BEYONCÉ KNOWLES NAMED SONGWRITER
OF THE YEAR
"THANK YOU" BY DIDO NAMED SONG OF THE YEAR
WARNER/CHAPPELL TAKES PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR HONORS
James Taylor, Tony Bennett, Beyoncé Knowles,
Dido, Holly Lamar, Dirk Lance from Incubus, Desmond
Child, Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora, Lenny Kravitz,
Train, N’Sync, Uncle Kracker, Staind, Alicia Keys,
U2, BBMak and Madonna were among those honored May 20,
at the 19th annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards at the Beverly
Hilton Hotel. Over 600 leading songwriters, recording
artists, and music industry notables gathered to salute
the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed
songs of the year at the creative black tie gala, hosted
by ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman. Richard
Marx opened the show with a special performance of his
award-winning song, "This I Promise You,"
which was a smash hit for N’Sync.
Along with honorees and performers, Tony Bennett, James
Taylor, Shawn Colvin, Richard Marx and kd lang, other
ASCAP honorees and notables attending tonight’s
celebration were Goo Goo Dolls, Incubus, ZZ Tops’
Billy Gibbons, Richie Sambora, Fabrizio Moretti and
Nick Valensi of The Strokes, Matt Scannell of Vertical
Horizon, Crazy Town, Joe Henry, Steve Vai, Tricky, Hal
David, Johnny Mandel, Alan Bergman and ASCAP President
& Chairman Marilyn Bergman.
The evening was highlighted with the presentation of
major awards to two giants of popular music - James
Taylor and Tony Bennett.
James Taylor was presented with the prestigious ASCAP
Founders Award, which honors pioneering songwriters
who have made exceptional contributions to music. As
both a singer and songwriter, Taylor’s unique qualities
have earned him recent induction into two of pop music’s
most exclusive clubs – the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is the recipient
of multiple Grammy Awards and numerous Gold and Platinum
Records. Among his many memorable songs are: "Fire
and Rain," "Sweet Baby James," "Country
Road," "Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,"
"You’re Smiling Face," "Hey Mister,
That’s Me Up on the Jukebox," "Copperline,"
"Mexico" and many others.
Songwriter/artist Shawn Colvin performed as part of
ASCAP’s special tribute to Taylor and was on hand
to co-present this prestigious award with Academy Award-winning
lyricist Marilyn Bergman.
The ASCAP Pied Piper award was presented to Tony Bennett
in recognition of his consummate musical artistry and
extraordinary career as the foremost interpreter of
the "Great American Songbook."
Bennett is world-renowned as a singular artist, one
of the most gifted of our time. He has introduced countless
songs into the popular repertory, including "I
Left My Heart In San Francisco," "How Do You
Keep the Music Playing?" "The Best Is Yet
to Come" and "I Wanna Be Around," among
so many others. His renditions are and will remain enduring
classics. Bennett has multiple Grammy Awards to his
credit including a Lifetime Achievement Award
Artist k.d. lang joined Marilyn Bergman to co-present
this prestigious award to Bennett and later performed
a duet with Bennett as part of ASCAP’s special
tribute in his honor.
Bergman commented, "ASCAP is extremely proud to
honor James Taylor and Tony Bennett with these special
awards. They have touched audiences the world over during
their remarkable careers and they continue to influence
the most popular artists of our time. They have created
enduring musical legacies that will enrich generations
to come".
Songwriter of the Year honors went to Beyoncé
Knowles whose father, Matthew Knowles, accepted the
award on her behalf. The three award-winning songs that
Beyoncé wrote or co-wrote are: "Independent
Woman Part I," "Jumpin Jumpin" and "Survivor."
Dido was honored with Song of the Year for the worldwide
smash hit "Thank You."
ASCAP Pop Music Awards Publisher of the Year honors
were presented by ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento to Warner/Chappell
for their 16 winning songs: "All For You,"
"Crazy," "Don’t Tell Me," "Everything
You Want," "I Knew I Loved You," "It
Wasn’t Me," "It’s Been A While,"
"Let me Blow Ya Mind," Love Don’t Cost
A Thing," "Music," "Outside,"
"Pinch Me," "Taking You Home," "Thank
You," "The Way You Love Me" and "You’re
A God."
Songwriter Holly Lamar received special recognition
for the song "Breathe" (Cal IV Entertainment,
Inc.), the major hit by Faith Hill, which according
to Billboard Airplay Monitor was the most-performed
song on radio in 2000. Billboard’s LA Bureau Chief
Melinda Newman, co-presented the award to Lamar with
ASCAP Executive Vice President Todd Brabec.
The ASCAP College Vanguard Award, to the artist whose
collective body of work over the year garnered the most
performances on college radio, went to The Strokes.
Fabrizio Moretti and Nick Valensi of the Strokes were
on hand to receive the award.
ASCAP Pop Awards were presented to the songwriters
and publishers of the most performed songs in the ASCAP
repertory for the 2001 ASCAP survey year (October 1,
2000 through September 30, 2001).
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the world’s largest
performing right organization with over 130,000 composer,
lyricist and music publisher members. ASCAP is committed
to protecting the rights of its members by licensing
and collecting royalties for the public performance
of their copyrighted works, and then distributing these
fees to the Society’s members based on performances.
ASCAP’s repertory spans the entire spectrum of
music – from pop to symphonic, rock to gospel,
Latin to country, to jazz, rhythm and blues, theater,
film and television music. ASCAP’s Board of Directors
is made up solely of writers and publishers elected
by the membership.
2002
ASCAP Pop Awards
