White House to host concert honoring Paul McCartney

Legendary musician Paul McCartney will perform at the White House in June, where President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will present the former Beatle with a prize honoring his career.

The White House announced the concert on Monday, saying McCartney would perform in the East Room on June 2 and receive the third Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, an award given by the Library of Congress.

The prize, which commemorates American songwriters George and Ira Gershwin, "is awarded to musicians whose lifetime contributions in the field of popular song exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins," the White House said.

The president and the first lady last year awarded the second Gershwin Prize to Stevie Wonder, who also performed at the White House before receiving the accolade.

The first recipient of the award was American Singer-songwriter Paul Simon.

McCartney's concert will be rebroadcast on US public television in July, the White House said.

The former Beatle has written, recorded and performed since the break-up of the legendary English pop group and has received a slew of accolades at home and abroad.

He has remained popular in the United States and in 2005 was chosen to perform at the Superbowl half-time show.

McCartney, 67, gave fans a heads up about the gig in a webchat last week, saying: "If there is an announcement mentioning the White House, remember where you heard it first."