The esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA bestowed Honorary Doctor of Music degrees to Carole King, Willie Nelson and Annie Lennox at their commencement on May 11 at the Agganis Arena at Boston University.

Current students paid tribute to the honorees during the traditional concert held the night before the ceremony, by performing music associated with their careers. 

Berklee regularly honors great musicians with doctorates for their achievements and influence in music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. Past recipients include Duke Ellington (the first, in 1971), Dizzy Gillespie, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Juan Luis Guerra, Loretta Lynn, Paco de Lucía, David Bowie, the Edge, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Chaka Khan, Bonnie Raitt, George Clinton, Alison Krauss and Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.

For more information about Berklee College of Music, click here.

Video interview by CBS This Morning. 

Read more
Patriot Ledger
Boston Globe
Boston.com