PRESS
RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636
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.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Robert Clyne/Clyne Media, Inc./615.662.1616/robert@clynemedia.com
Lisa Roy/310.463.1563/lisaroyaudio@mac.com
Jennifer Keppel/The Recording Academy/310.392.3777/jenniferk@grammy.com