Kennedy Center honours time for Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, Barry Gibb

WASHINGTON (AP):

The newest group of Kennedy Center honorees, including rapper, singer and actress, Queen Latifah; opera singer Renée Fleming; music star Barry Gibb; prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick and comedian Billy Crystal were feted on Saturday at a red-carpet honours gala at the State Department in Washington. On Sunday night, a star-studded event commemorating their lifetime achievement in arts and entertainment unfolded.

In announcing the recipients earlier this year, the Kennedy Center’s president, Deborah F. Rutter, called this year’s group of inductees “an extraordinary mix of individuals who have redefined their art forms”.

Warwick, 82, shot to stardom in the 1960s as the muse for the superstar songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Her discography includes a multi-decade string of hits, both with and without Bacharach, that includes I Say a Little Prayer, I’ll Never Love This Way Again and That’s What Friends Are For.

Fleming, 64, is one of the leading sopranos of her era, with a string of accolades that includes a National Medal of Arts bestowed by President Barack Obama, a Cross of the Order of Merit from the German government and honorary membership in England’s Royal Academy of Music.

Gibb, 76, achieved global fame as part of one of the most successful bands in the history of modern music, the Bee Gees. Along with his late brothers Robin and Maurice, the trio launched a nearly unmatched string of hits that defined a generation of music.

Latifah, 53, has been a star since age 19 when her debut album and hit single Ladies First made her the first female crossover rap star. She has gone on to a diverse career that has included seven studio albums, starring roles in multiple television shows and movies and an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the movie musical, Chicago.

Crystal, 75, came to national prominence in the 1970s playing Jodie Dallas, one of the first openly gay characters on American network television, on the sitcom Soap. He went on to a brief, but memorable one-year stint on Saturday Night Live before starring in a string of movies, including hits, such as When Harry Met Sally , The Princess Bride and City Slickers.

Fleming and Latifah, nee Dana Owens, also share an obscure bit of Kennedy Center Honors historical trivia. They both performed at the 2014 Super Bowl. Fleming sang the national anthem while Latifah performed America the Beautiful.