The Library of Congress is honouring Billy Joel with its Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Librarian James Billington said that the singer-songwriter, whose hits include Piano Man and Uptown Girl, will receive the prize in Washington in November.
The Gershwin Prize honours a living artist's lifetime achievement in music. Previous recipients include Paul Simon; Stevie Wonder; Sir Paul McCartney; the songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and the late Hal David; and Carole King.
Joel is among the world's most popular recording artists. He has said his piano-driven compositions spring from personal experiences, and that he strives to write songs that capture and transcend those moments.
With a career spanning 50 years in the entertainment industry, Joel is the sixth top-selling artist of all time.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article