REWARD TO CAROLE KING AND ANNIE LENNOX

Berklee College of Music president Roger H. Brown will present Carole King, Willie Nelson, and Annie Lennox with honorary doctor of music degrees at Berklee's commencement ceremony, Saturday, May 11, at the 7,000-seat Agganis Arena at Boston University. Commencement speaker Annie Lennox will address more than 900 Berklee graduates, their parents, and invited guests. 

This year's honorary doctorate recipients are being recognized for their achievements and influence in music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. Past recipients include Duke Ellington (the first, in 1971), Dizzy Gillespie, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Juan Luis Guerra, Loretta Lynn, Paco de Lucía, David Bowie, the Edge, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Chaka Khan, Bonnie Raitt, George Clinton, Alison Krauss, Kenneth Gamble, and Leon Huff. 

The concert and ceremony are not open to the public

.THE MIRACLE OF LOVE, BY ANNIE LENOX

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOGD1WkJJok

 

Carole King, a Jewish member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is the most successful female songwriter in pop music history. King penned dozens of hit songs in the 1960s with then-husband Gerry Goffin, including “One Fine Day,” “The Loco-Motion,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” It was 1971’s Tapestry that took her to the pinnacle. Tapestry won three key Grammy Awards—Record, Song, and Album of the Year—a first for a female artist, sold more than 25 million copies, and remained the best-selling album by a female artist for 25 years. She has amassed three additional platinum and seven gold albums. King reunited with James Taylor—who hit No. 1 with her song “You’ve Got a Friend”—forLive at the Troubadour, resulting in a 2010 world tour and documentary. More than 400 of her compositions have been recorded, by more than 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles. King is also actively involved with environmental organizations in support of forest wilderness preservation. She released her memoir, A Natural Woman, in 2012.

Annie Lennox, singer, songwriter, activist, and one of the finest musical voices of our time, is celebrated as an innovator and icon. Born in Scotland, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she met Dave Stewart and formed Eurythmics. The duo sold more than 75 million albums, with more than 20 international hits. In 1990, Lennox’s solo debut, Diva, entered the UK charts at No. 1, selling 6 million copies worldwide. Lennox is an ambassador for UNAIDS, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and the British Red Cross. After witnessing the plight of women and children struggling with HIV in South Africa, she founded the SING campaign to help prevent the spread of the virus. Her accolades include eight BRIT Awards, 10 Grammy nominations and four Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, an Academy Award, the American Music Awards Lifetime Achievement, Billboard's Century Award, the Nobel Peace Laureates Woman of Peace Award, and a Lifetime Achievement from the Inspiration Awards for women. In 2011 she was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in recognition of her humanitarian work.