Rock ’n’ roll legends, singers and stars of Hollywood and Broadway were saluted yesterday for their lifetime contributions to American culture
with a gala performance attended by President George W. Bush.
Song and screen icon Barbra Streisand, country music legend George Jones, film star Morgan Freeman, choreographer Twyla Tharp and The Who founders Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were honoured with performances by contemporaries and friends celebrating their work.
The six artists were awarded Kennedy Centre Honours, the top US award for lifetime achievements in popular culture and the arts, at a reception a day earlier.
“Everything we do, we’ve gotten from you all in the first place,” Mr Daltrey told the reception on Saturday night. “This is an honour that we could hardly refuse.”
Honorees joined Mr and Mrs Bush in the presidential box at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts for the black-tie gala performance.
Mr Bush enjoys the music of honky-tonk impresario George Jones on his iPod digital music player. His views of Ms Streisand are not known but she has been a prominent critic of his disputed 2000 election and of his subsequent record in the White House.
British singer Joss Stone and soul singer Ne-Yo are among the popular artistes due to celebrate the achievement of an older generation of performers.
“I know a lot of her songs but I didn’t know the one they have me performing,” Ne-Yo, a Grammy-nominee, said about his preparations to sing Ms Streisand’s Lover, Come Back to Me. “I had to learn it in about a day.”
Twyla Tharp put her mark on modern dance decades ago with shows like the Beach Boys-inspired show Deuce Coupe of 1973 but has been celebrated recently for her work on Movin’ Out, which sets the music of Billy Joel to modern dance.
Clint Eastwood, who collaborated with Mr Freeman on the epic Western Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby said of his friend, “If anyone deserves this award, he does.”
Source: Reuters