American Music Honors bridges generations as Springsteen Center expands its vision

Now in its fourth year, the American Music Honors convened on Saturday evening at Monmouth University in fine style. Presented by the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, the annual event honors American artists who have achieved excellence as musicians, while also championing creative and social integrity. This year’s class included Dionne Warwick, Dr. Dre, the Doors, the E Street Band, and Patti Smith, along with posthumous honors for The Band. The night concluded with a stirring rendition of Smith’s anthemic “People Have the Power” led by Springsteen and the event’s star-studded group of inductees.

Held at the Jersey Shore University’s Pollak Theatre, the American Music Honors were hosted by television journalist Brian Williams. The annual ceremony is the brainchild of visionary music industry veteran Bob Santelli, the Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, whose leadership has been behind some of the nation’s most vaunted institutions, including the Grammy Museum, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Experience Music Project.

Under Santelli’s leadership, the Center will be opening its new home at Monmouth University in June. “American Music Honors will have a permanent spot in the Springsteen Center,” he announced, “but it will also be a place for dynamic programs, educational events, classes, lectures, concerts and new exhibits. They’ll occur there as well as an active archive that not only houses the collection of Bruce and the E Street Band but also other American music artists. Our aim is to become the hub and the home of American Music.”

The show kicked off in moving fashion with Springsteen’s induction of Warwick. “She simply has the most elegant voice in the history of pop music,” said Springsteen. “It is so sophisticatedly sexy, it’s totally singular. It’s deeply emotional, remaining deceptively casual. She doesn’t perform, she inhabits the lyrics and her performances are so pure that they’re filled with a very natural and special type of spiritual grace.” With the Disciples of Soul serving as the house band under the direction of bandleader Marc Ribler, Warwick performed the Bacharach-David classic “Walk on By,” followed by “That’s What Friends Are For” as a duet with Darlene Love.

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Up next was N.W.A founder and Beats Electronics entrepreneur, Dr. Dre, who was inducted by producer Jimmy Iovine. “N.W.A and Public Enemy were to hip-hop what The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were to rock ‘n’ roll,” said Iovine. Dre’s induction was celebrated in uplifting style by Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Flavor Flav, who performed a rousing version of “Fight the Power.”

Up next were The Doors, who were represented by drummer John Densmore. With Springsteen taking the microphone, the audience was treated to an unforgettable version of The Doors’ “Light My Fire,” followed by Steve Earle’s rip-roaring take on “Roadhouse Blues.” When it came to the E Street Band, longtime manager and producer Jon Landau inducted Springsteen’s legendary backing group, who brought audiences to their feet for a poignant take on the “Born to Run” classic “Thunder Road.”

After paying posthumous tribute to The Band, who were inducted by E Street drummer Max Weinberg, Springsteen took the stage for a funky version of “The Weight,” followed by “Up on Cripple Creek,” with Amy Helm, Band drummer Levon Helm’s daughter, taking lead vocals. The evening reached a fever pitch with Springsteen’s induction of Patti Smith, who performed “Because the Night,” her biggest hit, with the Boss, the song’s co-writer, in a memorable duet.

This year’s American Music Honors arrives on the eve of the bravura grand opening of the Center’s spacious new home, which will begin welcoming visitors in June.

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