Steve Vai To Win Prestigious Les Paul Award

Virtuoso will win award during NAMM 2012   07-Nov-11

Legendary guitarist, Steve Vai, is to recieve recognition for his career at next year's NAMM show. The virtuoso is recieve the Les Paul award, through the TEC Foundation, which was set up in 1985 to provide acclaim to those excelling in the professional audio industry.

The 27th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards, to be held Friday, January 20, in the Pacific Ballroom of the Hilton Anaheim during the 2012 NAMM Show.

The Les Paul Award was established in 1991 to honor musical artists who have had distinguished careers as innovators in the creative application of audio technology. Past recipients include Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Brian Wilson, Peter Gabriel, Lindsey Buckingham, Herbie Hancock, Al Kooper, Steve Miller, Robbie Robertson and others.

A student of Joe Satriani at age twelve, Steve Vai began his professional music career working with Frank Zappa, with whom he toured and recorded before launching his solo career. Since his groundbreaking album Passion and Warfare, released in 1990, the brilliance of his musicianship has awed more than just rock fans and has stunned concertgoers worldwide, producing sales of over 15 million records and earning multiple Grammys.

Vai has recorded and toured with Public Image Ltd., Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake, and has worked with a variety of musicians including Joe Satriani, Joe Jackson, Janice Ian, Steve Lukather, Alice Cooper, Gerry Rafferty, The Yardbirds and Mary J. Blige. He has composed for and/or performed on original soundtracks for films such as Crossroads, Encino Man, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, PCU and Crazy, and video games including Halo 2 and Guitar Hero 3. His latest live album and DVD, Where the Wild Things Are is a major achievement from a musical alchemist of the highest order.

Steve Vai has received honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Musician's Institute, and is also involved with many worthwhile organizations. He founded the record label Favored Nations for musicians who, in Vai’s words, “have attained the highest performance level on their chosen instruments.” He has also served as a Trustee for the Recording Academy, is on the board of Hollywood Arts, and works closely with his own Make a Noise Foundation, raising money for music education.

Rich Beech
@sonicamped

More News On Our Facebook Page