Grammy winning artist, Gloria Estefan and her producer-husband, Emilio Estefan, will be honored during the PBS music special, Emilio & Gloria Estefan: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. This is the first time the Gershwin Prize will be awarded to a married couple or to musicians-songwriters of Hispanic descent.The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is named in honor of George and Ira Gershwin, a legendary songwriting team. According to a PBS article, the prize is given every year to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions represent the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins. Previous awards have been honored to Paul Simon in 2007, Stevie Wonder in 2009, Sir Paul McCartney in 2010, the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 2012, Carole King in 2013, Billy Joel in 2014, Willie Nelson in 2015, Smokey Robinson in 2016 and Tony Bennett in 2017.
The program premiered May 3, 2019 on PBS stations nationwide. The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is named in honor of George and Ira Gershwin, a legendary songwriting team. Parade.com asked Estefan, “What does winning the award mean to you?” She responded, “I was born in Cuba and came here at the age of 2 years old. As a kid, I couldn’t even envision these honors [she’s previously won three Grammys and has been honored by the Kennedy Center]—those are things that seemed unattainable. So it’s extra special.”