Paul Simon Tribute Artists Announced

Set for March 31 The Music Of Paul Simon tribute will be the tenth event in Dorf’s annual tributes to various artists.  Like all his tributes, the plan is to have artists performing songs by the person or band being feted.

A New York concert staple for decades, Dorf founded the Knitting Factory in 1986, started the Digital Club Network in 1997 and opened City Winery in 2008.  Past tributes include nights dedicated to the music of The Who, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and R.E.M.

During a 2012 interview Dorf described the very first tribute held in 2004 that honored Joni Mitchell.

“I’ve always been a big, big fan of Joni,” Dorf told Pollstar. “Here was an artist that doesn’t play out much.  You don’t get a chance to her work done live. … That was kind of the impetus, if you will, for the first one. I’d really like to hear Shawn Colvin, Martin Sexton, or Suzanne Vega doing a Joni Mitchell song.  I like covers.  Covers are hard not to like and to hear them interpreted in these voices that I also appreciate, was just a nice mix. That was the impetus of the first one.”

Fans gave Dorf plenty of encouragement to continue the series.  His tribute to Joni Mitchell netted $100,000 for charity.

Although the night dedicated to Simon’s music will be the first time the concert series has honored the most excellent singer/songwriter, Dorf has visited this territory before.  Separate from the Carnegie Hall concerts was Dorf’s tribute to Simon & Garfunkel that he put together for Central Park Summerstage in 2010.  That show included the famed duo sitting in the audience while others performed renditions of their songs. 

And even though there’s no promise that the artist being honored will appear, a few have made surprise appearances at their own tributes, including Springsteen and R.E.M.

Tickets and limited VIP packages are available now with 100 percent of the net proceeds from the concert going to music education nonprofits.  This year’s recipients include The American Symphony Orchestra’s Music Notes, Church Street School for Music and Art, Young Audiences New York, FIKS (Fixing Instruments For Kids In Schools), Little Kids Rock and the Center For Arts Education.

Expect more artists to be added to the lineup in the weeks to come.  Of course there’s a website for the big night.  Visit CarnegiePaulSimon.com for more information. And click here for Pollstar’s interview with Michael Dorf.