(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —
Paul Simon will be honored as a BMI Icon at the performing rights organization's 53rd Annual Pop Awards on May 17 in Los Angeles. Simon will receive the accolade at the black-tie dinner hosted by BMI's President & CEO Del Bryant and co-hosted by BMI's Vice President and General Manager, Los Angeles, Barbara Cane. The awards dinner honors the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed songs of the past 12 months.
The Icon designation is given to a creator who has been "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers". Simon, a multiple Grammy winner and a double inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of Simon and Garfunkel and as a solo artist), joins a distinguished list of previous BMI Icons, including James Brown, Chuck Berry, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Little Richard and Dolly Parton, among others. Carlos Santana will be honored as an Icon at the BMI Latin Awards on April 21 in Las Vegas. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
