Library of Congress honours Billy Joel in DC concert with Gershwin Prize for Popular Song

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WASHINGTON – The Library of Congress honoured Billy Joel, the singer and songwriter behind “New York State of Mind,” ”Allentown,” ”Piano Man” and numerous other hits with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song on Wednesday.

The 65-year-old Joel performed in a concert celebrating the prize near the White House along with Tony Bennett, Gavin DeGraw, LeAnn Rimes, John Mellencamp, Natalie Maines, Boyz II Men and other entertainers. The lifetime achievement award created by Congress is named for the songwriting duo of George and Ira Gershwin.

Joel’s tunes were enough to have Republican and Democratic congressional leaders sitting side by in the divided capital, clapping to the same beat.

Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor saluted Joel, a fellow New Yorker, for creating an enduring lyrical and musical legacy for the nation.

“For more than five decades, Billy Joel has inspired new generations of performers, musicians and singer-songwriters,” she said.

Kevin Spacey took up the harmonica and led a rendition of “Piano Man” with the night’s lineup of performers and Joel at the keyboard. Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney and James Taylor filmed special tributes for Joel.

At a luncheon in his honour Tuesday, Joel said he was thinking about his mother, Rosalind Joel, who died this year.

“I keep seeing this through her eyes now,” he said. “She would have just gotten such a kick out of this.”

Joel’s father was an accomplished classical pianist who left the family when Joel was 8, and his mother struggled to support Joel and his sister on New York’s Long Island. In high school, Joel played at a piano bar to help support his family. When he didn’t have enough credits to graduate, he began his career in music.

Clive Davis signed Joel to a deal with Columbia Records in 1973, and “Piano Man” was his debut album, inspired by his real-life experiences.

Joel said some of the most exciting concerts he ever played were in 1987 when he was the first American pop star to bring a full rock concert to the Soviet Union. He didn’t know if any Russians would know his songs, but he used George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” to help open the concert.

“We wanted people to know we’re America. This is our stuff. This is what we’re going to give you,” he said. “I wanted to introduce that idea. This is our music. This is who we are.”

By 1999, Joel was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He continues to tour and for the past year has been performing monthly in a residency at New York City’s Madison Square Garden for as long as fans will have him.

Through the years, Joel has influenced many musicians, and many of them sing and play covers of his greatest hits. But don’t tell singer Gavin DeGraw that Joel is only a “Piano Man.”

“Personally, I think he’s about the most underrated singer there is,” DeGraw told The Associated Press. “People always say Billy Joel, the singer-songwriter, the Piano Man, and I say yeah, I agree, but he’s a great singer.”

Past winners of the Gershwin Prize include Carole King, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.

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