2013 Honorary Doctorate Recipient: Annie Lennox

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For over 30 years, Annie Lennox has been forging new trails in the music world as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and activist. After earning international acclaim as a member of the synth-pop duo Eurythmics, Lennox embarked on a successful musical career that now boasts four Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and over 80 million records sold worldwide. In honor of her extensive contributions to the global music community, Lennox will be awarded – alongside Willie Nelson and Carole King – an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music at this year’s commencement ceremonies.

Early Career

Lennox’s musical career began at the age of 17 when she left her native Scotland to attend the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied classical flute and piano. In 1976, Lennox was a member of the band Dragon’s Playground, before leaving the group to join The Tourists. During her time with The Tourists, the band had two top-10 hits in the UK (“I Only Want to Be With You” in 1979 and “So Good to Be Back Home Again” in 1980), but it was during this stint with the Tourists that Lennox first began working with Dave Stewart, whom she had previously met while working at a London restaurant.

Eurythmics

After the Tourists disbanded in 1980, Lennox and Stewart formed Eurythmics, which would become one of the most successful pop duos in history. After releasing their debut album, In the Garden, in 1981, Eurythmics saw their first major success in January of 1983 with their second album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This); the title track would reach #2 on the UK Charts and also chart across the Atlantic in the US. In November of 1983, they would release Touch, which reached #1 as an album in the UK and also contained three major hit singles (“Who’s That Girl,” “Right By Your Side,” and “Here Comes the Rain Again”). Since its 1983 release, the album has been certified platinum in the US and silver in the UK and was listed in Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” 1984 saw the Eurythmics release Touch Dance – dance remixes of songs from Touch – and 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother), a soundtrack album for the film adaptation of George Orwell’s novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Though marred by controversy and legal complications regarding its use in the film, the release was still certified gold in the UK.

During the mid-1980s, Eurythmics began moving away from their electronically-based sound, gravitating instead towards a more traditional band sound. The move began with Be Yourself Tonight (1985), which would reach the top ten in both the US and the UK, and Revenge (1986), which certified Platinum in the UK and Gold in the US. In 1987, the duo released Savage, which made heavy use of samples and drum loops and constituted a change in direction for the group. In 1989, Eurythmics released We Too Are One, which would become their second album, along with Touch, to reach #1 in the UK. Eurythmics disbanded in 1990, though no official notice was given. Stewart began a successful career as a record producer and film composer; Lennox took some time off before emerging as a solo artist in 1992.

Solo Career

Lennox released her first solo album, Diva, in April 1992. The album brought Lennox international and domestic success, reaching #1 in the UK Charts and #23 in the US, where it was certified Double Platinum. The album, along with its video version, was nominated for three Grammy Awards, winning one Grammy for “Best Long Form Music Video.” The album also produced hit singles in “Why” and “Walking on Broken Glass.”

After the release of Diva, Lennox continued to record, but stepped out of the spotlight until releasing her second album, Medusa, in 1995. The album, which featured all covers, was nominated for the Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy Award, but ultimately lost to Joni Mitchell’s Turbulent Indigo. Lennox did, however, win a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the album’s single “No More I Love You’s.”

After performing on the soundtracks for Apollo 13 and The Avengers, Lennox reunited with Dave Stewart for a new Eurythmics album, Peace. Designed to promote world peace, the tour was a 24-date undertaking for Stewart and Lennox, who donated all profits to Greenpeace and Amnesty International.

Lennox released her third solo album, Bare, in 2003; it was her most successful album in the US to date, peaking at #4 in the US Charts. An Academy Award for Best Song (“Into the West,” from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) in 2004, 2005 collaborations with Herbie Hancock and Dave Stewart, and performances with Madonna and Sting highlighted the early 2000s before the release of Lennox’s next album, Songs of Mass Destruction.

Songs of Mass Destruction, along with the song “Sing,” were recorded to raise money and awareness for the HIV/AIDS organization Treatment Action Campaign. Lennox finished her contract with Sony with The Annie Lennox Collection before signing with Island Records (UK) and Decca Records (US) and releasing her 2010 album, A Christmas Cornucopia. Notable recent performances include performing at the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Concert and the 2012 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies.

Charity Work and Activism

Lennox has been involved extensively with various HIV/AIDS causes, including Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Campaign and the Treatment Action Campaign; she has also been a public supporter of Greenpeace and Amnesty International. Lennox was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2011 in recognition of her humanitarian involvement.

For over thirty years, Annie Lennox has been a pioneer in both the musical and humanitarian worlds. She will join other musical greats such as Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Allison Krauss, and many others as she receives an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music at the 2013 Commencement Ceremonies.

Annie Lennox - “Walking on Broken Glass” Live (2006)