Elton, Taupin Honored at Songwriters Hall

Elton John and longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin will be honored on June 13th at the 2013 Songwriter's Hall of Fame induction ceremony when they receive the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award. The award is presented to a songwriter who's already been inducted into the Hall of Fame but "whose body of work is of such high quality and impact that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer." Mercer was the organization's founding president, serving from 1969 to 1973.

Legendary songwriter and chairman of the Hall of Fame Jimmy Webb said of John & Taupin's work: "Some catalogs are more 'deep' and significant than others not only because of their pertinence to the times in which they were written, but because their sheer mass is overpowering. It's just not that easy to write 40 Top 10 records. It's kind of like swimming the English Channel with your hands tied behind your back. Elton's readily identifiable melodic piano style has proven to be a perfect accompaniment to Bernie's razor sharp lyrics about relationships and living on the edge of life both in good and bad times."