Amy Grant, George Clooney, Gladys Knight, U2 and Tania León attended a dinner at the U.S. State Department and a gala tribute event. The 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors airs on CBS later this month.

Gladys Knight, George Clooney, Amy Grant, Tania León and U2 were all celebrated at the Kennedy Center, which annually honors a group of people for their artistic influences on American culture.

Some of the names dropped in the book include members of R.E.M., whom U2 first met on a European tour in 1985. 

The veteran rock star speaks with Morning Edition about his new memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story — and in particular, his deep-rooted spirituality.

The awards recognize a lifetime of achievement in the performing arts. This year they'll go to George Clooney, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, Tania León and U2.

Here at World Cafe, we're celebrating music that's been around for a quarter-century, including a landmark release from Radiohead, a seminal song from The Verve and a comeback from Bob Dylan.

Here at World Cafe, we're celebrating music that's been around for a quarter-century, including a landmark release from Radiohead, a seminal song from The Verve and a comeback from Bob Dylan.

The musicians said they were performing in Kyiv at the invitation of Ukraine's president. They played acoustic versions of U2 hits and also shared the "stage" with the Ukrainian band Antytila.