Paul Williams and Pilar McCurry to Be Honored at 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards

Paul Williams will receive the Icon Award at the 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards, set for Sunday March 5 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. The Legacy Award will be posthumously presented to Pilar McCurry, who served as a music supervisor and senior vice president at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“We are thrilled to honor Paul Williams and Pilar McCurry at our 13th Annual Awards,” Madonna Wade-Reed, vice president of the Guild of Music Supervisors, said in a statement. “Both have contributed immensely to the entertainment industry through their songs and supervision.”

Williams said, “There is a strange, beautiful alchemy that occurs when the perfect song placement transforms both the scene and the song. I have been graced with many opportunities to write music for picture in my career, and it feels like magic every single time.  Thank you to the Guild of Music Supervisors for this incredible recognition.”

Williams won an Oscar in 1977 for best original song for co-writing “Evergreen (Love Theme From A Star Is Born)” with Barbra Streisand. He has won three Grammy Awards and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmys. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001 and received that organization’s top honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, last year. Williams is also president and chairman of the board of ASCAP.

Singer/songwriter Joshua Radin is set to perform in tribute to Williams. Previous recipients of the Icon Award include Diane Warren, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Kenny Loggins and Marc Shaiman.

The Legacy Award is bestowed to a music supervisor who has made an impact within the industry.  Previous recipients include Mitchell Leib, Maureen Crowe, Bob Hunka, Joel Sill, Gary Lemel, and Chris Montan.

McCurry, who died in March 2018 at the age of 53, was music supervisor for such films as Love Jones, Stomp the Yard, Set It Off, Gridlock’d and Men in Black. During her tenure with Sony, she managed 50-plus projects while music supervising more than 20 films. In addition to the aforementioned Stomp the Yard, that slate included You Got Served, Takers, The Gospel, Lakeview Terrace, This Christmas, The Karate Kid, Pursuit of Happyness and Hitch.

Prior to joining Sony, McCurry served as VP of film music & soundtracks at Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment from 1999-2001. Over the course of her nearly 25-year career, McCurry also worked with such artists as Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Questlove, Aaliyah, Enrique Iglesias, Lauryn Hill, 2Pac and En Vogue. 

Performing at this year’s event are Guild of Music Supervisors Award nominees Gaby Moreno and Ruth B. Moreno will perform “A Song In My Heart” from The Valet, while Ruth B. will perform her song “Paper Airplanes” from Jazzman’s Blues.

Presenters include Sharon Stone, Debbie Allen, Pamela Adlon, Lindsey Blaufarb and Odeya Rush.  Further information and details about tickets can be found at www.gmsawards.com