The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music will pay tribute to Dionne Warwick, Patti Smith, Dr. Dre, the E Street Band and the Doors at its fourth annual American Music Honors, which will take place April 18 at Pollak Theatre on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J.
A posthumous tribute to the Band is also on tap for the event, which will be hosted by journalist and longtime Springsteen fan Brian Williams. In addition to his E Street Band honor, guitarist Steven Van Zandt’s Disciples of Soul will function as the house band.
Springsteen will present to Warwick and Smith, the latter of whom broke through with her 1978 cover of the Boss’ “Because the Night.” Longtime Springsteen manager Jon Landau will fete the E Street Band, Jimmy Iovine will honor Dr. Dre and Van Zandt will salute the Doors.
Tickets go on sale March 18. Proceeds will benefit the Springsteen Center’s mission to not only preserve artifacts related to the Springsteen’s career but also produce exhibitions and other programs celebrating American music in all its forms. Previous honorees include Darlene Love, Mavis Staples, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, John Fogerty, Emmylou Harris and Tom Morello.
“The artists we’re honoring this year didn’t just shape popular music — they helped define it,” says founding director Robert Santelli. “Their work reflects the creativity, risk-taking and cultural exchange that sit at the heart of American music, and it’s a privilege to celebrate their legacies.”
