Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
Klobuchar also recognized for efforts to support the music industry after leading passage of the Save Our Stages Act, which provided grants for live venue operators, producers, and promoters affected by pandemic
Jam and Lewis are the recipients of the Recording Academy’s 2022 Creators Leadership Award
WATCH KLOBUCHAR FULL REMARKS HERE
WASHINGTON – At the annual Grammys on the Hill event, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) presented legendary Minnesota record producers and songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with the Recording Academy’s 2022 Creators Leadership Award.
Jam and Lewis have written more Billboard No.1 hits than any production duo in history and collaborated with artists including Janet Jackson, Lionel Richie, and George Michael. The duo both grew up in Minneapolis, and met in 1973 at a University of Minnesota summer program.
“Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are music pioneers and Minnesota legends who helped define the Minneapolis sound in the 1980s,” said Klobuchar. “Making iconic records and winning awards would have been enough to secure their place in the history books. But they have done so much more than that, giving back through philanthropy and advocacy, supporting music education, and rallying others in the music industry to enact change. Jimmy and Terry have shown us again and again the power of music to serve others.”
Klobuchar was also recognized for her efforts to support the music industry and independent performance venues through pandemic hardships by securing over $16 billion in emergency grant funding.
Klobuchar’s bipartisan Save Our Stages Act, which was co-led by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) was enacted into law in December 2020. The legislation created the Shuttered Venues Operating Grant program to help independent performance venues, museums, and theaters survive the pandemic and continue paying their employees. Additional funding for the Shuttered Venues Operating grant program was passed as part of the American Rescue Plan that was signed by President Biden in March 2021.
The bipartisan legislation gained more than 50 cosponsors in the Senate, and the House version of Save our Stages, led by Representatives Peter Welch (D-VT) and Roger Williams (R-TX), gained over 170 cosponsors.
Since its enactment, the Save Our Stages Act has helped over 250 Minnesota venues and organizations, including First Avenue.
Klobuchar’s full remarks are available for TV download HERE, and for online viewing HERE.
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