2015 BASCA Gold Badge Awards - Recipients Announced

BASCA will present the 42nd Gold Badge Awards, sponsored by PPL and PRS for Music, on Tuesday 13th October at The Savoy, London

BASCA will present the 42nd Gold Badge Awards, sponsored by PPL and PRS for Music, on Tuesday 13th October at The Savoy, London.

Founded in 1974, the BASCA Gold Badge Awards recognise exceptional people from right across the music industry who have worked in support of British songwriters and composers. They are an opportunity for BASCA and its members to thank an outstanding group of men and women who have made a unique contribution to British music.

BASCA announce the following 2015 recipients:

• Michael Eaton (presented in association with PRS for Music)
• Peter Gabriel (presented in association with PPL)
• Mark King (presented in association with BMI)
• John Logan
• Del Newman
• Tom Robinson (presented in association with the Musicians’ Union)
• Leo Sayer
• Iain Sutherland
• Claire Whitaker OBE
• Kim Wilde
• Norma Winstone MBE
• Chris Wright CBE

Stephen McNeff, Chairman of BASCA said: “BASCA is delighted to recognise the unique contribution each person announced today has made to the professional lives of songwriters and composers. This is a truly diverse and inspirational group of people, champions of British music who have worked in the public eye and behind the scenes to ensure music is heard and thrives. BASCA takes pride in the opportunity to honour them at the Gold Badge Awards on 13th October.” 

The 42nd BASCA Gold Badge Awards are hosted by Guy Fletcher OBE and follow a lunch at The Savoy, London on Tuesday 13th October.

Sponsored by:
PRS For Music, PPL, Musicians Union, BASCA, Gold Badge Awards
For more information visit www.goldbadgeawards.com or contact Fran Matthews BASCA fran@basca.org.uk – 020 7636 2929
#GoldBadgeAwards @BASCA_UK www.facebook.com/bascauk

-ENDS-

About BASCA

BASCA is a not for profit membership organisation representing the interests of British songwriters and composers. Its aim is to represent its members in the political arena, inform them of changes to their professional landscape, foster a sense of community and encourage the next generation of professional music writers. In addition to this BASCA celebrates excellence through the Ivor Novello Awards and British Composer Awards and present the Gold Badge Awards to honour those who have worked tirelessly to support the songwriting and composing community.
Membership of BASCA is open to working songwriters and composers who are members of a royalty collection society, such as PRS for Music, BMI or ASCAP.
BASCA Fellows: John Adams, David Arnold, Malcolm Arnold, John Barry, Don Black, Pierre Boulez, John Dankworth, David Ferguson, George Fenton, Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Paul McCartney, Peter Maxwell Davies and Tim Rice.

www.basca.org.uk

2015 BASCA Gold Badge Award Recipients (in alphabetical order)

Michael Eaton

Michael Eaton joined Stephenson Harwood Solicitors in 1965. He worked as Head of Business Affairs at Dick James Music before founding Eatons Solicitors in 1979. In 2000 he set up Musiclore Ltd, providing business management services to leading clients in the music industry. Throughout his career he has advised numerous artists from Eric Clapton, the Bee Gees, The Police, Enya and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Through his relationship with Eric Clapton he was one of the main organisers of the Crossroads Guitar Festivals which began in 2004 and continue to support Eric Clapton’s renowned Crossroads Rehabilitation Centre in Antigua.

This award is presented in association with PRS for Music

Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel is best known as a musician. He started his solo work in 1975 after leaving his old school group Genesis. He has released eleven solo studio albums, numerous live albums and written for three films. In 1980 he founded WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance), which has presented 170 festivals in over 30 countries. In 1992 he co-founded WITNESS, pioneering the use of cameras and technology in Human Rights work. He was also a founder with Richard Branson of The Elders, an organization designed to bring together a small group of highly respected global leaders, formally launched by Nelson Mandela in July 2007. He recently launched The Toolbox.org, to assemble, curate and create the tools with which to transform our lives and the world we live in. His other work interests have been in innovative technology, especially in digital media, music, audio and more recently a visual language and DIY Healthcare.

This award is presented in association with PPL

Mark King

Mark King is best known as the bassist and front man of Level 42. The band have released fourteen studio albums, numerous live albums and had eighteen top forty singles, including Lessons in Love, Something About You, Leaving Me Now and Hot Water. They have sold in excess of thirty million albums worldwide. He is a pioneer of slap percussive bass, performing on numerous albums over the last three decades. A longstanding supporter of Nordoff Robbins and the Princes Trust he has been a part of the charity’s house band at fundraising galas and concerts since 1986.

This award is presented in association with BMI

John Logan

John Logan joined the Performing Right Society as a junior clerk in the Index department in 1973. At the age of 23, in 1978, he was appointed Deputy Registrar of the Society. At the same time he was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Society’s Benevolent Fund, which provides support to members, widows and other dependents. In 1985 he was appointed General Secretary moving full time in 1990. Formed in 1934 the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund provides financial help and advice to PRS members suffering hardship due to illness, accident, disability or conditions associated with old age. John is a Freeman of the City of London and a volunteer member of the Executive Committee of the Royal Variety Charity (formerly the Entertainments Artistes’ Benevolent Fund).

Del Newman

Del Newman is an orchestral arranger, conductor, composer and producer. Having studied composition and conducting at Trinity College of Music a chance encounter changed his musical direction which resulted in a thirty five year career writing orchestrations for some of the biggest names in popular music. His arrangements can be head on classic works such as Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Cat Steven’s Tea for the Tillerman and Rod Stewart’s Foot Loose and Fancy Free. Other artists he has worked with include Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Paul Simon, Squeeze, Charles Aznavour, Roger Daltrey and Barbara Dickson.

Tom Robinson

Tom Robinson is a musician, songwriter and broadcaster. In 1976 he formed the Tom Robinson Band (TRB), becoming known for songs like 2-4-6-8 Motorway, Glad To Be Gay, and Up Against The Wall. After TRB split he released ten solo albums which included the hits War Baby and Atmospherics. He made his broadcasting debut on the BBC World Service in 1987 and has since won two Sony Radio Awards and presented programmes on all seven national BBC radio stations. He was part of the founding team at BBC 6 Music, where he champions new artists and hosts three shows a week. Tom is about to release his first studio album for twenty years.

This award is presented in association with the Musicians’ Union

Leo Sayer

Leo Sayer is a songwriter and recording artist. He began his career co-writing songs with David Courtney going on to release his first solo record Silverbird in 1974. During a forty year career he has released fourteen studio albums with hits such as the US number one and Grammy Award winning ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’ and ‘When I Need You’. His own songs have been recorded by notable artists including Roger Daltrey and Cliff Richard. His latest album ‘Restless Years’ was released in Australia in 2015 and he is currently completing a UK tour.

Iain Sutherland

Scottish born Iain Sutherland is a conductor and composer. He has had a forty year association with the BBC as Principal Conductor of the BBC Radio Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra. He has also regularly appeared on ‘Friday Night Is Music Night’ on BBC Radio 2. He has appeared as Guest Conductor with numerous orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Brazilian National Symphony and Capetown Philharmonic. As well as the great classics he has conducted works by a wide range of composers from Mike Oldfield to Richard Rodney Bennett, and his recordings of international Light Music, including British composers like Eric Coates, Robert Farnon, Ronald Binge and Ernest Tomlinson appear regularly on the Classic FM playlist.

Claire Whitaker OBE

Claire Whitaker is a director of Serious, the award winning live music producers, who create and curate over 500 different events annually in the UK and internationally. Serious is one of the UK’s leading commissioners of contemporary music across a huge range of genres, and with the EFG London Jazz Festival as its flagship, Claire has spearheaded many of Serious’ large scale projects. These include BT River of Music for London 2012 and Urban Classic which brought together the UK grime scene with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Claire is passionate about the professional development of artists and taking music to the widest possible audiences. She is also a Trustee of the Caine Prize for African Writing and Chair of The Royal Commonwealth Society. In 2015 she was appointed an OBE for Services to Jazz.

Kim Wilde

Kim Wilde is a Brit Award winning recording artist, author and broadcaster. Her career began in 1981 with the hit single ‘Kids In America’. She has since released thirteen studio albums selling ten million copies and over thirty singles selling twenty million copies.
After a sabbatical from music she signed to EMI Germany in 2005 and released her European Top 20 album ‘Never Say Never’. She has since released a further three albums and a deluxe DVD and bonus edition of Wilde Winter Songbook will be released this Christmas. Kim currently presents the Kim Wilde Request Show every Sunday morning on Magic Radio.

Norma Winstone MBE

Norma Winstone is a jazz vocalist and lyricist. Her career began in the late sixties at Ronnie Scott’s and she went on to be involved in the Avant-garde movement, exploring the use of the voice in an experimental way, evolving her own wordless approach to improvisation. She has released numerous albums as a solo artist and as part of Azimuth with John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler and now as the trio Winstone/Gesing/Venier, whose recording ‘Distances’ was nominated for a Grammy. Nominated for best vocalist at the BBC Jazz Awards in 2007 and 2008, she was appointed MBE in 2007 for services to Jazz, won the Skoda Jazz Ahead Award in Bremen in 2009 and the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Jazz Vocalist in 2015.

Chris Wright CBE

Chris Wright is a music executive who co-founded Chrysalis, one of Britain’s most influential and successful record and entertainment groups. He began his career managing Ten Years After, forming Chrysalis with his business partner Terry Ellis and signing Jethro Tull and Procol Harum. Then came Leo Sayer, Blondie and Billy Idol, followed by Spandau Ballet, Ultravox and The Specials, Huey Lewis & The News, Sinead O’Connor, The Waterboys, David Gray and Laura Marling to name a few. Chris later took Chrysalis into TV, radio and book publishing then personally moved into sport with stints owning QPR and Wasps rugby club.

BASCA is delighted to recognise the unique contribution each person announced today has made to the professional lives of songwriters and composers. This is a truly diverse and inspirational group of people, champions of British music who have worked in the public eye and behind the scenes to ensure music is heard and thrives. BASCA takes pride in the opportunity to honour them at the Gold Badge Awards on 13th October.

About PRS for Music

PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 165,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers around the globe. Headquartered in the UK, it works diligently on behalf of its members to grow and protect the value of their rights. With a focus on innovation and integrity, PRS for Music is redefining the global standard for music royalties to ensure creators are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. In 2022, PRS for Music collected £964m and paid out £836.2m in royalties. prsformusic.com