Singer billy joel to be awarded with us gershwin prize for lifetime achievement

Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Billy Joel, who penned hit tunes such as "Piano Man" and "New York State of Mind," will receive the Library of Congress Gershwin

Prize for Popular Song, the US national library said on Tuesday. Joel, 65, is the sixth recipient of the prize that honors individuals for lifetime achievement in popular music. It is named

after songwriting brothers George and Ira Gershwin. "Billy Joel is a storyteller of the highest order," Librarian of Congress James H Billlington said in a statement. "There

is an intimacy to his songwriting that bridges the gap between the listener and the worlds he shares through music." Joel, whose career has spanned 50 years, is one of the most popular

recording artists and has had 33 top-40 hits. His multiple Grammy wins include song and album of the year in 1978 for "Just the Way You Are." He was also presented with a Grammy

Legend Award in 1990 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. "The great composer, George Gershwin, has been a personal inspiration to me throughout my career. And

the Library's decision to include me among those songwriters who have been past recipients is a milestone for me," Joel said. The New York-born singer will receive the prize in

Washington DC in November and will be honored at a series of events. Carole King, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney and the songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and the late Hal David

are previous recipients of the award.