NARM, the music business association, has announced that it will honor Grammy and Oscar-winning artist, activist and campaigner, Annie Lennox, with its Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award in recognition of her outstanding work on behalf of HIV/AIDS awareness and other health, human rights and environmental causes.
The presentation will take place at the 2011 NARM Convention Awards Dinner Finale at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 12.
“Annie Lennox truly exemplifies the powerful spirit of the Harry Chapin Memorial Award, as she is an outstanding composer and singer who has also dedicated herself to making a meaningful impact on global issues,” said Jim Donio, NARM President. “She continues to amaze us all with both her musical gifts and her determination to bring positive change to the world.”
Over the years, Lennox has consistently devoted her time to philanthropy and has become a tireless advocate for HIV/Aids awareness. In 2006, she invited 23 of the world’s most acclaimed female superstar voices to record with her on a song she had written, called “SING,” in order to help to draw attention to the HIV AIDS pandemic, especially focusing on the country of South Africa, where women and children are most badly affected. In 2007, she consolidated her work into the SING campaign, which helps prevent the spread of HIV in South Africa and also raise awareness and support for infected and affected women and children all over the world. To date, SING has raised over £1 million. In 2010, Lennox became an official UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador, as well as an HIV Ambassador for London and a special envoy for CPA Scotland on HIV. The dynamic activist also serves as an ambassador for Oxfam, Amnesty International and Greenpeace. As part of Queen Elizabeth II’s 2010 New Year’s Honours, Lennox was appointed an Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Lennox has been a force in the music world for over three decades. After initial success with Dave Stewart in a group called The Tourists, the two formed the duo Eurythmics, bursting onto the international stage with “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” in 1983. Eurythmics went on to sell over 75 million albums, and achieved over 20 international hits across the world.
Lennox has gone on to have an outstanding solo career, beginning with 1990’s Diva. Her next recording, Medusa, consisted of cover songs including “No More I Love You’s.” She and Dave Stewart reunited for the album Peace, reflecting their concerns around global conflict. In 2003, Lennox released her third solo album Bare, and embarked on her first solo tour. The following year, she won the Academy Award for Best Song for “Into the West,” which she composed for the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. After releasing the Eurythmics compilation album Ultimate Collection, which included two new songs, she returned to the studio in 2007 to record Songs of Mass Destruction, which included “Sing,” the song which was the inspiration for her charity organization. Her most recent album was 2010’s A Christmas Cornucopia, a collection of traditional holiday songs with one new composition, “Universal Child,” which Lennox had showcased on" American Idol Gives Back," raising over $500,000 for AIDS charities.
The Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award was established to celebrate Chapin’s dedicated philanthropic efforts. 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Award and Chapin’s untimely death. Prior honorees have included Melissa Etheridge, Norman Lear, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Hilary Rosen, Michael Jackson, and the organizations Rock the Vote, Hands Across America, and Live Aid.
