Will Lee of Letterman’s Late Show to Host 21st Annual TEC Awards

Sep 20, 2005 8:00 AM

The Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio has announced that Will Lee, longtime bassist on The Late Show with David Letterman, will host the 21st Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. The TEC Awards event, to be held on Oct. 8 at the New York Marriott Marquis, is the world’s foremost awards event recognizing achievements of recording and sound professionals.

Beyond his widely visible weeknight gig with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra, Lee is one of the music industry’s most in-demand performers, having toured and recorded with many of the world’s leading pop, rock, and jazz artists. He has toured with B.J. Thomas, Horace Silver, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, the Brecker Brothers, and others, and recorded with hundreds of artists, from Ringo Starr, Frank Sinatra, Carly Simon, and Steely Dan to George Benson, Mariah Carey, Natalie Cole, and Luther Vandross. He has one solo project, OH!, to his credit, and has also recorded a tribute to Charlie Parker called BirdHouse, with his pianist father and other jazz artists. Additionally, Lee has been the energetic vocal lead of more than a dozen commercial jingles.

“We are honored to have Will serving as the host of our upcoming show in New York,” says Mix Foundation President Hillel Resner. “Not only is he a local luminary and one of the top bass players in the world, but his sense of humor and experience in the industry make him the ideal host for the TEC Awards.” Resner points out that Lee has recorded no less than 26 projects with renowned producer Arif Mardin (Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Norah Jones), who will be inducted into the TEC Hall of Fame by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun during the night’s festivities. Also to be honored is Talking Heads founder David Byrne, who will receive the prestigious Les Paul Award from the legendary Les Paul himself.

Proceeds from the TEC Awards support hearing health programs of the House Ear Institute of Los Angeles and Hearing Education Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.) of San Francisco, as well as numerous audio scholarship programs.

For ticket information call Karen Dunn at (510) 985-3263, email Karen@tecawards.org, or visit www.mixfoundation.org.