SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Recording Academy) - Rock veteran and GRAMMY winner Sammy Hagar, GRAMMY-nominated songwriter/producer
Linda Perry and three-time GRAMMY winner Narada Michael Walden have been named as recipients of The Recording Academy Honors 2007, it was announced today by the San Francisco Chapter. The Recording Academy Honors was established to celebrate outstanding individuals whose work embodies excellence and integrity and who have improved the environment for the creative community. The gala event, which will attract recording artists, key entertainment executives and community leaders, will be held Sunday, April 29, at 6 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Westin St. Francis in San Francisco's Union Square. This annual San Francisco gala supports the Chapter's ongoing advocacy, education and professional development programs.
The evening will begin with a cocktail hour and silent auction followed by dinner and the tribute presentations with celebrity presenters and performers. Tickets for The Recording Academy Honors gala are $100 for Academy members and $150 for non-members and are available by calling the San Francisco Chapter office at 415.749.0779. Sponsorship packages and table sales also are available.
About The Honorees:
Sammy Hagar
"The reason I got into this wasn't to be a rock star or be a billionaire, it was just to play music," Sammy Hagar recalled to Rolling Stone in 2000. That unpretentious spirit has carried Hagar through a colorful three-decade recording career that has established him as one of America's most beloved hard rockers. From his trailblazing early work with Montrose to his prolific and popular solo career to his massively successful time with Van Halen, and currently as front man for his band Sammy Hagar And The Wabos, the veteran singer/guitarist has continued to make melodic, hard-charging rock that's long on punch and personality. Hagar led Van Halen to four No. 1 albums, including a GRAMMY Award for Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal in 1991. Hagar's numerous hits, platinum-records, and memorable songs include "I Can't Drive 55," and "Mas Tequila," a song that refers to his own brand of tequila, Cabo Wabo. In 2007, the Red Rocker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside his fellow Van Halen band members, and will continue to perform, record and build his business.
Linda Perry
Two-time GRAMMY-nominated songwriter/producer Linda Perry is known for "bringing the artist out of the pop vocalist" and helping build the success of singers such as Christina Aguilera, P!nk and Gwen Stefani. Perry's songwriting and production on P!nk's second album, the 10 million-plus selling double GRAMMY-nominated M!ssundaztood, made the industry take notice. The songs she penned and produced on Christina Aguilera's Stripped included the GRAMMY Award-winning song "Beautiful" (Best Female Vocal Performance). In 2006, Perry co-wrote and produced nine songs for Aguilera's GRAMMY Award-winning Back To Basics album. She formed Custard Records and signed British artist James Blunt to her label, producing the song "No Bravery" on the five-time GRAMMY-nominated album Back To Bedlam. Perry began her career in San Francisco as a singer/songwriter with former Interscope Recording artists 4 Non Blondes. Their early 90's mega-hit "What's Up," catapulted the band to international success and helped their album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, sell 7 million copies worldwide. Perry's early career involved touring with the Who, Aerosmith, Prince, Neil Young, and Pearl Jam. Her career also involves singing a duet with Roger Daltry at Carnegie Hall as well a duet with Grace Slick on her solo record for Interscope, In Flight. She is currently in the studio with Alicia Keys working on material for her new record, and continues to develop artists on Custard Records as well as write songs and produce.
Narada Michael Walden
Three-time GRAMMY Award winner Narada Michael Walden is a gifted songwriter, drummer, vocalist and producer who has worked with artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin and Wynonna Judd, Stevie Wonder and Tom Jones, the Temptations and Jeff Beck. Walden has been sought out by scores of artists as a creative catalyst, and he created the breakthrough hits for superstars Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. He has earned equal acclaim as a recording and performing artist in his own right, beginning with his stint as part of the pioneering Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early '70s, through 11 acclaimed solo albums and numerous appearances at the top of the pop and R&B charts. He has done groundbreaking soundtrack work on such smash films as The Bodyguard and Stuart Little to the Emmy-winning song "One Moment In Time" — the theme to the 1988 Olympic Games. Walden owns Marin County-based Tarpan Studios and recently launched the label Tarpan Records. He continues to perform, produce, compose, and develop new talent, releasing the debut album from acclaimed new vocalist Naomi Striemer, whose debut single "Cars" features special guest Carlos Santana. Walden is simultaneously hard at work on an eagerly awaited new solo album, highlighting a stellar lineup of friends and fellow musicians including Chris Botti, Clarence Clemons, Sting and many others.
