The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music unveiled the honorees of the 2024 American Music Honors. The recognition pays tribute to “musically, culturally, and politically important artists.” 

Now in its second year, the event will take place April 24 at Monmouth University‘s Pollak Theatre in West Long Branch, the organization announced Feb. 20. 

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and 2023 American Music Honors recipients Stevie Van Zandt and Darlene Love will present the awards. Additionally, Van Zandt’s Disciples of Soul will entertain the crowd.

Here are the 2024 honorees and why they were selected, according to the Archives:  

• Jackson Browne
  Longtime social justice, environmental and educational activist who has supported everything from anti-nuclear alternative energy resources to political freedom in Central America. 
• John Mellencamp
  Together with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, the artist launched Farm Aid in 1985, which addresses the struggles of American family farmers.
• Dion DiMucci
  Whose recording of “Abraham, Martin and John” became an activist anthem in the late 1960s and beyond.  
• Mavis Staples
  Was on the frontlines of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and continues to use her music to support racial equality in America. 

The power of song

“The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music is proud to honor these musically, culturally, and politically important artists,” Founding Executive Director Robert Santelli said in a statement, adding that all four “have contributed mightily to the American music canon and have demonstrated how the power of song can act as an agent for positive change in our country.” 

Monmouth University President Patrick Leahy said the campus was proud to host the event adding, “These artists represent the best qualities of American music and together demonstrate why it is one of our most precious cultural resources.” 

Tickets go on sale March 23 on the Archives’ website. 

The Bruce Springsteen Archives is the official repository for the music and other artifacts of the Jersey-born rocker and E Street Band.

The Center for American Music hosts exhibitions and other events to promote American music. In October 2023, officials announced plans for a new $45 million, 30,000-square-foot campus building. Accordingly, the facility will house the Archives, the Center for American Music, exhibition galleries and a 230-seat, state-of-the-art theater. Click here to read more and to see a rendering.