Burt Bacharach and Hal David - Library of Congress Gershwin Prize

SHOWTIME! We continue our series of ‘In Performance at the White House’ – a series of concerts created to showcase the rich fabric of American culture in the exclusive setting of the nation’s most famous home. To see last week’s post, Fiesta Latina, click here.

Burt Bacharach & Hal David
“In Performance at the White House: Burt Bacharach & Hal David, The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song” was a concert hosted by President and Mrs. Obama in the East Room of the White House. The concert included performances from Sheryl Crow, Michael Feinstein, Diana Krall, Lyle Lovett, Mike Myers, Rumer, Arturo Sandoval, Sheléa and Stevie Wonder. President Obama presents the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to Bacharach during the event.

This legendary concert was the first time that the Gershwin Prize honor has been awarded to a songwriting team. Just like the siblings for whom the Gershwin Prize is named, Bacharach and David are a pianist and lyricist respectively. The Grammy- and Academy Award-winning pair have collaborated for more than a half-century, since their first hit together, “The Story of My Life” in 1957, both have been nominated and honored with every major award bestowed by the music industry. Today, their songs continue to be recorded by such artists as Diana Krall, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Cyndi Lauper and the cast of the television show Glee.

Burt Bacharach has been for six decades one of the most-honored and successful composers of our times with three Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, 48 Top Ten hits and nine number one songs including Alfie, Arthur’s Theme, Close To You, Do You Know The Way To San Jose, I Say A Little Prayer, Walk On By, What The World Needs Now Is Love and Wishin’ And Hopin’.

Hal David was one of the greatest American songwriters of the postwar era. Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, This Guy’s in Love With You and I’ll Never Fall in Love Again are just three of the hits in a string of standards written by this Academy Award and Grammy Award winner.

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In Performance at the White House: Burt Bacharach & Hal David: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song (2012)
01. Sheryl Crow and Lyle Lovett – I’ll Never Fall In Love Again
02. Arturo Sandoval and Stevie Wonder – Make It Easy on Yourself
03. Diana Krall – The Look of Love
04. Sheléa and Arturo Sandoval – Anyone Who Had a Heart
05. Mike Myers – What’s New Pussy Cat
06. Rumer – A House is Not a Home
07. Lyle Lovett – Always Something There to Remind Me
08. Sheryl Crow – Walk On By
09. Michael Feinstein – Close to You
10. Stevie Wonder – Alfie
11. President Obama awards the Gershwin Prize to Burt Bacharach and Hal David
12. Burt Bacharach and All Performers – What the World Needs Now is Love