Third Annual Peavey Awards Honor Charley Pride, Pinetop Perkins & More

ROBINSONVILLE, Miss. - Recording Academy honorees Charley Pride, Pinetop Perkins and Dorothy Moore joined Peavey Electronics in celebrating the "Birthplace of America's Music" at the third annual Mississippi GRAMMY Legacy and Peavey Awards gala, hosted by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and endorsed by The Recording Academy, on May 28 in Robinsonville.

"Mississippi has been our home base for our entire 44-year history," said Hartley Peavey, namesake of the Peavey Award and founder of Meridian, Miss.-based Peavey Electronics, one of the music-products industry's leading innovators and largest manufacturers. "It's also the state that gave the world blues and rock roll, and has produced more GRAMMY winners and nominees per capita than any other. It's an honor for Peavey Electronics to be part of that rich musical legacy."

Country pioneer and GRAMMY-winner Charley Pride, blues piano legend and GRAMMY-winner Pinetop Perkins, soul singer and GRAMMY-nominee Dorothy Moore, Canadian pop songstress Nanette Workman and blues pianist Eden Brent were among the recipients of the Peavey Award, which honors individuals who have played a significant role in developing and furthering Mississippi's musical heritage.

Following the Peavey Awards presentation, the winners performed for a capacity crowd at Bluesville in the Harrah's Horseshoe Casino, joined by GRAMMY winners Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives; country songwriter Paul Overstreet; gospel greats The Williams Brothers; and guitarist James Burton. Blues guitarist Eddie Cotton capped the evening with a rousing performance.

Emcee, actress and Mississippi resident Joey Lauren Adams—star of hit movies Big Daddy, Dazed and Confused and Chasing Amy—and Paul Overstreet emceed the event.

Jon Hornyak, Senior Executive Director of The Recording Academy's Memphis Chapter commented, "The incredible musical influence of Mississippi artists is undeniable, and it is safe to suggest that virtually every GRAMMY nominee and winner has used Peavey products on stages and in studios during their careers."

The Peavey Awards debuted in 2007 and have since honored the accomplishments of Jerry Lee Lewis, Marty Stuart, Brandy, Paul Overstreet, Mavis Staples, The Williams Brothers, The North Mississippi Allstars, James Burton and more. Proceeds from the annual event benefit the Mississippi Blues Commission, whose Blues Trail project places interpretive markers at notable historical sites related to the history and growth of blues music throughout the state.

Peavey Electronics joined the Mississippi Development Authority in sponsoring the event.