Los Angeles / New York, March 13, 2007: Melissa Etheridge will be honored with the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award during the 24th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards, it was announced today by President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman. The invitation-only gala will take place on April 18, 2007 at The Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The event will also honor the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed pop songs of 2006.
From her self-titled debut in 1988 through the 2005 release of
Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled, to her Oscar® winning song from the Oscar® winning documentary
An Inconvenient Truth, Etheridge is one of the most successful singer/songwriters in contemporary music. Her body of work includes such hits as "Similar Features," "Bring Me Some Water," "Come To My Window," "Ain't It Heavy," "I'm The Only One," "If I Wanted To" and "I Want To Come Over." Her
Greatest Hits, which will be re-released on March 13 th 2007 in an environmentally friendly Eco-Pak, includes the song and video for "I Need To Wake Up," along with "I Run For Life," an inspiring anthem for those whose lives have been impacted by breast cancer. Etheridge has received fifteen Grammy nominations, won two Grammy Awards for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and the 2007 Oscar® for best original song. She has received numerous ASCAP Pop Awards, including the coveted title of ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year in 1996. Etheridge is scheduled to perform on July 7 th, 2007 as part of the 24-hour worldwide series of " Live Earth" concerts, part of the recently launched Save Our Selves (SOS) Campaign for a Climate in Crisis.
Marilyn Bergman commented: " Through her 25-year journey as a performing songwriter, Melissa's mixture of soulful rock vocals and spirited live performances has touched audiences everywhere. Her work is consistently marked by a level of intelligence, passion and honesty that places her in the top ranks of musical artists of our time. We are very proud to honor Melissa Etheridge with ASCAP's Founders Award."
The ASCAP Founders Award is among the most prestigious honors that ASCAP gives to songwriters who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. Each recipient is a musical innovator who possesses a unique style of songwriting genius that will enrich generations to come.
Past recipients include Annie Lennox, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, James Taylor, Tom Waits, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Ashford & Simpson, Sir George Martin, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Smokey Robinson, Sir Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, to name a few.
The songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed pop songs of 2006 will also be honored at the awards ceremony. Top awards will be given to "Songwriter of the Year," "Song of the Year" and "Publisher of the Year," in addition to the presentation of the "ASCAP Vanguard Award," which recognizes the impact of musical genres which help shape the future of American music.
The 24th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards is part of ASCAP's "I Create Music Week" -- an entire week of events being held in Los Angeles to celebrate the voice of the music creator.
Members of the press may apply for credentials here.
About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 275,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with over 90 music rights organizations such that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American Performing Rights Organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members.
www.ascap.com
