Paul Williams will be honored with the Guild of Music Supervisors Award
2 min read
Songwriter and composer Paul Williams will be honored with the 2023 Icon Award at the 13th annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards on March 5 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. The awards show will also posthumously honor the former VP and music supervisor of Sony Pictures Entertainment. , Pilar McCurry.
Williams’ standards have been recorded by accomplished artists such as Ray Charles, David Bowie, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, the Carpenters, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Luther Vandross and Willie Nelson. He has previously been recognized with six Oscars, nine Grammys, six Golden Globes and two Emmy nominations.
“There’s a strange, beautiful alchemy that happens when the perfect song placement transforms
Both the scene and the song,” Williams said in a news release. “I’ve had many opportunities to write songs for films in my career, and it feels like magic every time. Thank you Guild of Music Supervisors for this incredible recognition.”
The Guild of Music Supervisors presents the Icon Award to an artist and music supervisor who has made legendary contributions to the music and film industry. Williams joins an acclaimed group of previous recipients including Diane Warren, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Kenny Loggins and Marc Shaiman.
The Legacy Award is given to a music supervisor who has made an impact within the industry during their career. Pilar McCurry was best known for her work in films such as “Love Jones”, “Stomp the Yard”, “Set It Off” and “Men in Black”.
Pilar McCurry (courtesy of The Guild of Music Supervisors)
Throughout his 25-year career, McCurry has worked on projects with artists such as Will Smith, Beyonce, Questlove, Aaliyah, Enrique Iglesias, Lauryn Hill, 2Pac and EnVogue. He died in March 2018 at the age of 53. Previous recipients of this award include Mitchell Leib, Maureen Crowe, Bob Hunka, Joel Seale, Gary Lamel, and Chris Montan.
“We are thrilled to honor Paul Williams and Pilar McCurry at our 13th annual awards. Both have contributed greatly to the entertainment industry through their songs and supervision,” said Guild of Music Supervisor VP Madonna Wade Reed. “Also, this year we have focused on curating presenter pairings that will include a supervisor and a member of the entertainment community. This is a great opportunity to highlight and demonstrate the connection and collaboration of music supervision with all elements of the storytelling process.”
Performing at this year’s Guild of Music Supervisors Awards are nominees Gabby Moreno and Ruth B.
Moreno. Gabby will perform a rendition of “A Song in My Heart” from “The Valet”, while Ruth B will perform her rendition of “Paper Airplane” from “Judgeman’s Blues”. Celebrity presenters include Sharon Stone, Debbie Allen, Pamela Adlon, Lindsey Blaufarb and Odeya Rush. See more nominees here.
