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Thursday October 10th, 2002
Robbie Robertson wins Les Paul excellence award
Celebrated songwriter, guitarist and producer Robbie Robertson was presented the Les Paul Award and a '58 Les Paul Standard Custom Authentic guitar from Gibson Custom Monday night by Gibson Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and renowned producer Daniel Lanois at the 18th annual TEC Awards banquet at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. Robertson was recognized for his extraordinary lifetime achievements.
Named for one of the industry's most revered pioneers and sponsored by Gibson Musical Instruments, the Les Paul Award was created in 1991 to honor individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of recording technology and furthered the art and science of recording.
As the de facto leader and principal songwriter of The Band, Robertson was responsible for making some of the most memorable music of the late 60s and early 70s, most notably the groundbreaking 1968 Music from Big Pink album, which established their rootsy, eclectic sound, steeped in a timeless musical Americana. It was one of the first major albums recorded in a home studio, and the groups next masterpiece, The Band also had a homegrown sound and feel that was extremely influential at the time. That was their commercial breakthroughwith songs like "Rag Mama Rag," "Up On Cripple Creek" and "The Night They drove Old Dixie Down" became FM radio staples. Over their next few albums, Robertson expanded his vision even more, dipping into New Orleans rock and other styles, until the group disbanded shortly after their famous finale at Winterland Arena in San Francisco on Thanksgiving night in 1976, immortalized in Martin Scorceses wonderful film, The Last Waltz.
The end of touring with The Band marked a new beginning for Robertson. He successfully branched out into acting and film scoring, and in 1987 released his acclaimed solo debut album, produced by Lanois. His 1991 album Storyville showed that his songwriting chops had not faded one bit, while his sonic palette had actually expanded greatly. Robertson had always been deeply involved in the recording of both The Bands and his own albums, and by the late 80s he had his own room at The Village in L.A. to work on his projects.
In the mid-90s, Robertson drew on his own Mohawk heritage and composed music for a television mini-series called The Native Americans and a Native American-themed album From the Underworld of Red Boy in 1998.
The Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards (TEC) is the foremost program recognizing the achievements of audio professionals. Presented annually by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio, the TEC Awards celebrates the individuals, companies and technological innovations behind the sound of recordings, films, TV shows and concert performances.
Past Les Paul Award winners include Paul McCartney, Steely Dan and Neil Young.
Photos: Alberto Rodriguez/BEImages
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