ASCAP Honors Biographies of John Williams, Herrmann in Music Writing — SkimNews
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- ASCAP Foundation awarded Tim Greiving’s 'John Williams: A Composer’s Life' a Book Award in concert music, recognizing it as the first full biography of the iconic film composer.
- Steven C. Smith received a Special Recognition Award for 'Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema,' a dual portrait of the composer and his famed collaborator.
- Gail Wein won the top broadcast award in concert music for her 2025 podcast series 'Classical Gas,' featuring interviews with classical musicians produced by Classical Voice North America.
- Rick Beato earned a Special Recognition Award for his 2025 YouTube series 'Everything Music,' which explores music, technology, and challenges facing creators in the modern industry.
- Ruth Komanoff Underwood was honored with the Paul Williams 'Loved the Liner Notes' Award for her personal essay in the Frank Zappa live box set 'Cheaper than Cheep.'
- Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson, and David McMurry won the pop music broadcast award for their 2025 documentary 'Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted,' chronicling the cult R&B artist’s creative life in Los Angeles.
- Lucy Caplan, Gayle Wald, and James O’Leary received Book Awards for works on Black opera innovators, children’s music and civil rights, and 1940s Broadway musicals, respectively.
Why it matters: These awards spotlight diverse voices and underrecognized narratives in music history—from Black contributions to opera to children’s music’s role in social movements—while elevating long-form writing and independent media like podcasts and liner notes in an era dominated by digital brevity.
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