The Kennedy Center Honors, on its 45th occasion, recognized singer and songwriter Amy Grant, marking the first time the top cultural distinction was given to a contemporary Christian musician.
In a brief red-carpet interview just before the black-tie event, Grant said she hoped to live up to the honor in representing the genre.
Her arrival at the Kennedy Center came less than five months after a bike accident and hospital stay – neither of which the musician can remember – that forced her to postpone some concert dates.
Grant, who described herself as “doing well”, said she appreciated being back on tour and at the Kennedy Center, even if it felt a little overwhelming after her extended time of rest.
Grant has six Grammys and more than 20 Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association. The Gospel Music Hall of Fame honoree signed her first record deal at age 17.
She became the first contemporary Christian musician to have a No. 1 hit on the pop charts with “Next Time I Fall,” a 1986 duet with Peter Cetera of the band Chicago. Five years later, her fame spread with “Baby, Baby,” a hit from her 1991 platinum album “Heart in Motion.”
GMA President and Executive Director Jackie Patillo, who described Grant as “a Christian music sweetheart,” said “The way God has used her has stretched the industry and the church.”