Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music Announces its 2025 American Music Honors Recipients

Written By Mike Greenblatt
Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris is one of the 2025 recipients of the BSACAM American Music Honors.

For the third annual American Music Honors, the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music (BSACAM), at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, has announced  honorees for its April 26 on-campus Honors:  Smokey Robinson, John Fogerty, Emmylou Harris, Tom Morello and Joe Ely.

BSACAM Founding Executive Director Bob Santelli: “This year’s honorees represent a cross-section of American music. Rock, Americana, Soul, and Country are all represented by some of the most important artists from each of the genres. We are most excited to honor them and welcome them into the American Music Center family.”

Tickets for the Third Annual American Music Honors will go on sale to the public on Tuesday, March 25. Ticket information is available at https://springsteenarchives.org/american-music-honors/. Presenters include Bruce Springsteen, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa and Stevie Van Zandt. Longtime television news anchorman Brian Williams will host. The Disciples of Soul, under the direction of Marc Ribler, will be the house band.

This prestigious event started in 2023 with Steven Van Zandt, Darlene Love, the late Sam Moore and Steve Earle getting honored. Last year, it was Dion, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp and Mavis Staples.

BSACAM Mission Statement: “American Music Honors celebrates artists who have demonstrated artistic excellence, creative integrity, and a longstanding commitment to the value of music in our national consciousness.”

Smokey Robinson was the first of the Motown artists and has been at it for over 60 years. John Fogerty led Creedence Clearwater Revival before embarking on a successful solo career. Emmylou Harris led an alt-country revolution. Her regal bearing in acoustic music circles—encompassing bluegrass and folk—coupled with her lifelong refusal to follow trends, makes her a true pioneer. Tom Morello, of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave and sometimes E Street Band member, is an activist at heart whose guitar solos can produce actual thunder and lightning. Joe Ely is a bonafide hardcore honky-tonk hero Texan. He brought a rock’n’roll vibe to his barroom waltzes and weepers, especially in “Fingernails” where he channels Jerry Lee and sings “I keep my fingernails long so they click when I play the piano.” You gotta honor a guy like that!

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Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

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