Clintons Honor The Arts
A rock and roll icon took his place next to artists of opera, painting, and writing at the White House Thursday as President Clinton honored National Medal of the Arts recipients.
Rock pioneer Fats Domino was honored for his contributions to American popular music. His daughter accepted the award for him.
President Clinton said that when he heard Domino couldn't attend he thought, "Ain't That A Shame," a reference to the title of one of Domino's early hits. "Just this morning, I was trying to remember all the lyrics to all the songs that I could," the President remarked.
In his prime, Domino was second only to Elvis Presley in terms of record sales.
Mr. Clinton recognized a number of other Americans for contributions to the arts, including film star Gregory Peck, opera diva Roberta Peters, Broadway star Gwen Verdon, and author Phillip Roth.
 Author Phillip Roth CBS |
Other awards went to choreographer Jacques d'Amboise, folk and country singer Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and architect Frank Gehry.
In honoring Gehry, Mr. Clinton pointed out that few architects have created works that draw people across the ocean just to see them. Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, has received international acclaim.
 Film Star Gregory Peck CBS |
Artist Agnes Martin and arts advocate Barbara Handman of New York also won awards, as did the Sara Lee Corporation for its financial support of the arts. The company, long known for supermarket sweets, recently donated its vast private art collection to public museums.