Yesterday (December 5), at the annual Kennedy Center Honors awards for lifetime achievement in the performing arts, the U.S. President honoured five new recipients, including Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, Merle Haggard, Jerry Herman and Bill T. Jones.
When McCartney learned of his award, he called up Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and asked him if he would perform some of the Beatles greatest hits for the White House crowd.
Tyler, known for his soaring rock vocals, would most certainly provide a change of pace from McCartney’s mellower musings, which can be heard on tracks like Hey Jude and Yesterday.
In a U.S. radio interview, Tyler said: "I also got called up by Sir Paul McCartney and he asked me to sing the last four songs of Abbey Road, so I said ‘Umm OK.’ (I’m) doing it. So I’m headed down to the Kennedy honors in Washington."
McCartney was honoured for his contributions to American culture. Past winners include Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand and Sir Elton John.