Tim Rice to Receive Johnny Mercer Award at the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame Annual Induction and Awards Gala

Tim Rice will be the 2023 recipient of the esteemed Johnny Mercer Award at the 52nd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner slated for Thursday, June 15, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

The Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, is exclusively reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted in a prior year and whose body of work is of such high quality and impact that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer. Tim Rice was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999.

SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said, "Tim Rice is an artisan. He has crafted some of the greatest lyrics and stories in musical history with "Jesus Christ Superstar," and his incredible work with Andrew Lloyd Webber being amongst my favorites. In the '70s, we used to say, 'What's The Buzz' because of him. More than 50 years later, the buzz is still Tim Rice!"

Tim Rice said, "I am truly honoured to be chosen to receive the Johnny Mercer Award. My induction into the SHOF was itself a highlight of my writing career and I never expected to receive any further recognition from the most distinguished gathering of songwriters in the world. So, I am bowled over (a cricketing metaphor) with gratitude. I have attended quite a few SHOF events in the past twenty-five years and they have always been among the most enjoyable of entertainment world extravaganzas - unpretentious, unpredictable, and spectacular. So, June 15, 2023, is a golden booking in my electronic diary."

A member of the exclusive group of 18 entertainers who have achieved EGOT status, Tim Rice has won an Emmy Award, five GRAMMY Awards, three Tony Awards, and three Academy Awards throughout his illustrious career. He has worked in music, theatre, and films since 1965 and has collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on The Likes Of Us, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita.

Tim has also worked with other distinguished, famous composers such as Elton John (The Lion King, Aida), Alan Menken (Aladdin, King David, Beauty and the Beast), Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (Chess), and Stuart Brayson (From Here To Eternity). He has also written with Freddie Mercury, Burt Bacharach, and Rick Wakeman, among many others.

His recent musical From Here To Eternity returned to London in November 2022, and a new Broadway presentation of Chess is set to open in the fall of 2023. In early 2024 a new production of his Tony-winning Broadway hit Aida will make its UK West End début. Additionally, Mr. Rice is currently writing and presenting a podcast reminiscing about his years in music, theatre, and film - playing hits and flops, out-takes, and number ones. The forthcoming podcast is appropriately entitled Get Onto My Cloud.

Rice's interests beyond music, film, and theatre include cricket, a longtime passion of his; he founded his own team in 1973, which has now played over 700 matches, including several in the USA. He also dedicates considerable time to several British educational institutions and charitable organizations, many connected with sports for disadvantaged children.

Inductees at this year's event include Sade Adu P/K/A Sade, Glen Ballard, Calvin Broadus Jr. P/K/A Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley & Liz Rose.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski