[UPDATE 12/9/22]: Susan Tedeschi, Dave Grohl, Gloria Estefan, and Emilio Estefan all took their place in history on Thursday night with a ceremony at The Smithsonian Museum of American History. The event was held at the famed Washington, D.C. museum where the musicians were all presented with the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal.
Though the artists did not perform on Thursday, they each took their turn at the mic to accept their awards and reflect on the magnitude of their achievements. As the Estefans marveled at the level of success two Cuban immigrants could achieve, Emilio connected their award to a new Smithsonian exhibit that tells U.S. history through the lens of pop culture.
“We live in the best country in the whole world. Dreams come true,” he said according to WTOP. “I hope this is not about me and Gloria. This will inspire minorities, people that have dreams. Doesn’t matter if you’re African-American, you’re Latinos, you come from other countries. We’re lucky and blessed to live in America.”
The experience was also surreal for Grohl, as the Foo Fighters bandleader and former Nirvana drummer grew up in nearby Springfield, VA. As a child in the 1970s and ’80s, he visited the museum many times on school field trips.
“We got to grow up here and experience so much culture and so much art, and realizing that all of the things here at the Smithsonian really do sort of lay a foundation for the dreams that you have later in life,” said Grohl.
Like the Estefans, Tedeschi also recognized her own artistic drive even when the odds were stacked against her.
“I started playing guitar almost just to prove the point that women could play guitar,” she said. Tedeschi also took a moment to thank her brothers who told her she wasn’t a good singer when they were growing up. “It made me work harder.”
Check out some photos and videos from the Smithsonian ceremony on Thursday recognizing Susan Tedeschi, Dave Grohl, Gloria Estefan, and Emilio Estefan.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
[12/7/22]: The Smithsonian Institution has announced that it will present the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal to Susan Tedeschi (Tedeschi Trucks Band), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), and the superstar Latin pop couple Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan in honor of their “contributions to the American experience through music.”
The four musicians will accept their medals during a ceremony at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. on the morning of Thursday, December 8th. The list of previous recipients of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal includes other musicians like Pete Seeger, Betty Carter, Les Paul, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Rosemary Clooney, Billy Joel, Dave Brubeck, and more as well as a slew of notable cultural figures from other fields.
The ceremony will mark the December 9th opening of the museum’s new Culture Wing with a pair of new spaces including Ray and Dagmar Dolby Hall of American Culture, which will house a long-term entertainment exhibition, and the Marcia and Frank Carlucci Hall of Culture and the Arts, which will feature changing exhibitions.
The Ray and Dagmar Dolby Hall of American Culture’s first long-term exhibition will be “Entertainment Nation/Nación del espectáculo,” devoted to music, theater, television, film and sports at the museum with approximately 200 objects from the museum’s extraordinary collection spanning more than 150 years of entertainment. The Marcia and Frank Carlucci Hall of Culture and the Arts will begin its programming with “(re)Framing Conversations: Richard Avedon Photographs 1946-1965,” a temporary exhibition showcasing 20 iconic black-and-white images inviting conversation about how post-World War II culture resonates today.
Head here for more information on the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal ceremony honoring Susan Tedeschi, Dave Grohl, Emilio Estefan, and Gloria Estefan, and read a full list of recipients of the long-running Smithsonian honor here.
View this post on Instagram