January 26, 2017
Top Latin Songwriters and Publishers to be Honored on March 21 in Beverly Hills
Press Release
LOS ANGELES, January, 26, 2017 – Broadcast Music, Inc.®, (BMI®), the global leader in music rights management, will celebrate the career of Los Lobos by presenting them with the BMI Icon Award at the company’s 24th annual Latin Awards, to be held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The event will be hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and Delia Orjuela, BMI Vice President, Latin Writer/Publisher Relations.
The BMI Icon Award is presented to songwriters who have had unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.
“Los Lobos have been musical ambassadors to the Mexican-American community,” said Delia Orjuela, BMI Vice President, Latin Writer/Publisher Relations. “Their music reflects the diversity and musical heritage of America, weaving together blues, rock, norteño, and cumbia. A journalist once best described it as ‘the soundtrack of the barrio.’
In addition to the Icon award, BMI will also crown the Latin Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year, as well as salute the writers and publishers of the past year’s most-performed songs from BMI’s Latin catalog at the invitation-only event. In an effort to better reflect the way consumers are listening to today’s music, BMI is expanding its criteria to determine the most performed Latin songs of the year. In addition to terrestrial radio performances, for the first time, data will also include performances from digital streaming services and satellite radio.
One of the most acclaimed American bands of the past four decades, Los Lobos are seasoned musical veterans. The group was formed in 1973 by four students (David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano) at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. Steve Berlin joined the band in 1983. Since then, Los Lobos have been exploring the artistic and commercial possibilities of American biculturalism, moving back and forth between their Chicano roots and their love of American rock & roll. Los Lobos leaped into the national spotlight in 1987 when their cover of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” became a No. 1 hit. Across four decades, Los Lobos have explored virtually the entire breadth of American vernacular music, from rockabilly to primal punk rock, R&B to country and folk, Mexican son jarocho to Tex-Mex conjunto and Latin American cumbia. In the process, they’ve sold millions of albums and won acclaim from fans and critics alike, including three GRAMMY Awards and one Latin GRAMMY. They have been guests on albums by Ry Cooder, Elvis Costello, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Roomful of Blues, and Paul Simon, and their music has been featured in films such as La Bamba and Desperado.
In receiving the award, Los Lobos will join an impressive list of past honorees that includes Latin music giants Juan Luis Guerra, Gloria Estefan, Los Tigres Del Norte, and Carlos Santana, as well as music legends Brian Wilson, Gamble and Huff, Isaac Hayes, Paul Simon, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Dave Foster, Dolly Parton, The Jacksons and the late James Brown.
PRESS CREDENTIALS: To request press credentials visit: http://www.bmi.com/press#credentials
Press credentials will be for red-carpet arrivals only. A limited amount of media will be credentialed to cover the awards ceremony.
ABOUT BMI:
Celebrating over 76 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in nearly 12 million musical works created and owned by more than 750,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit http://www.bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.‘s Facebook page.
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Media Contacts:
Marlene Meraz, BMI
310.289.6325
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Sasha Pisterman, BMI
310.289.6315
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