When the Kennedy Center revealed the list for the 2022 Honours, it features an actor, a composer, and three musical acts.  Each year the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D. C. Honours five members of the artistic community for their contributions and lifetime achievements to American culture through artistic endeavors.   

This year’s honorees feature an international flavor when Irish rockers U2 become the fourth musical group to be honored; joining The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, and Earth Wind and Fire. 

Christian and Country music singer Amy Grant, R&B legend Gladys Knight, actor George Clooney, and composer Tania Leon are also being honored.

This marks thE 45tH year of the Kennedy Center Honours and while it has been a bit rough over the past few years, the Kennedy Center plans a full presentation on December 4 with a two hour television broadcast later in the month as they look to a return to normalcy.

Meet the 2022 Kennedy Center Honourees:

U2 – since making their debut in New York City in 1980, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. have called the Untied States their, “home away from home.”  Since coming on to the music scene, U2 has sold over 170 million albums and have adorned their trophy case with 22 Grammy Awards.

Actor George Clooney is a two time Academy Award winner who enticed female television viewers as the hunky Dr. Doug Ross on the hit medical drama “ER”.  His other roles include the “Oceans” film series, “Syrians”, “Argo”, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, “Up in the Air”, and “The Descendants”.  The 61 year old Kentucky native issued a statement saying he “never have imagined that someday I’d be the one sitting in the balcony at the Kennedy Center Honors.”  Adding it a “genuinely exciting surprise”.

This year eight Grammy Award winning icon Gladys Knight returns to the Kennedy Center except this time she will be sitting in the balcony watching other artists perform her music.  The last time she appeared was as a performer when Country music legend Garth Brooks was being honored.  The 78 year old Knight broke onto the music scene as a part of the Motown scene with Gladys Knight and the Pips – a group of four men who were known as much for the dance moves as the backup vocals.

While her husband Vince Gill has been a frequent performer at the Kennedy Center, six time Grammy Award winning Christian singer Amy Grant admits that she has never been inside the building.  Her first visit will be sitting in the balcony as an honoree.

The 79 year old composer and conductor Tania Leon has worked with the Kennedy Center on a number of occasions but when the call came through to tell her this time she was one of the honourees, Leon was left speechless.  The Havana native has travelled the world leading orchestras and continues to work and keep busy saying, “we are going to be dead for a long time.  We have to live to the fullest and do the best that we can while we are alive.”