May 18, 2005
BMI Praises Paul Simon As ‘Icon” At Annual Pop Awards: Press Release
BRIAN WILSON, YOLANDA ADAMS, JOSS STONE AND MAROON 5 LEAD MUSICAL TRIBUTE
Download this document in Word format.LOS ANGELES – May 18, 2005 – Paul Simon was honored as a BMI Icon during ceremonies at the 53rd Annual BMI Pop Awards, staged last night (May 17) at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Del Bryant, President & CEO of the performing rights organization, presented Simon with an engraved silver piece “in recognition of your unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”
After a career-highlights video and a congratulatory letter from Don and Phil Everly, the musical salute to Simon kicked off with a performance by 2004 Icon recipient and fellow pop master Brian Wilson, who performed the classic “The Sound of Silence.” Gospel diva Yolanda Adams brought the audience of 650 to its feet with a soulful version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” while British sensation Joss Stone dazzled with the reggae-infused “Mother and Child Reunion.” Adam Levine and James Valentine, of Best New Artist Grammy winners Maroon 5, followed with an acoustic version of “Homeward Bound,” a song Simon wrote about his early career. Simon then took the stage, warmly thanking the artists individually for what they had brought to his music, and closed the evening with an acoustic performance of “Slip Sliding Away.”
Rob Mathes, a musician, producer and arranger who has worked for the Kennedy Center Honors and with artists such as Simon, Stone and Vanessa Williams, was musical director of the tribute band.
In leading the tribute, Bryant said, “Perhaps no other writer has singularly contributed so many ‘standards’ to the American songbook as Paul Simon, with songs that have become the soundtrack for three generations to mark the most important moments in our lives.”
In a career dating back to the 1950s, Paul Simon has established himself among the best and most popular songwriters of the rock era. His songs have bookmarked moments in the lives of millions, whether with words of love, longing, humor, politics or, above all, hope. He has incorporated the rhythms of his native New York with those from as far away as Brazil and South Africa.
For his efforts, he is a 12-time Grammy winner, a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee (as Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo artist), recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, an Oscar nominee, an Emmy Award winner, and the much-honored co-founder of the Children’s Health Fund.
His songwriting catalog has earned 39 BMI Awards—including multiple citations for “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “Scarborough Fair” and “The Sound of Silence”—and amassed nearly 75 million broadcast airplays, according to BMI surveys.
Simon joins a distinguished list of BMI Icons, including R&B legends Chuck Berry, James Brown, Bo Diddley, Al Green, Isaac Hayes and Little Richard; pop songwriting master Brian Wilson; Latin innovator Carlos Santana; Motown songwriting trio Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland; blues/rock/soul artist Van Morrison; and country songwriter/artists Bill Anderson, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.
Now marking its 65th year in business, BMI is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 300,000 songwriters, composers and publishers in all genres of music. With a repertoire of more than 6.5 million musical works from around the world, the non-profit-making corporation collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it then distributes as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents.
A complete list of 2005 BMI Pop Awards winners and information on the Icon honor presented to Paul Simon are included on BMI.com. High resolution photos will be available at http://press.bmi.com. To request access, please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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BMI's Barbara Cane, BMI Icon Paul Simon, and BMI President & CEO Del Bryant
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BMI Songwriter of the Year Lil Jon
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BMI Songwriter of the Year Lil Jon, BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Song of the Year writer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down
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EMI Chairman & CEO Marty Bandier, who accepted the Publisher of the Year Crystal, BMI President & CEO Del Bryant, BMI Songwriter of the Year Lil Jon, and Song of the Year writer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down
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Mickey Madden and Adam Levin of Maroon 5 congratulate BMI Songwriter of the Year Lil Jon
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BMI Songwriter of the Year Lil Jon and Song of the Year writer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down
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James Valentine and Adam Levine of Maroon 5 perform "Homeward Bound" in honor of BMI Icon Paul Simon
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BMI artist Joss Stone performs tribute to BMI Icon Paul Simon
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BMI gospel artist Yolanda Adams performs tribute to BMI Icon Paul Simon
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2004 BMI Icon Brian Wilson performs "The Sound of Silence" in honor of 2005 Icon Paul Simon
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Mario Winans and Sean Garrett
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BMI's Phil Graham, Lennon Scholarship Winner Sydney Price and BMI Award-winning songwriter Lamont Dozier
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BMI's Ralph Jackson and Lennon Scholarship winner Sydney Price
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BMI Songwriter of the Year Lil Jon and BMI Award-winning country songwriter Aimee Mayo
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BMI gospel artist Yolanda Adams, who performed "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in honor of BMI Icon Paul Simon
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BMI Award-winning songwriter Lauren Christy and Scott Spock of production team The Matrix
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BMI Award-winning songwriter Mario Winans
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BMI singer/songwriter Joss Stone, who performed "Mother and Child Reunion" in honor of BMI Icon Paul Simon
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BMI Songwriter of the Year Lil Jon
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Onstage at the 2005 BMI Pop Awards, Adam Levine and James Valentine from Maroon 5 performing "Homeward Bound" during the Paul Simon Icon Tribute .
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Adam Levine onstage at the 2005 BMI Pop Awards, the Maroon 5 song "Harder to Breathe" garnered a Song of the Year Award.
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