For Immediate Release:
February 14, 2000

Contact:
Connie Tejeda (ctejeda@giles.com)
Giles Communications
(914) 422-3800, ext. 124

NAMM Honors VH1 President John Sykes With Music for Life Award

–Surprise Gift of Vintage Drumset Commemorates Vital Partnership–

NEW YORK—VH1 President John Sykes thought February 10 was going to be another day at the office. Instead, his friends from the musical products industry surprised him with a uniquely personal appreciation of his contributions to music in America. NAMM International Music Products Association Chairman Paul Murphy gave Sykes the organization's prestigious Music for Life Award—and presented him with the vintage Ringo Starr drumset he'd dreamed of owning as a boy.

According to NAMM Director of Market Development Joe Lamond, the presentation was meant to highlight the strong partnership between NAMM and VH1's Save the Music initiative, which raises money to restore public school music programs. "We felt John Sykes had done a tremendous amount of good for the cause of music education," Lamond said. "We really appreciate his dedication."

Sykes called the presentation "a total shock and surprise."

"I've spent my life staring at Ringo Starr's drums, and now I have an authentic set from the exact year that he had his," he raved. "I've been a mad drum fan for years, and to see an exact set with the authentic hardware is one of the greatest surprises I've ever had."

Murphy, a third-generation chairman of NAMM and president of Steiner and Sons Music, also handed Sykes a symbolic check for $750,000, which represented contributions NAMM and NAMM members in the music industry made to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation in 1999.

Sykes was just as thrilled at the recognition for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, and praised the members of his staff who had filled the room to witness the surprise. "It's nice to know that an initiative we started here at VH1 is actually changing the lives of public school children across the country," he said. "Music education makes kids smarter, and if the program is helping to raise awareness of that fact, then that's half the battle."

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a public affairs initiative of the cable television and satellite industry, is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America's public schools by restoring music programs in cities across the country, and by raising public awareness about the importance of music participation for our nation's youth.

Sykes's new drumset, provided by the Percussion Marketing Council, is a vintage 1963 Black Oyster Pearl Ludwig kit identical to the one used by Ringo Starr during the heyday of the Beatles. It came complete with Remo heads and Promark sticks, all of which had Sykes's name engraved on them.

The presenters sprung the surprise on Sykes in a VH1 conference room high above Times Square, where Sykes' longtime friend, drummer Kenny Aronoff, sat playing the new set as Sykes came out of the elevator. Aronoff, John Mellencamp's regular drummer, has also worked with the Rolling Stones, Melissa Etheridge, John Fogerty and many other top acts.

Aronoff, visibly pleased with the effect the gift had on his friend, also saluted the work of VH1 Save the Music. "Music wires your brain," he said. "Your brain is a muscle, and if you don't use it, it gets mushy."

The NAMM Music for Life Award, created in 1990, recognizes the extraordinary accomplishments of individuals who play a significant role in promoting music education in the nation's schools and whose dedication to music and music education serves as an inspiration to others. Previous honorees have included John Tesh, Richard Dreyfuss, Henry Mancini, Doc Severinsen, music education advocate Karl Bruhn, recording artist Nanci Griffith, Representative Bob Clement, NARAS President Michael Greene and Professor Emeritus of Physics Dr. Gordon Shaw of the University of California, Irvine.

"I'm glad that John enjoyed the surprises we had for him," Lamond said. "He really deserves every bit of it. NAMM and VH1 Save the Music have really made a great team, and by working together we've accomplished more than we could possibly have hoped to on our own."

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