Jackson Browne, the acclaimed singer-songwriter known for his deeply personal lyrics and committed politics, will be recognized with the Les Paul Innovation Award during the 33rd annual NAMM Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) Awards in Anaheim on Jan. 27.
The award is given on behalf of the Les Paul Foundation to honor individuals who have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of recording technology in the spirit of audio pioneer, inventor and musician Les Paul.
“Jackson Browne’s success as a singer, songwriter and guitarist has had a prolific impression on the music industry throughout his successful career,” says Michael Braunstein, executive director of the Les Paul Foundation. “Like Les Paul, Jackson has never shied away from expressing his emotions or thoughts through his music. I have no doubt that Les would have liked to have shared a few jams with Jackson along the way.”
Browne in December released a single, “The Dreamers,” recorded with Los Cenzontles, that speaks out for young people facing deportation under current immigration policies. He begins a U.S. tour on Jan. 17.
Four veteran sidemen — guitarist Danny Kortchmar, keyboardist Craig Doerge, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel — collectively known as The Section and known for their work with Browne, James Taylor, Carole King and Crosby, Stills & Nash will be inducted into the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame and will perform at the awards. Earlier in the day, the four sidemen will participate in a panel discussion on the making of Browne’s best-selling 1977 album Running on Empty.
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 20 issue of Billboard.