In 1973, Dick Clark created the American Music Awards, an alternative to the Grammys which was meant to be the choice of the people with all winners coming from a public vote (now in its sixth year on the internet).
Dick Clark
For the 40th Anniversary edition of the awards, a special tribute is being mounted for Clark who passed away earlier this year. The salute will be performed by Stevie Wonder who is, himself, an eleven-time winner.
Larry Klein, producer of the AMA’s, said “Without a Dick Clark, our entire current musical repertoire might be classical in nature. Not that there’s anything wrong with classical music, but Clark helped Beethoven roll over and tell Tchaikovsky the news. Sunday’s tribute to Dick Clark performed by the iconic Stevie Wonder is going to be talked about for years to come.”
Wonder will be introduced by Ryan Seacrest who was mentored by Clark. “I am honored to be a part of the AMAs tribute to Dick Clark. He was a mentor, friend and a wonderful advocate for popular music, helping make it one of the cornerstones of American culture. We miss him dearly. He gave hundreds of stars their national TV debut. So, it’s only fitting that one of music’s legends, Stevie Wonder, will play at Sunday’s tribute. It will be a great show.”
From the 1974 show, here’s Stevie Wonder:
