The Recording Academy will present JBL Professional, part of Harman International Industries Inc., with a Technical Grammy® Award at a special ceremony to be held prior to the upcoming 47th annual Grammy Awards being telecast live on February 13, 2005.
According to JBL Professional president and Harman Pro Group president Mark Terry, JBL Professional will be recognized for making a lasting contribution to culture around the world. “All of us at JBL Professional are deeply honored to be recognized by The Recording Academy for technical achievement. Ever since the company was founded by James B. Lansing in 1946, JBL has dedicated itself to advancing the state-of-the-art in a broad range of entertainment technology, including music recording. This award is not only for a body of work that spans almost 60 years, it is also for a philosophy that continues to guide our efforts today.”
According to a news release issued previously, The Recording Academy president Neil Portnow announced that a Technical Grammy Award will be presented to legendary producer Phil Ramone, an early advocate of the CD who has also been an audio supervisor for the Grammy telecasts. According to Portnow, these awards, “recognize music people who have made a lasting contribution to culture around the world. These profoundly inspiring figures are being honored as legendary performers and archetypal musicians, cultural ambassadors and technical visionaries. Their outstanding accomplishments and passion for their craft have created a timeless legacy that has positively affected multiple generations, and will continue to influence generations to come.”
The Recording Academy noted that, “JBL has been preeminent in high-end loudspeaker technology for all facets of professional sound since its formation in 1946. As broadcast, recording and motion pictures entered the stereo era in the early ’50s, JBL was there with the world’s first 4-inch voice coil cone drivers and commercially available compression drivers. As the rock movement gathered momentum during the late ’60s, JBL eventually became the preferred manufacturer for both musical instrument loudspeakers as well as music reinforcement activities. In recent years, JBL’s introduction of VERTEC™ line array systems has been heralded as the leading edge in array technology and system synthesis, and has been the sound reinforcement system of choice for the Grammy Awards shows.”
The Technical Grammy Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording. The Technical Grammy was first awarded in 1994.
For more information, go to www.jblpro.com and www.grammy.com.
