The Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio will recognize two of the most influential contributors to rock 'n' roll at the 16th Annual TEC Awards. Sir Paul McCartney will be presented with the Les Paul Award from the award's renowned namesake. Producer and Sun Records founder Sam Phillips will be inducted into the TEC Awards Hall of Fame during the ceremony that takes place Saturday evening, September 23, 2000 at the Regal Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
Sam Phillips is being honored for his contribution over fifty years to the recording industry. As a music producer and owner of Sun Records in Memphis, Phillips launched the careers of such influential musicians as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. Phillips was a visionary from the start of his music career. He spotlighted African American artists' music in the 1950's, when parts of America were still racially segregated. The TEC Awards Hall of Fame was created in 1988 to recognize those individuals, whose careers have best exemplified the spirit of technical and creative excellence in professional audio.