James Taylor, Chaka Khan to honour Mitchell at hall of fame gala
Singer-songwriter James Taylor, R&B icon Chaka Khan and opera star Measha Brueggergosman are amongperformers set to honour Joni Mitchell and other new inductees to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame later this month.
Organizers announced on Wednesday a diverse slate of performers setto take the stage in Toronto for the fourth annual gala on Jan. 28.
Taylor, Khan and Brueggergosman will be part of the tribute to the Alberta-born, Saskatchewan-raised Mitchell.
Each will perform one of her classics, with Taylor to sing Woodstock, one of the five Mitchell songs that will be inducted into the hall this year. Khan will give her rendition of Help Me, while Brueggergosman is set to deliver a version of Both Sides Now.
Francophone singing stars Isabelle Boulay, Laurence Jalbert and Mario Pelchat will all deliver tributes to Quebec icon Jean-Pierre Ferland, with French star Patrick Bruel also scheduled to participate, via a performance broadcast from Paris.
Other 2007 inductees include Canadian country music pioneer Wilf Carter, and Broadway and film composer Raymond Egan.
Also scheduled to take part in the gala celebrationare Michael Bublé, George Canyon, Emm Gryner and Corb Lund.
Other songs in hall lineup
"I'm anticipating that these rare musical tributes and collaborations will have audiences on their feet again this year," Jody Scotchmer, hall of fame executive director, said in a statement.
Also set for induction into the hall are the tracks Spinning Wheel, the David Clayton-Thomas song that has been recorded by more than 400 artists in 20 different languages, and You Were on My Mind by Sylvia Fricker (Tyson).
The ceremony will also include the presentation of legacy awards to Canadian tenor Henry Burr and Canadian folk music impresario Sam Gesser.
Hosted by CBC Radio's Andrew Craig and Radio-Canada's Sophie Durocher, the gala will take place Jan. 28 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The show will be broadcast nationally on CBC Radio One and Two the following day, with a special on CBC-TV to follow on March 5.