Kennedy Center Honors Tributes Include Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah & Dionne Warwick

According to pitchfork.com, artists Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick and Barry Gibb were among the 2023 Kennedy Center honorees at a ceremony that took place on December 3 and now, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has shared footage from the show. The ceremony took place in Washington, D.C. where is was hosted by 2017 honoree Gloria Estefan. The event  honors exceptional lifetime contributions to the arts and  those paying tribute included Missy Elliott, Chloe Bailey and Gladys Knight.

Missy Elliott gave Latifah praises in a speech by touching on her childhood exposure to Latifah’s music before Rapsody covered “Just Another Day.…” and  “What Latifah has taught us.”  Bailey, Erivo, and Knight all sang songs from Warwick’s storied discography, while Saturday Night Live’s Nwodim and 2020 honoree Debbie Allen gave speeches in the soul legend’s honor. Bailey performed the tunes  “Walk On By,” Erivo sang “Alfie” and Knight picked out “Say a Little Prayer.”

Gibb’s tribute included a Michael Bublé version of “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?” and Little Big Town’s take on “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights.” Ben Platt sang “Nights on Broadway” and Ariana DeBose performed a medley of the Bee Gees’ hits, such as “How Deep Is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive.”

Fleming was honored by Dove Cameron with a rendition of the musical number “The Light in the Piazza,” plus a joint performance of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from Carousel, by Tituss Burgess, Christine Baranski, and the Jubilation Choir.

In the following statement Gibbs shared his thoughts about being honored into the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: “Receiving the Kennedy Center Honors is something that everyone hopes might happen one day. I’ve often thought about but never dreamed it could come true.”

In her statement about receiving the honor, Latifah said: “When we started on this journey decades ago, we were often told ‘No’…. To now be recognized amongst so many multi-hyphenates feels unbelievable, not for just me and my team, but for our community.”