Sir Elton John is to be celebrated for his musical talents at
the upcoming Songwriters Hall of Fame gala.  The Rocket Man
hitmaker and his longterm collaborator Bernie Taupin will
receive the Johnny Mercer Award during the prizegiving in New
York City in June (13), in recognition of their body of work.
Songwriters Hall of Fame Chairman Jimmy Webb says, "Some
catalogues are more 'deep' and significant than others not only
because of their pertinence to the times in which they were
written, but because their sheer mass is overpowering. It's just
not that easy to write 40 Top 10 records. It's kind of like
swimming the English Channel with your hands tied behind your
back.   Past recipients of the Johnny Mercer Award, in honour of
the lyricist who co-founded the Songwriters Hall of Fame,
include Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Billy Joel.