NEW YORK.- Elton John y Bernie Taupin, the composers who gave us Your Song, Tiny Dancer y Rocket Man will receive the Gershwin Prize Library of Congress of the United States. The award will be given to them at a tribute concert in Washington, DC, March 20. PBS will air portions of the ceremony on April 8.
Composer-performer John and lyricist Taupin will receive the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the library, which called them “one of the great two composers of all time” in announcing their recognition Tuesday.
“Elton John and Bernie Taupin have written some of the most memorable songs of our lives. Their careers are highlighted by the quality and broad appeal of their music and their influence on their colleagues,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in a statement.
Other of his successes are Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Bennie and The Jets y Crocodile Rock.
The award, named after Golden Age Jazz composers George and Ira Gershwin, is described as “the nation’s highest award for influence, impact and achievement in popular music.”
Compared to the Gershwin brothers, Taupin was, in many ways, Ira and John George. As a lyricist, Taupin liked to tell stories with his words, whether it was “a mohair suit, electric boots” in Bennie and the Jets or comparing Marilyn Monroe, and later Princess Diana, to “a candle in the sky.” wind’.
John was the star on stage, furiously playing his piano, famous for its impressive melodic hooks and elaborate costumes.
Honored artists
Past winners of the Gershwin Award include Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Lionel Richie, Joni Mitchell, Emilio and Gloria Estefan and Garth Brooks.
“I’ve written songs with Bernie for 56 years, and we never thought that one day this would be awarded to us,” John, 76, said in a statement. “It is an incredible honor for two Britons to be recognized in this way. I feel very honoured.”
“To be in a house alongside the great American composers, even to be on the same avenue, is humbling, and I am absolutely delighted to receive this award,” Taupin, 73, said in a statement.
Taupin and John were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2023, John participated in Taupin’s induction ceremony into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Last year John retired from the stage, but his career is not over, just this month he achieved EGOT status (people who have won the Emmy, the Grammy, the Oscar and the Tony) after winning an Emmy for ” Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium” his farewell live special.
FUENTE: AP
