By Rylee Mathis Posted April 17, 2013
A press release on whitehouse.gov stated that on Wednesday, May 22, Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be hosting a concert honoring singer-songwriter Carole King.
King will be awarded the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. President Obama will present the award as he has in the past with other great musicians such as Stevie Wonder (2009), Sir Paul McCartney (2010), and the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David (2012). Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sandé, James Taylor, and Trisha Yearwood will also be performing as well as King.
According to the release, this will also be the first time the Gershwin prize is awarded to a woman. The prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, a very popular songwriting team whose manuscript collections are in the Library of Congress, a huge honor. The prize is awarded to musicians and songwriters whose music is closely associated with the Gershwins and what they stood for. This is a great honor for King and all else who have received the prize.
This is will be the eleventh “In Performance at the White House” program hosted by President Obama and his wife Michelle according to the press release. These events have not only honored the great musicians mentioned before, but also celebrated Hispanic musical heritage during Hispanic Heritage month, marked Black History Month with events featuring music from the Civil Rights Movement, Motown, Memphis Soul and the Blues, and spotlighted Broadway and the unique spirit of the American musical.
The event will be aired Tuesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. live on whitehouse.gov/live and again on Tuesday, May 28 at 8 p.m. on PBS.