Who received the first Billboard Icon Award in 2011?

Neil Diamond received the first Billboard Icon Award in 2011.

The award was introduced at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards to honor an artist’s lasting contribution to music and popular culture. Diamond accepted the inaugural honor at the ceremony in Las Vegas, where he also performed “Sweet Caroline” and “America.”

The award is easy to confuse with other Billboard special honors. Stevie Wonder received the Icon Award in 2012, Prince in 2013, and Jennifer Lopez in 2014. Those later recipients are among the names sometimes mistaken for the first winner.

Diamond’s selection reflected a career that had already produced decades of chart success, including songs such as “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” and “Sweet Caroline.” The award’s tradition continued as Billboard used it to recognize major performers whose influence extended beyond a single chart cycle.