more details:
The American Library of Congress awards their "Gershwin Prize For Popular Song" for particular artists and their effects on popular culture. To quote the award affidavit, "The Prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, the legendary American songwriting team whose extensive manuscript collections reside in the Library of Congress. The Prize is awarded to musicians whose lifetime contributions in the field of popular song exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins. The Gershwin Prize is also meant to draw attention to the musical collections in the Library of Congress, especially the vast pop-music collection, and to encourage students, teachers, scholars and researchers to use this free public resource in their scholarly investigations."
Well said. The very first Gershwin Prize was awarded to Paul Simon in May, 2007 and the second to Stevie Wonder in February, 2009.
Librarian for Congress, James H. Billington made the McCartney announcement in November, 2009. An All-Star Tribute to the ex-Beatle music legend is planned for the Spring of 2010.
Good going Paul. Now, if the LoC would see fit to name the Beatles as a group, for this award, your humble correspondent would be fully satisfied. With very few exceptions, the real magic happened when all four Fabs were in the studio working together. Stay tuned fans. More on this when Paul accepts the award.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
The American Library of Congress awards their "Gershwin Prize For Popular Song" for particular artists and their effects on popular culture. To quote the award affidavit, "The Prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, the legendary American songwriting team whose extensive manuscript collections reside in the Library of Congress. The Prize is awarded to musicians whose lifetime contributions in the field of popular song exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins. The Gershwin Prize is also meant to draw attention to the musical collections in the Library of Congress, especially the vast pop-music collection, and to encourage students, teachers, scholars and researchers to use this free public resource in their scholarly investigations."
Well said. The very first Gershwin Prize was awarded to Paul Simon in May, 2007 and the second to Stevie Wonder in February, 2009.
Librarian for Congress, James H. Billington made the McCartney announcement in November, 2009. An All-Star Tribute to the ex-Beatle music legend is planned for the Spring of 2010.
Good going Paul. Now, if the LoC would see fit to name the Beatles as a group, for this award, your humble correspondent would be fully satisfied. With very few exceptions, the real magic happened when all four Fabs were in the studio working together. Stay tuned fans. More on this when Paul accepts the award.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
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