The President and First Lady Host Concert Honoring Carole King: Recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
The President and First Lady hosted a concert "Carole King: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize In Performance at the White House". President Obama presented the award as he did when the Library of Congress honored Stevie Wonder (2009), Sir Paul McCartney (2010), and the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David (2012).
The Library of Congress announced in late 2012 that Carole King had been named the 2013 recipient of the prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Song; the first woman to receive the distinction given to songwriters for a body of work.
"Carole King has been one of the most influential songwriters of our time," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said in a statement accompanying the announcement. "For more than five decades, she has written for and been recorded by many different types of artists for a wide range of audiences, communicating with beauty and dignity the universal human emotions of love, joy, pain and loss. Her body of work reflects the spirit of the Gershwin Prize with its originality, longevity and diversity of appeal."
In the same statement, Carole said, "I was so pleased when the venerable Library of Congress began honoring writers of popular with the Gershwin Prize. I’m proud to be the fifth such honoree and the first woman among such distinguished company. I look forward to performing in the nation’s capital."
To learn more about the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song please visit www.loc.gov.
*Updates
A national telecast, part of the PBS "In Performance at the White House" series, aired May 28 at 8:00pm ET/PT and is viewable here. The program will also be broadcast at a later date via the American Forces Network to American service men and women and civilians at U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world.
On Wednesday, May 22nd the President and First Lady hosted a concert "Carole King: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize In Performance at the White House” as part of their “In Performance at the White House” series. The award was presented to Carole by President Obama and the program included performances by King, as well as Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sandé, James Taylor and Trisha Yearwood. To watch the entire concert, go to PBS.
On Tuesday, May 21st at 7:00 PM ET, the Library of Congress hosted an invitation-only concert at their Coolidge Auditorium in honor of Carole King. The all-star tribute inlcuded performances by Patti Austin, Colbie Caillat, Michael Feinstein, Siedah Garrett, Louise Goffin, Shelby Lynne, Gian Marco, Arturo Sandoval and a special performance by honoree Carole King.
The President’s remarks were pooled press and the entire event was streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live.
**Both events May 21 and 22 at 7pm were streaming LIVE on PBS.
To watch the concert and for more press and info, please visit our Media page.
