Sir Paul McCartney will be presented with the prestigious Les Paul Award by Les Paul himself at the 16th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards, to be held September 23 at the Regal Biltmore in Los Angeles. Producer Sam Phillips will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Les Paul Award recognizes individuals who have set the highest standards in the creative application of recording technology. As both a member of The Beatles and on his own, McCartney has constantly challenged both the aesthetics and technology of music-making. McCartney has gone from the complex visions of The Beatles, inventing new ways to record, to stripped-down solo albums recorded in a project studio. Never one to rest on his laurels, McCartney has continued to make vital music and has shown over and over again that he is one of the music world’s true innovators.
The TEC Awards Hall of Fame was created to recognize individuals whose careers have exemplified the spirit of creative and technical excellence in professional audio. Sam Phillips is one of the most influential producers in rock history. As owner of Sun Records, Phillips was instrumental in launching the careers of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Rufus Thomas and B.B. King, among others.
For a complete list of the 2000 TEC Awards nominees, see page 80. For tickets or information about the TEC Awards, call Karen Dunn at 925/939-6149 or e-mail [email protected].
Frank Miller, 1944-2000Frank Miller, the founder of Sescom, a supplier of accessories and tools for the pro audio and broadcast industries, died on April 25 from complications of diabetes. Miller began his popular catalog-based business in 1968, selling microphones from various manufacturers, as well as his own mic designs, and later began building transformers for companies such as JBL and Bogen. He will be remembered for his love of audio and zeal for creating solutions-oriented gadgets for real-world applications. He coined the phrases “direct box” and “mic splitter” for products he developed decades ago. Miller is survived by his wife, Brenda, and son, David, and the company will continue, both with catalogs and on the Web at www.sescom.com.
