March 27, 2024
It was announced officially yesterday that Bruce Springsteen is the latest songwriter to be named an Ivors Academy Fellow, the highest honor bestowed by the organization. The Ivors Academy is the UK’s professional association for songwriters and composers.
Springsteen becomes the first-ever non-UK-native songwriter that the Academy has inducted into Fellowship since its founding eighty years ago. (U.S.-born contemporary-classical-music composer John Adams and the late French contemporary-classical-music composer/conductor Pierre Boulez also are non-UK-native Fellows.) He joins a prestigious group that includes Joan Armatrading CBE, John Barry OBE, Kate Bush CBE, Peter Gabriel, Sir Barry Gibb CBE, Maurice Gibb CBE, Robin Gibb CBE, Sir Elton John, Annie Lennox OBE, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tim Rice, and Sting.
The induction will be awarded officially to Springsteen at this year's annual Ivors with Amazon Music awards ceremony, which will take place at Grosvenor House in London on Thursday, May 23. The Ivors Academy and the Ivor Novello Awards are named after Welsh actor, dramatist, singer, and composer Ivor Novello, who became one of the most popular British entertainers in the first half of the 20th century. Among his many accomplishments, Novello wrote the World-War-I-period ballad "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and starred in Alfred Hitchcock's groundbreaking silent film The Lodger.
As per yesterday's official announcement, Tom Gray, Chair of The Ivors Academy, said, “There is no one more fitting than Bruce Springsteen to be the first international songwriter inducted into our Fellowship. Songwriters are powerful storytellers, who capture our lives, loves and hardships. Bruce has always told the greatest stories. The Fellowship marks the esteem in which he is held by all those who share his craft.”
Springsteen himself added, “I’m proud to be the first international songwriter to be recognized by The Ivors Academy. In addition to recognizing my songwriting, the award stands as a tribute to the fans and friends who have supported me and my work for the last fifty years. This entire country has made me feel welcome every step of the way, and for this, I will always remain deeply appreciative.”
Click here to read more. Congratulations, Bruce!