JamesG
07-18-2019, 01:41 PM
Sally Field, "Sesame Street" to Receive Kennedy Center Honors
by The Associated Press
July 18, 2019
Sally Field and the long-running children's TV show "Sesame Street" are in the latest class of Kennedy Center Honors recipients.
Others chosen to receive the award for lifetime achievement in the arts include singer Linda Ronstadt, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the musical group Earth, Wind and Fire.
Ronstadt was one of the faces of American music in the 1970s and '80s, landing on the cover of Time magazine in 1977. Her four-decade career moved smoothly between country, pop and rock with occasional deviations into Mexican folk songs.
In 2011, she announced her retirement from singing, citing the advancing effects of Parkinson's disease. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ronstadt professed to a fairly ambivalent relationship to the mountain of prices, awards and honors she has accrued. "I don't think a lot about prizes," she said. "You do the work for the work."
Tilson Thomas, who has served as music director of the San Francisco Symphony for the past 14 years, has become particularly renowned for his interpretations of the entire works of Gustav Mahler.
Asked why he felt he was chosen for the award, Tilson Thomas laughed and said, "I guess I've just been around a long time! I started out always being the youngest person on stage, and now I'm the oldest person on stage."
Earth, Wind and Fire was originally formed in Chicago by lead singer Maurice White. The group drew elements from rhythm and blues, funk and disco in a flashy crowd-pleasing mix that spawned eight No. 1 hits. Songs such as 'September' and 'Shining Star' remain in heavy rotation for both radio station programmers and wedding DJs.
White died in 2016, but his brother Verdine, the group's longtime bassist, said he was proud of how their songs have become part of the soundtrack of American music. "We're part of the culture. We're part of people's lives," he said. "The music makes people happy. When you come to a show you leave happier than when you came."
The recipients announced Thursday will be honored during a gala ceremony on Dec. 7th. The event will be broadcast on PBS on Dec. 15.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sally-field-sesame-street-receive-2019-kennedy-center-honors-1225306
by The Associated Press
July 18, 2019
Sally Field and the long-running children's TV show "Sesame Street" are in the latest class of Kennedy Center Honors recipients.
Others chosen to receive the award for lifetime achievement in the arts include singer Linda Ronstadt, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the musical group Earth, Wind and Fire.
Ronstadt was one of the faces of American music in the 1970s and '80s, landing on the cover of Time magazine in 1977. Her four-decade career moved smoothly between country, pop and rock with occasional deviations into Mexican folk songs.
In 2011, she announced her retirement from singing, citing the advancing effects of Parkinson's disease. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ronstadt professed to a fairly ambivalent relationship to the mountain of prices, awards and honors she has accrued. "I don't think a lot about prizes," she said. "You do the work for the work."
Tilson Thomas, who has served as music director of the San Francisco Symphony for the past 14 years, has become particularly renowned for his interpretations of the entire works of Gustav Mahler.
Asked why he felt he was chosen for the award, Tilson Thomas laughed and said, "I guess I've just been around a long time! I started out always being the youngest person on stage, and now I'm the oldest person on stage."
Earth, Wind and Fire was originally formed in Chicago by lead singer Maurice White. The group drew elements from rhythm and blues, funk and disco in a flashy crowd-pleasing mix that spawned eight No. 1 hits. Songs such as 'September' and 'Shining Star' remain in heavy rotation for both radio station programmers and wedding DJs.
White died in 2016, but his brother Verdine, the group's longtime bassist, said he was proud of how their songs have become part of the soundtrack of American music. "We're part of the culture. We're part of people's lives," he said. "The music makes people happy. When you come to a show you leave happier than when you came."
The recipients announced Thursday will be honored during a gala ceremony on Dec. 7th. The event will be broadcast on PBS on Dec. 15.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sally-field-sesame-street-receive-2019-kennedy-center-honors-1225306