President Joe Biden and The White House are bestowing the National Medal of Arts to three venerated musicians in the entertainment industry.
Bruce Springsteen, Jose Feliciano, and Gladys Knight are the three music artists slated to receive the award from President Joe Biden.
National Medal of Arts Explained
In 1984, the United States Congress started giving out the National Medal of Arts for the purpose of honoring artists and loyal patrons of the fine arts. It is widely considered a prestigious American honor and is, in fact, the highest recognition that an artist would receive from the United States Government.
Artists are nominated by the National Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and final recommendations are sent to The White House, with the approval of the President of the United States.
Among the most notable recipients of the awards were Broadway Icon Audra McDonald, multiinstrumentalist Alisson Krauss, actor Mel Brooks, Sally Field, Stephen King, George Lucas, Al Pacino, Quincy Jones, Rita Moreno, Bob Dylan, Stan Lee, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, and Angela Lansbury, among many others.
READ ALSO: Bruce Springsteen Health Kept On The Dark? Singer Surprisingly Returns To Tour After Mystery Illness
National Medal of Arts 2021 Winners
Springsteen, Feliciano, and Knight were some of the many awardees for the 2021 National Medal of Arts. Supposedly, it should have been awarded last two years ago, but because of the COVID-19 lockdowns, it was postponed. (via Rolling Stone)
Actresses Mindy Kaling and Julia Louis-Dreyfus were also honored. Fashion Icon Vera Wang, painter Antonio Martorell, artist Judith Francisca Baca, director Joan Shigekawa, philanthropist Fred Eychaner, The Billie Holiday Theatre, and The International Association of Blacks in Dance were also among the recipients.
Aside from President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden was also in attendance during the event earlier today.
Springsteen was also the recipient of Former President Barack Obama's Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. To date, Springsteen is one of the best-selling music artists in the industry. He has established himself as one of the most venerated and most awarded living entertainment and music icons.
He is the recipient of 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Tony Award, and an Academy Award. All he needs is an Emmy, and he is already up for EGOT Status. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999. Ten years later, he received the Kennedy Centers Honors and was named MusiCares Person of the Year in 2013.
READ ALSO: Bruce Springsteen Unfit to Perform Anymore? Singer Postpones More Shows Due to Health Concerns
