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Pictured L-R: seven-time GRAMMY®-winning producer Daniel Lanois, Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow, Island Def Jam Records Chairman L.A. Reid, five-time GRAMMY-winning producer Jimmy Jam, Island Records founder and event honoree Chris Blackwell, Island Def Jam COO/President Steve Bartels (back) and The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® Senior Executive Director Maureen Droney, at the P&E Wing's recent event "Catch a Fire." Photo by Maury Phillips/WireImage.com. Photo Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/WireImage.com. © 2010.

Pictured L-R: multiple GRAMMY®-winning producer Quincy Jones, Island Records founder and event honoree Chris Blackwell and multiple GRAMMY-winning producer Phil Ramone, at the P&E Wing's recent event "Catch a Fire." Photo by Maury Phillips/WireImage.com. Photo Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/WireImage.com. © 2010.

Pictured L-R: seven-time GRAMMY®-winning producer Daniel Lanois, The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® Senior Executive Director Maureen Droney and Island Records founder and event honoree Chris Blackwell, at the P&E Wing's recent event "Catch a Fire." Photo by Maury Phillips/WireImage.com. Photo Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/WireImage.com. © 2010.



 

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Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GRAMMY® WEEK EVENT HOSTED BY THE RECORDING ACADEMY® PRODUCERS & ENGINEERS WING® HONORED ISLAND RECORDS FOUNDER CHRIS BLACKWELL

Event Celebrates the Genius of Record Producer, Island Records Label Founder and Entrepreneur Blackwell, Who Brought the World the Music of Grace Jones, Bob Marley, Roxy Music, Cat Stevens, Toots & the Maytals, U2, Steve Winwood and Many More

Held at The Village Studios in West Los Angeles, "Catch a Fire" Is the P&E Wing's Third Annual Gathering Recognizing Achievements and Contributions of the Music Industry's Production Community

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Feb. 3, 2010) — On Wednesday, January 27, 2010, The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® honored Island Records founder and legendary record producer Chris Blackwell, who received the P&E Wing's Commitment to Excellence Award. The event, entitled "Catch a Fire," was held at The Village Studios in West Los Angeles and was the third annual gathering during GRAMMY® Week that seeks to recognize the achievements and contributions of the music industry's technical creative community. This year's event, held as part of the run-up to the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast, was co-hosted by Honorary Event Chairs (and multiple GRAMMY winners) Jimmy Jam and Daniel Lanois.

West L.A. Music and The Village Studios served as presenting sponsors for the event. Co-sponsors included such leading professional audio manufacturers/institutions as Avid®; Shure Incorporated; PMC Ltd.; Prism Sound; Harman International brands AKG Acoustics, JBL, and Lexicon; Monster Cable® Products; Melodyne®; Korg; Native Instruments; MXL; KRK Systems; and Sennheiser. Eco-friendly cocktails were provided courtesy of Anheuser-Busch, VeeV and Fiji Water. Producer/remixer and KCRW music director Jason Bentley was the DJ for the evening.

"Catch a Fire" – named for the title of Bob Marley's first album – honored Island Records' and Blackwell's consistent excellence in music and records over five decades, during which Blackwell discovered, produced and/or released seminal albums by artists who have become part of the canon of pop and world music. They include Desmond Dekker and the Aces, Nick Drake, Melissa Etheridge, Grace Jones, Bob Marley, Roxy Music, Cat Stevens, Toots and the Maytals, U2 and Steve Winwood, among many others. In front of a projected backdrop that streamed images of classic Island album covers, such as Winwood's Arc of a Diver, Traffic's John Barleycorn Must Die and Roxy Music's famed cover for Country Life, Maureen Droney, Senior Executive Director of the P&E Wing, and five-time GRAMMY-winning producer Jimmy Jam, spoke to the audience and seven-time GRAMMY-winning producer Daniel Lanois led a trio in "Surely You Were Meant to Be Mine," a song dedicated to Blackwell. For his part, Island's founder thanked the many producers, engineers and musicians he's worked with over the years, noting that, throughout a many-storied career, "My favorite times were in the studio."

"We’re proud that this event has taken on such importance to our community," commented Droney. "The Producers & Engineers Wing represents the people who work behind the scenes to create music, and this annual GRAMMY Week highlights their importance to the music industry and provides inspiration by honoring the best in the field."

Photo File 1: PE_CatchaFire_Photo1.JPG
Photo Caption 1: Pictured L-R: seven-time GRAMMY®-winning producer Daniel Lanois, Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow, Island Def Jam Records Chairman L.A. Reid, five-time GRAMMY-winning producer Jimmy Jam, Island Records founder and event honoree Chris Blackwell, Island Def Jam COO/President Steve Bartels (back) and The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® Senior Executive Director Maureen Droney, at the P&E Wing's recent event "Catch a Fire." Photo by Maury Phillips/WireImage.com. Photo Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/WireImage.com. © 2010.

Photo File 2: PE_CatchaFire_Photo2.JPG
Photo Caption 2: Pictured L-R: multiple GRAMMY®-winning producer Quincy Jones, Island Records founder and event honoree Chris Blackwell and multiple GRAMMY-winning producer Phil Ramone, at the P&E Wing's recent event "Catch a Fire." Photo by Maury Phillips/WireImage.com. Photo Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/WireImage.com. © 2010.

Photo File 3: PE_CatchaFire_Photo3.JPG
Photo Caption 3: Pictured L-R: seven-time GRAMMY®-winning producer Daniel Lanois, The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing® Senior Executive Director Maureen Droney and Island Records founder and event honoree Chris Blackwell, at the P&E Wing's recent event "Catch a Fire." Photo by Maury Phillips/WireImage.com. Photo Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/WireImage.com. © 2010.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thegrammys), MySpace (www.myspace.com/thegrammys), Twitter (www.twitter.com/thegrammys), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/thegrammys).

Currently more than 6,000 professionals comprise The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing, which was established for producers, engineers, remixers, manufacturers, technologists, and other related creative and technical professionals in the recording field. This organized voice for the recording community addresses issues that affect the craft of recorded music, including the development and implementation of new technologies, technical guidelines and recommendations, and archiving and preservation initiatives. For more information, please visit www.producersandengineers.com.


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