Motown Records
founder Berry Gordy will receive the Pioneer Award at this year's Songwriters
Hall of Fame gala.
The producer signed the likes of Marvin Gaye, The
Supremes, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson Five to his Detroit label.
The award, established in 2012, honours those who
have had a "major influence on generations of songwriters", said Hall
of Fame chairman Jimmy Webb.
The ceremony takes place on 13 June in New York,
where a new musical based
on Gordy's life has just made its debut.
Gordy, 83, will be the first living person to receive
the accolade, which was posthumously awarded to folk singer Woody Guthrie last
year.
Webb, writer of such Glen Campbell hits as Wichita
Lineman and Galveston, described Gordy as "an
innovator and a visionary".
"He created a label but more than that, he
created a genre," Webb said. "He pioneered a marketplace for
African-American artistry and then he invited the world in to enjoy it.
"Berry Gordy and the Motown sound are essential
to the American music story."
Previously announced inductees this year include
British songwriter Tony Hatch, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner, and
Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
'Multi-talented
artist'
Meanwhile, it has been announced that Bob Dylan will
be the first rock star to become an honorary member of the American Academy of
Arts and Letters.
According to its executive director Virginia Dajani,
officials had trouble over whether the 71-year-old should be voted in for his
words or his music.
"The board of directors considered the diversity
of his work and acknowledged his iconic place in the American culture,'' she
said.
"Bob Dylan is a multi-talented artist whose work
so thoroughly crosses several disciplines that it defies categorisation."
Founded in 1898 and based in New York, the Academy
will host a dinner in April and an induction ceremony in May.
Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, South African writer
Damon Galgut and Belgian artist Luc Tuymans are included in the Class of 2013
honourees list,
Source: BBC
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