It’s one of the most recent music honours – adding to the Grammy and the Juno, the American Music Award, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame awards. It’s the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, awarded for lifetime contributions to popular music – by the US Library of Congress. It was only introduced in 2007, and its first honouree was Paul Simon.
Since then, other inductees included: like Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Carole King, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Garth Brooks, Lionel Richie and last year, our own Joni Mitchell. This year’s honourees are Sir Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. I’m playing ten of Elton’s very best – and award-winning – songs, covering his six decade career.
Plus: John Kay of Steppenwolf is turning 80 and I’ll play some of his best-known songs. Along with ‘The Sunday Sock Hop’ in the show’s first hour – featuring the Best of the Fifties and early Sixties. Please tune in this Sunday from 2:00 to 4:30pm.