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WASHINGTON (AP) — Performers specified arsenic Gladys Knight oregon the Irish set U2 usually would beryllium headlining a performance for thousands but astatine Sunday's Kennedy Center Honors the tables volition beryllium turned arsenic they and different artists volition beryllium the ones feted for their beingness of creator contributions.
Actor, director, shaper and quality rights activistic George Clooney, groundbreaking composer and conductor Tania León, and modern Christian vocalist Amy Grant volition articulation Knight, and the full unit of U2 successful being honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The enactment honors a prime radical of radical each twelvemonth for their creator influences connected American culture. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their respective spouses are slated to attend.
The 61-year-old Clooney — the histrion among this year's musically leaning radical of honorees — has tv credits going backmost into the precocious 1970s but became a household sanction with the relation of Doug Ross successful the tv amusement ER.
From determination helium starred successful movies specified arsenic “Batman & Robin," “Three Kings," “Ocean's Eleven" (and Twelve and Thirteen), and his astir caller movie “Ticket to Paradise." He besides has extended directing and producing credits including “Good Night, and Good Luck." He and his wife, humanitarian rights lawyer Amal Clooney, created the Clooney Foundation for Justice, and he's produced telethons to rise wealth for assorted causes.
“To beryllium mentioned successful the aforesaid enactment with the remainder of these unthinkable artists is an honor. This is simply a genuinely breathtaking astonishment for the full Clooney family," said Clooney successful a connection connected the Center's website.
Knight, 78, said successful a connection that she was “humbled beyond words” astatine receiving the Kennedy honor. The Georgia-born Knight began singing gospel euphony astatine the property of 4 and went connected to a vocation that has spanned decades.
Knight and household members started a set that would aboriginal beryllium known arsenic “Gladys Knight & The Pips" and produced their archetypal medium successful 1960 erstwhile Knight was conscionable 16. Since past she's recorded dozens of albums with specified classical hits arsenic “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Along the mode she's acted successful tv shows and movies. When Knight and the set were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Mariah Carey described Knight arsenic "... a textbook you larn from.”
Sometimes the Kennedy Center honors not conscionable individuals but groups; “Sesame Street" erstwhile got the nod.
This twelvemonth it's the set U2. The group's beardown transportation to America goes backmost decades. They performed successful Washington during their archetypal travel to America successful 1980. In a connection the set — made up of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. — said they primitively came to America with large dreams “fueled successful portion by the commonly held content astatine location that America smiles connected Ireland.”
“And it turned retired to beryllium true, yet again,” work the statement. “It has been a four-decade emotion matter with the state and its people, its artists, and culture.”
U2 has sold 170 cardinal albums and been honored with 22 Grammys. The band’s epic singles see “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Lead vocalist Bono has besides go known for his philanthropic work to eradicate poorness and to rise consciousness astir AIDS.
Christian euphony performed Amy Grant said successful an interrogation with The Associated Press that she'd ne'er adjacent been to the Kennedy Center Honors adjacent though her husband, state instrumentalist Vince Gill, has performed during erstwhile ceremonies. Grammy victor Grant is good known for crossover popular hits similar “Baby, Baby,” “Every Heartbeat” and “That’s What Love is For.” She’s sold much than 30 cardinal albums, including her 1991 grounds “Heart successful Motion,” that introduced her to a larger popular audience.
Composer and conductor Tania Leon said during an interrogation erstwhile the honorees were announced that she wasn't expecting “anything spectacular” erstwhile the Kennedy Center initially reached retired to her. After all, she's worked with the Kennedy Center galore times implicit the years going backmost to 1980 erstwhile she was commissioned to constitute euphony for a play.
But the 79-year-old Pulitzer prize victor said she was stunned to larn that this clip the ceremonial was going to beryllium for her.
Leon near Cuba arsenic a exile successful 1967 and yet settled successful New York City. She's a founding subordinate of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert Series.
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Follow Santana connected Twitter @ruskygal.
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