The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music has announced the list of acclaimed artists who will be saluted at its fourth annual American Music Honors. The event will take place Saturday, April 18, at the Pollak Theatre at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J.
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This year’s honorees are classic-rock legends The Doors, punk poet Patti Smith, lauded pop-R&B singer Dionne Warwick, trailblazing hip-hop mogul, producer, and rapper Dr. Dre, and Bruce Springsteen’s own longtime backing group, The E Street Band. The event also will feature a posthumous tribute to influential Americana group The Band.
As in previous years, Springsteen and some of his close associates will be on hand to present the honors. The Boss will salute Smith and Warwick, while E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt will honor The Doors. Acclaimed producer Jimmy Iovine will toast Dr. Dre, while longtime Springsteen manager-producer Jon Landau will honor The E Street Band.
In addition to the tributes, the event features musical performances by the honorees and others. Van Zandt’s side group The Disciples of Soul again will be the house band for the celebration. Veteran TV news anchor Brian Williams will serve as the ceremony’s emcee.
Tickets for the 2026 American Music Honors will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, March 18, at noon ET. For more information, visit SpringsteenCenter.org.
Official Statements About the 2026 American Music Honors
Robert Santelli, the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music’s founding executive director, issued a statement about the 2026 event.
“The artists we’re honoring this year didn’t just shape popular music—they helped define it,” Santelli said. “Their work reflects the creativity, risk-taking, and cultural exchange that sit at the heart of American music, and it’s a privilege to celebrate their legacies.”
Monmouth University president Patrick Leahy added, “Monmouth University is proud to welcome these luminaries to campus for our fourth American Music Honors. The program reflects a living lineage of American music, spanning pop-soul artistry, punk-poetry, hip-hop innovation and rock ‘n’ roll. Our honorees embody the diverse tapestry of American music, and I am grateful for their support of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music.”
More About the American Music Honors Event
The American Music Honors event was first held in 2023. That year’s honorees were Van Zandt, Darlene Love, Sam Moore, and Steve Earle.
The 2024 honorees were John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, Dion DiMucci, and Mavis Staples. The 2025 event saluted John Fogerty, Smokey Robinson, Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, Tom Morello, and Joe Ely.
Springsteen also served as presenter and performed at the 2023, 2024, and 2025 ceremonies.
More About the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music
The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music was established in 2017 under the name Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music. It serves as the official repository for Springsteen’s music, as well as photos, publications, oral histories, films, artifacts, and other media related to the Boss and The E Street Band. The Center for American Music produces and hosts museum exhibits, seminars, workshops, concerts, and other programs that promote and celebrate American music genres and their cultural impact.
A new 30,000-square-foot building that will serve at the Bruce Springsteen Center’s home is scheduled to open on the Monmouth University campus in late spring of 2026.
(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
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