The legendary Joni Mitchell will be the very first Canadian artist to be awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, America’s highest honor given to artists whose achievements have marked and influenced contemporary popular music.
The award will be presented to the singer by Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, during a tribute performance to be held in Washington DC on 1er March. The ceremony will be broadcast on PBS on March 31 at 9 p.m.
With parts like Both Sides, Now, Chelsea Morning, Big Yellow Taxi, Woodstock and The Circle GameMitchell became an icon of folk and pop music in North America by the late 1960s. to come, indicates Mme Hayden in a statement. Joni Mitchell’s pieces have been celebrated by so many artists and music lovers. It is an honor for us to present the Gershwin Prize to this musical genius. »
In addition to creating music that drew inspiration from folk as well as jazz, classical and rock, incorporating structures and chords that defied categorization, Joni Mitchell also redefined the role of women in popular music by responsible for all aspects of the creation, from the composition to the arrangements, including the performance, the production and even the graphic design of his albums. As a lyricist, her texts are sometimes personal, sometimes politically engaged – the singer, now 79, has notably dared to explore the raw reality of the failings of society.
Recipients of the Gershwin Prize are determined by a college of scholars, producers, musicians, composers and other specialists in the music scene. Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, Carole King, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks and Lionel Richie are among the musicians decorated since the award was introduced in 2007.