Garth Brooks to Receive Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize
Garth Brooks has been announced to receive the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2020.
Variety reports that the 57-year-old country megastar is "said to be the youngest ever to receive the prize." The Gershwin Prize for Popular Song "celebrates the work of an artist whose career reflects lifetime achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding," according to the Library of Congress' website.
“An award is only as good as the names on it,” Brooks says in a statement. “First off, for any musician, the name Gershwin says it all. Add to Ira’s and George’s names the names of the past recipients, and you have an award of the highest honor. I am truly humbled.”
Brooks will receive the honor at an all-star tribute concert slated to take place in Washington, D.C., in March of 2020. The concert will air on PBS later in the spring.
Brooks launched his career in 1989 with his self-titled debut album, which scored him his first No. 1 hit single, "If Tomorrow Never Comes." He's gone on to the largest career in country music history, scoring a string of classic hits that includes "The Dance," "Friends in Low Places," "Unanswered Prayers," "What She's Doing Now," "The River," "More Than a Memory, "Ask Me How I Know" and more. His current single is "Dive Bar," a duet with Blake Shelton.
The country icon is also set to be the subject of a four-hour, two-night Biography Presents special titled Garth Brooks: The Road I'm On, which is set to air on A&E on Nov. 24-25 in 2019.
How He's Changed! Garth Brooks' Storied Career in Pictures: