[Harp-L] Nominees for SPAH's Pete Pedersen Lifetime Achievement Award

[Winslow Yerxa]

This year SPAH is announcing not just award recipients, but all nominees for its annual awards. Here are the nominees for the 
Pete Pedersen Lifetime Achievement Award



Criteria



·     Candidates must have a record of achievementsover a long period of time that may reasonably be considered to be the virtualequivalent of a lifetime;



·     Preferably have established themselves asoutstanding harmonica players;



·     be active in promoting the preservation andadvancement of the harmonica and the positive and meaningful interaction ofharmonica players and devotees;



·     and candidates should demonstrate generosity insharing their talents and knowledge, and in remaining accessible to members ofthe harmonica community.



Joe Filisko



Who previously received the Bernie Bray Award in 2001.


For his commitment to excellence in playing, teaching, andpromoting the harmonica, and for his advanced work in harmonica customization.


PT Gazell – about whom more later.



Tom Kemper (whose accomplishments weredescribed in his nomination for the Stan Harper award.)



John Popper  (whose contributions were described in hisStan Harper Award nomination.)



Brendan Power



Who received the Bernie Bray Harmonica Player of the Year award in 2011.


In his 60 years, Brendan has built a reputation as stellarand boundary-pushing instrumentalist, among others backing such luminaries asSting and playing in the pit orchestra for the London run of Riverdance.Meanwhile, he has been active non-stop as an inventor – of multiple alternatetunings for both chromatic and diatonic, of the Suzuki half-valved diatonic andthe Sub 30 and X-reed harmonicas, and now using 3D printing in his invention andconstruction of the Slider bass and double chromatic. 


Mickey Raphael, about whom more later.



Ernie Roberts, whose qualifications weredescribed in his nomination for the Stan Harper award.



Stevie Wonder, about whom more later.



Winslow Yerxa 


For his tireless work in harmonica educationover several decades, including publishing the magazine HIP–The Harmonica Information Publication, authoring Harmonica For Dummies and Blues Harmonica For Dummies, creatingthe harmonica education event the Harmonica Collective with Jason Ricci, workingwith both John Popper and Howard Levy to publish transcriptions of their solos,working in many capacities to help run SPAH, and in creating a worldwidereputation not only for his deep knowledge of all things harmonica, but also forexcellence and versatility in playing the harmonica.
 Winslow Yerxa
Producer, the Harmonica Collective
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, Second Edition: ISBN 978-1-118-88076-0
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.comInstructor, Jazzschool Community Music SchoolPresident emeritus, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica