Lin-Manuel Miranda Receives Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award
By: BWW News Desk Dec. 13, 2007
The ASCAP Foundation honored superstar singer-songwriter-recording artist John Mellencamp with its Champion Award during the twelfth annual Awards Reception, held Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The prestigious award was presented to Mellencamp in recognition of his outstanding use of music in the service of humanity. The invitation-only event also honored a wide variety of Scholarship and Award recipients, all of whom benefit from The ASCAP Foundation's programs.
John Mellencamp has a long and distinguished record as a social activist and humanitarian. Together with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, he organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Farm Aid stages America's longest running annual concert event that unites farmers, artists, consumers, and concerned citizens to build a powerful movement for good food from family farms. Farm Aid has raised more than $30 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. In addition, Mellencamp has long worked for peace and social justice through his songs and personal appearances, including his participation in the 2004 multi-artist "Vote for Change" Tour. Social awareness has been a hallmark of Mellencamp song lyrics since the 1985 album, Scarecrow, which featured the hits "Small Town" and "Rain on the Scarecrow." More recently, Mellencamp's 2007 release, Freedom's Road, included the songs, "Jim Crow," "Ghost Towns Along the Highway" and "Our Country." This past April, Mellencamp poignantly demonstrated his support for the men and women in uniform (in spite of his opposition to the war) by performing a concert for 200 wounded veterans and their families at Washington's Walter Reed Hospital. In October 2007, Mellencamp released the topical song, "Jena," in response to the racially charged situation in that Louisiana town. Mellencamp was recognized with the Woody Guthrie Award in 2003 by the Huntington's Disease Society of America. Most recently, Mellencamp was nominated for a 2008 Grammy for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for "Our Country."http://www.ascap.com/press
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