Kate Bush receives CBE

KATE Bush, one of Britain’s most innovative singers, was made a CBE by the Queen yesterday and dedicated the honour to her family and music collaborators.

From precocious teenager, whose first single Wuthering Heights was a No 1, to veteran musician who released her award-winning tenth studio album in 2011, her talent has stood the test of time.

But she joked, after receiving the honour, that the award would now have pride of place – at the top of her Christmas tree.

Bush blazed a trail for female singers in the late 1970s as she was a rare performer – a woman who wrote her own songs and controlled her image and career. Her hits span more than two decades, from Babooshka and Running Up That Hill to King Of The Mountain, recording with artists including Prince and Elton John.

The singer, who guards her privacy closely, issued a statement after being made a CBE by the Queen at Windsor Castle yesterday.

She said: “I feel incredibly thrilled to receive this honour which I share with my family, friends and fellow musicians.”