For Release: June 11 , 2007
P aul S imon : T he L ibrary of C ongress G ershwin P rize for P opular S ong , airing Wednesday, June 27 at 9 /8 p.m. C T on KET1 , celebrates one of America's most respected songwriters and musicians and the first recipient of the prize. Taped at the Warner Theatre in Washington, the s pecial features tributes from many well-known performers, 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.
During his distinguished career, Simon received 12 Grammy Awards and is a t wo-time inductee into the Rock ' n ' Roll Hall of Fame: once as half of the Simon and Garfunkel duo and again in 2001 as a solo artist. In 2006, Time magazine named Simon one of the "100 People Who Shaped the World."
In the same manner that Librarian of Congress James H. Billington consults with the wider cultural community to select the nation's p oet l aureate, he turned to leading members of the music community and to the expertise of the l ibrary's m usic d ivision to develop an award that recognizes musical achievement in popular culture all over the world. "The Gershwin Prize is a milestone in the l ibrary's mission to recognize and celebrate creativity in order to spark imagination in this and future generations," sa ys 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 . "
Paul Simon: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is a co-production of CoMedia, Inc. and WETA/Washington. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.