At a tribute concert, Joni Mitchell received the Gershwin Prize

The singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell has an extensive career filled with incomparable hits such as Both side or Help me received the award Gershwin Award Since United States Library of Congress for this year’s popular song at an exciting gala.

She took the stage near the end of her tribute concert and performed a cover instead of one of her own songs. He leaned against the piano on Wednesday humming a sultry version of Summer timepopular melody Porgy and Bessof George Gershwinan appropriate choice since the award bears the name of the composer.

Before ending, the other artists of the evening took the stage and surrounded Mitchell as he launched with one of his most popular melodies, The circle game. Graham Nash, James Taylor, Ledisi, Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Mumford, Brandi Carlile and others put the audience on their feet in an evening full of love and admiration.

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When the engine starts, Mitchell walked the red carpet with a cane, briefly responding to the press by calling the honor “very exciting.”

Naswho had dated Mitchell in the 1970s, she spoke of her indelible spirit overcoming gender and physical obstacles: “She had many, many difficulties in her life, with polio when she was young and now a brain aneurysm several years ago . But to see her come back and sing and perform again is amazing. Talk about resilience”. Later he played A case of you, the song Mitchell wrote about their breakup. Both shared a love story in the 60s.

Another former Mitchell teammate was James Taylor, who described their time together as “one of the most loving chapters of my life” and added, “She had a huge effect on me, on my work. And we collaborated during the year we were together on a lot of things. Joni is a national treasure.”

Carlile was one of the busiest performers of the night, adding backing vocals and taking care of Shine of michael. Before the concert, the nine-time Grammy winner admitted that she didn’t discover Mitchell’s music until later in her life. “I found her to be very feminine, very vulnerable, and it made me very uncomfortable, which I think reflects my own ego and coming of age being a bit of a nonconforming person. gender or just not really understanding. life, the way it showed me, and all of us, the world. And it wasn’t until I fell in love and met my wife that I realized how multifaceted Joni was as an artist,” Carlile said.

Before receiving the award Librarian of Congress Carla HaydenMitchel was joined by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, California Republican; the senator Amy KlobucharMinnesota Democrat; Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington; and the senator Susan CollinsRepublican of Maine.

He Gershwin Prize, Created in 2007, it previously awarded Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder there Carole Kingis named after the brothers who created classics such as I have rhythm there Rhapsody in Blue. “Joni Mitchell Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Songwill air March 31 on PBS.org, the PBS app, and the American Forces Network.

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