Billy Joel received the Gershwin Prize for popular song from the Library Of Congress, and was also given a special tribute concert that aired on PBS. The award is named after brothers George and Ira Gershwin, known for the orchestral piece “Rhapsody in Blue.”

The singer-songwriter was honored for his contributions to popular music over the span of his career, producing many hits that people are familiar with such as “Piano Man” and “Vienna.”

An all-star tribute was given to Joel, which was recorded on November 19th, and aired on PBS on January 2nd. The roster of musicians who performed his songs in front of him and a large audience in Washington D.C.’s DAR Hall included Tony Bennett, John Mellencamp, Natalie Maines, Josh Groban, and LeAnn Rhimes. In case you missed it, the full show can be seen here.

Billy Joel is the 6th recipient of the Gershwin Prize after being introduced in 2007, and follows musical stars Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and Carole King. His career has spanned several decades with the release of his first album “Cold Spring Harbor” in 1971.

After each of the popular musicians paid tribute to Billy Joel’s music, he got up to play a few of his songs for everyone. His short set featured the songs “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Down on Broadway),” “Vienna,” “You May Be Right” and “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song).”

In addition to each of the tributes throughout the night, a special treat was featured at the end with actor Kevin Spacey leading everyone in a rendition of “Piano Man” with Joel on piano, Spacey playing the harmonica and singing the first few verses, while others continued with the rest of the song.

The legendary singer-songwriter has achieved many milestones throughout this career, and is the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

In addition to his recent Gershwin Prize, Billy Joel received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013, which is the nation’s highest honor for influencing American culture through the arts.

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