Walnut Creek, CA (October 29, 2010)--Multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Lindsey Buckingham will be presented with the Les Paul Award at the 26th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards in January.
The event will be held Friday, January 14, in the Pacific Ballroom of the Anaheim Hilton during the 2011 NAMM Show. Presented by the TEC Foundation for Excellence in Audio, the TEC Awards recognizes outstanding achievement in professional audio production and product design.
The Les Paul Award, named in honor of the reknown musician and inventor who passed away last year, is presented annually to an artist or studio professional whose passion, originality and skill in music and recording has made a lasting impact on the world. Past recipients have included Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Al Kooper, Robbie Robertson and other musical giants since the award was instituted in 1991. According to TEC Foundation president Hillel Resner, “The prodigiously talented member of Fleetwood Mac and exceptional solo artist Lindsey Buckingham is a natural choice for the Les Paul Award honor.”
Lindsey Buckingham's career began to take off when he and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac’s core lineup of drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie and keyboardist/singer Christine McVie in early 1974. The former blues band, with the addition of "Buckingham Nicks," immediately morphed into a pop hit-making wonder. The group’s eponymous album, produced by Keith Olsen, contained smash singles including Buckingham’s “Monday Morning,” “World Turning” and “I’m So Afraid.”
However, it would be their next album, 1977’s Rumours, that would launch the group into the pop stratosphere, propelled by Lindsey’s tunes, “Go Your Own Way” and “Second Hand News.” This time, the band produced—along with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut—with Buckingham taking an increasingly active role in the studio, spending hundreds of hours crafting the songs and arrangements. Rumours remains one of the best selling albums of all time.
Over the next several years, Buckingham was the principal producer on all of Fleetwood Mac’s projects, including the experimental double-album, Tusk, Mirage and Tango in the Night. In the early ’80s, Buckingham launched his solo career with Law and Order, which spawned the Top Ten hit “Trouble.” Other solo hits included “Go Insane” and “Holiday Road.”
Buckingham’s career has continued to flourish—his critically acclaimed Under the Skin came out in 2006 and was followed by the exceptional DVD, Live at the Bass Performance Hall. His latest release, Gift of Screws, came out on September 16, 2008, which will be followed by his new solo project, scheduled for release in early 2011.
The TEC Awards will be held on Friday night of the NAMM Show and is expected to attract more than 1,000 audio and music professionals from around the world. Proceeds of the ceremony provide scholarships for students of the audio arts and sciences, and support outreach programs promoting hearing health in the sound production industry.
TEC Foundation