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Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala Will Present 2010 “Towering Song” Honor to “Bridge Over Troubled Water

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER” TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS 2010 “TOWERING SONG” HONOR AT THE SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME GALA

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED INDUCTEES INCLUDE Leonard cohen, JACKIE DESHANNON, DAVID FOSTER, JOHNNY MANDEL and earth, wind & fire’s maurice White, philip bailey, verdine white, larry dunn and al mckay

RECENTLY ANNOUNCED POSTHUMOUS INDUCTEES INCLUDE TOM ADAIR AND MATT DENNIS, BOB MARLEY, LAURA NYRO, SUNNY SKYLAR AND JESSE STONE

New York, NY- May X, 2010- Hal David, Chairman/CEO of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, announced today that the 2010 Towering Song Award will be awarded to the world renown song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards dinner Thursday, June 17 at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel. Paul Simon will accept the Towering Song Award for his famed song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” was written by Paul Simon in 1969 and recorded in 1970 with Art Garfunkel. “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which is one of the most enduring songs from the past four decades, won the GRAMMY Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1971. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970 and stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks. Special Citation of Achievement was presented by BMI to Paul Simon in recognition of the great national popularity as measured by over 5 million broadcast performances attained by “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Following these prestigious awards, Aretha Franklin performed a gospel-inspired cover which landed number one on the U.S. R&B chart and number six on the pop chart. Elvis Presley, another legendary artist, also recorded Simon’s song and released it on his 1970 album That’s the Way It Is to also include a documentary of Presley creating the album. Presley’s version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was included in the Golden Globe-winning documentary Elvis on Tour. Other artists to cover Simon’s song include Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, Shirley Bassey, and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. It has been recorded over 300 times. Performances of this song have been by David Foster, Andrea Bocelli, Mary J. Blige, Anita Baker, Clay Aiken, Johnny Cash, Josh Groban and many more.

The Towering Song Award is presented each year to the creators of an individual song that has influenced our culture in a unique way over many years. Previous Towering Songs have included “Moon River,” “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” “Unchained Melody,” “When The Saints Go Marching In,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “What The World Needs Now Is Love” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”

About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Over the course of the past 41 years, some key Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees have included Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Albert Hammond, Desmond Child, Loretta Lynn, John Fogerty, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Steve Cropper, Dolly Parton, Richard and Robert Sherman, Bill Withers, Carole King, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, Jim Croce, Phil Collins, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Jimmy Webb, Paul Williams, Van Morrison, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Cy Coleman and many, many others. The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond.

Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Virtual Museum at http://songwritershalloffame.org/.

The mission of the Songwriters Hall of Fame is to remember and honor our great songwriters while building our musical future through workshops, showcases and scholarships, along with giving members the opportunity to vote for the next slate of inductees. Joining online is quick and easy: http://songhall.org/join

Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $1000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, (212) 573-6933. Net proceeds from the event will go towards the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.

CONTACT: Fran Curtis, Rogers & Cowan, fcurtis@rogersandcowan.com

Caitlin McNamara, Rogers & Cowan , cmcnamamara@rogersandcowan.com

Lauren Wilsman, Rogers & Cowan lwilsman@rogersandcowan.com

Technorati Tags: towering Song Award, simon & garfunkel, Songwriters Hall of Fame

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