The Les Paul Foundation, whose mission is to honor and share the life, spirit and legacy of Les Paul through generations has announced the annual Les Paul Spirit Award in partnership with Gibson Gives, the philanthropic division of Gibson. The prestigious award will be presented to legendary musical artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Miller on Monday, June 9, 2024 at 6:30pm CT at a private ticketed event held at the Gibson Garage Nashville located at 209 10th Ave S, Suite 209 in downtown Nashville, TN.
The event will take place on what would have been Les Paul’s 110th birthday, and marks the fourth anniversary of the Gibson Garage Nashville. The Les Paul Spirit Award was created by the Les Paul Foundation in honor of the music innovator.
The annual award is presented to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the late, great Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology and/or music. In addition to the award, a grant from the Les Paul Foundation will be made in the honoree’s name to the charity of his choice. Like Les Paul, Steve Miller personifies the spirit of excellence through musicianship and industry recognition.
“I cannot think of anyone more deserving to be honored with the Les Paul Spirit Award than Steve Miller. Not only is he an extraordinary talent and a wonderful friend of the Les Paul Foundation, Steve holds the very distinct title of being Les’ godson. They had a very unique relationship which Les cherished. If anyone understands the “spirit” of Les Paul, it’s Steve,” says Michael Braunstein, Executive Director of The Les Paul Foundation. “If Les were still alive today, Steve and he would be jamming at his house regularly. I am personally thrilled to be able to present Steve with this award because I know he exemplifies everything Les was about and wanted to accomplish. I want to also thank the Gibson Gives Foundation for partnering with us on this exciting annual award and for everything they do to keep Les’ name alive.”
“At Gibson Gives, we are thrilled to celebrate the incredible contributions of Les Paul and partner with the Les Paul Foundation to bring awareness to Les Paul’s legacy as he continues to inspire musicians across generations and genres.” –Beth Heidt, Chief Marketing Officer at Gibson
“Steve Miller personifies the spirit of excellence through his musicianship and industry recognition. Gibson Gives is proud to partner with the Les Paul Foundation to present the prestigious Les Paul Spirit Award to this legendary artist who not only embodies the innovative spirit of Les Paul himself and his landmark contributions to music but continues to entertain and inspire us through his music and talent.” –Erica Krusen, Global Executive Director at Gibson Gives
Steve Miller has been a monumental presence on the American music scene for over half a century and his releases have sold tens of millions of records and been streamed billions of times. Miller’s Greatest Hits (1974-1978) received the RIAA Diamond Award with sales of over 15 million copies. It is among the 25 top best-selling albums of all time. If one would run through Miller’s music catalog they would quickly recognize his influences – his parents were jazz aficionados and personal friends of Les Paul and Mary Ford. As a budding guitarist, Steve absorbed every lesson or piece of advice Les Paul gave him. Miller played with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, James Cotton and Paul Butterfield, all of whom inform his music to this day.
Miller’s hits include “The Joker,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Abracadabra,” “Rock’n Me,” “Jet Airliner,” “Swingtown,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” and others. The album “Fly Like an Eagle” was recently inducted to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. To this day these songs are instantly recognizable and impossible not to sing along with.
Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2016) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2022) and is a member of the Visiting Committee of the Department of Musical Instruments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and is a member of the Board of Directors at Jazz at Lincoln Center. On last year’s Steve Miller Band tour he played to three quarters of a million fans and returned to the top of the charts with his hit “Abracadabra” via the prominent feature in “Eminem’s” hit single “Houdini.”
Steve’s relationship with Les Paul was deeply personal and formative. Les Paul was not only a family friend but also became Miller’s godfather as noted above. Their connection began in Miller’s early childhood in Milwaukee, where his parents frequently attended Les Paul and Mary Ford’s performances. A young Steve Miller was introduced to Les Paul who gave him his first informal guitar lessons and taught him his first three chords. Miller has often recalled how these early experiences watching Les Paul perform and receiving personal instruction were pivotal in inspiring his own musical journey. To understand how close the two families were, Steve’s father “Sonny” was even the best man at Les Paul’s wedding. Miller joined Les Paul on stage at his 90th birthday concert in New York city highlighting their enduring bond. Steve continues to enthrall his audiences with stories like these at his performances.
The exclusive, physical Les Paul Spirit Award for Steve Miller is made from actual hand-carved acoustic boards built by Les Paul that he used in his home studio. Les Paul designed and created the memorabilia during his life. The acoustic wood piece is a unique presentation and supported by Les’ personal story. No two Les Paul Spirit Awards are exactly the same given the unique nature of the studio pieces which are being used to create them and their intrinsic value as authentic Les Paul memorabilia. Past recipients of the award have included Bob Weir (founding member of The Grateful Dead), producer and musician Nile Rodgers, U2’s the Edge and Peter Frampton.
