Joe Arroyo, Gal Costa, Jose Feliciano, Alex Lora, Les Luthiers, Ruben Rada, and Linda Ronstadt to be Honored With the Latin Recording Academy® Lifetime Achievement Award

USA - English

• Latin America - español

MIAMI, July 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Joe Arroyo, Gal Costa, Jose Feliciano, Alex Lora, Les Luthiers, Ruben Rada, and Linda Ronstadt will be honored with The Latin Recording Academy®'s Lifetime Achievement Award, and Manuel Alejandro, Jesus "Chucho" Ferrer and Ray Santos are the recipients of the prestigious Trustees Award, it was announced today by The Latin Recording Academy. These honorees will be acknowledged at a special invitation-only ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas as part of the weeklong Latin GRAMMY® Awards celebration. For updates and breaking news, please visit The Latin Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/latingrammys, www.facebook.com/latingrammys.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080819/LATU001LOGO)

"This year's group of accomplished honorees are as diverse as they are influential as creators of the most renowned and prominent recordings from across the globe," said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy. "We are privileged and honored to recognize and celebrate the contributions of these true icons to the world of Latin music at our annual ceremony, which has grown to be such an emotional and beautiful event. Their legacies have affected multiple generations and will continue to influence musicians and music fans for years to come."

Lifetime Achievement Awards: This Special Award is presented by vote of The Latin Recording Academy's Trustees to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording during their careers.

Colombian singer, songwriter and composer Joe Arroyo began his musical journey at the young age of 8, singing in one of his hometown's most popular music halls. In 1971 he joined the very successful band Fruko Y Sus Tesos (Fruko And His Buddies) and toured throughout Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the United States, sharing the stage with legends such as Bobby Cruz, Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe, Tito Puente, and Richie Ray. A decade later Arroyo formed his own band, La Verdad (The Truth) and was awarded the Conga De Oro Award by the acclaimed Colombian Carnival of Barranquilla. His music crosses many styles including salsa, compas, merengue, reggae, and soca and he also developed his own style, the Joeson. Today, Arroyo continues to perform throughout Latin America and the United States.

One of Brazil's most popular singers, Gal Costa has recorded more than 35 albums in a five-decade career. In 1981 her double album Fantasia became her biggest hit yet, reaching multi-platinum status. She has recorded songs composed by some of Brazil's iconic songwriters, including Tom Jobim, Jorge Ben Jor and Erasmo Carlos. Additionally, she has recorded in Portuguese, Spanish and English. With her fiery and unique style, Costa became part of the Tropicalismo movement, which rose in the late '60s and fused several musical genres. Currently, she is working with Caetano and Moreno Veloso on new compositions. Costa has appeared and performed at countless festivals, exhibitions and concerts, which have garnered her many accolades.

Seven-time GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY winner Jose Feliciano has recorded nearly 70 albums, earned more than 45 gold and platinum records, toured all around the world, and is the recipient of countless prestigious awards the world over. Feliciano, one of the huge crossover acts who paved the road for Latinos to follow, was born in Puerto Rico and began his musical career in the streets of New York where he taught himself how to play the accordion and guitar, earning the title "the world's greatest living guitarist" by critics around the world. Throughout his 50-year career he has given the world such compositions as "Feliz Navidad," "Rain," "Chico And The Man," "Destiny," "Ay Carino," "Cuando El Amor Se Acaba," and "Por Que Te Tengo Que Olvidar." A consummate philanthropist, Feliciano established the Jose M. and Susan L. Feliciano Charitable Foundation for Children and the Arts to help give back to the community.

Mexican born Alex Lora is a rock pioneer, emerging in the early '60s to invigorate rock while becoming one of the genres' most important writers, composers and active performers. As the leader of the group Three Souls In My Mind (known better by their short name El Tri), Lora has received three GRAMMY nominations and two Latin GRAMMY nominations and numerous gold and platinum records. El Tri celebrated 40 years of rock and roll with a huge five-hour concert during which such artists as Miguel Rios from Spain, Los Ratones Paranoicos from Argentina and Molotov from Mexico shared the stage. Throughout his illustrious career he has also shared the stage with such artists as Chuck Berry, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, the Cult, Sammy Hagar, Joan Jett, the Ramones, and the Rolling Stones.

With more than 34 performances delivered to approximately 8 million international spectators and many unforgettable albums, the Argentinean-based ensemble Les Luthiers have been entertaining audiences with music since 1967. Their concerts fuse theater with high-class humor and amazing musical elements that include outstanding homemade instruments (some extremely sophisticated), which they skillfully employ in their recitals while performing brilliant tangos, zambas, bossas, chamber music, and classical works. Les Luthiers — Carlos Lopez Puccio; Jorge Maronna; Marcos Mundstock; Carlos Nunez Cortes; and Daniel Rabinovich —  have received several national and international awards throughout their distinguished career and in 2007 were designated Distinguished Citizens of Buenos Aires. Today, they continue to perform in Europe and Latin America.

Ruben Rada, also known as "El Negro Rada," is an Afro-Uruguayan percussionist, composer and singer who has recorded more than 30 albums, which today are considered Uruguayan classics. Throughout his more than 40-year career, Rada was the first musician to combine Western rock with Latin music and integrate elements of jazz, funk, soul, tango, and pop, evolving and modernizing the candombe style of music Rada has worked with such talented musicians as Mijares, Eugenia Leon and Tania Libertad and has shared the stage with GRAMMY-winning superstar Sting and talented UK reggae band UB40. Currently, he has a very busy schedule performing throughout the South American region.

Ten-time GRAMMY winner Linda Ronstadt is one of the '70s most popular interpretive singers and has released more than 30 solo albums, 15 compilations and greatest hits albums, with several reaching certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum status. Released in 1987, her first all-Spanish album, Canciones De Mi Padre, stands as the best-selling non-English-language album in U.S. music history. Nicknamed the Queen of Rock, Ronstadt has recorded in several genres such as jazz, R&B, gospel, opera, country, choral, tropical, and mariachi. Additionally, she has collaborated with such diverse artists as Rosemary Clooney, Billy Eckstine, Philip Glass, Flaco Jimenez, the Chieftains, and Dolly Parton. She currently devotes time to her family and continues to support many Hispanic social causes.

Trustees Award: This Special Award is presented by vote of The Latin Recording Academy's Trustees to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording during their careers.

With a career that spans more than 40 years as a songwriter, composer and producer, Manuel Alejandro has a repertoire of more than 500 songs, which have established him as one of the most popular and sought after composers of Latin love songs. Through working with such artists as Luis Miguel, Julio Iglesias, Raphael, Rocio Jurado, Jose Jose, and Emmanuel, Alejandro has produced and/or written some of Latin Americas most iconic songs, including hits such as "Mi Amante Amigo," "Como Yo Te Amo," "Voy A Perder  La Cabeza Por Tu Amor," "Todo Se Derrumbo Dentro De Mi," and "Pobre Diablo."  Today, Alejandro is working on a special project containing his favorite 100 songs (each album will contain 33 1/3 songs).

Mexican arranger and musician Jesus "Chucho" Ferrer's career has seen him to arrange 8,000 musical works in various styles ranging from pop and mariachi to classical and children's music. Throughout his career he has collaborated with such artists as Marco Antonio Muniz, Aida Cuevas,  Placido Domingo, Maria Felix, Vicente Fernandez, Lucero, Luis Miguel, and Joan Sebastian, among others. Aside from producing popular musical arrangements, Ferrer has directed several symphony orchestras, including the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, Fine Arts Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Ferrer was the signature musical conductor of the prestigious Ibero-American Music Festival for more than 20 years. He was also the musical director of RCA Victor in Mexico, developing the careers of Mexican music legends. Today, at 82 years old he continues to create and enjoy his life passion: music.

Heralded as "El Maestro" of the mambo sound, Ray Santos has performed, composed and arranged music for dozens of premiere Latin orchestras throughout his more than 50 year career. He has produced music for several projects, including films such as The Mambo Kings and arranged music on Linda Ronstadt's Frenesi and Paquito D'Rivera's Tropicana Nights, both GRAMMY-winning albums. For more than 25 years, Santos has been a music educator at the City College of New York and frequently lectures at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Among his many accolades, Santos has received the Chico O'Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award and Bobby Capo Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2003 he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

The Latin Recording Academy is an International, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to producing the Latin GRAMMY Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach programs for the Latin music community. For more information about The Latin Recording Academy, please visit www.latingrammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/latingrammys, and a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/latingrammys.

SOURCE The Latin Recording Academy