Legendary soul man Al Green will receive the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization's 12th annual Pioneer Awards in October. Other honorees include jump blues innovator Louis Jordan, "Rescue Me" singer Fontella
Bass and Motown songwriting team Holland/Dozier/Holland.
Green, who released a hits collection and autobiography last year both entitled Take Me to the River, is responsible for such soul classics as "Love and Happiness," "Let's Stay Together" and "Belle." He's spent the past 25 years dividing his time between performing, recording and preaching at his Full Gospel Tabernacle church in Memphis, Tennessee.
In addition to her 1965 smash "Rescue Me," Bass recorded a handful of hits for the Checker label including "You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone)" and "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing," a duet with Bobby McClure. Since then she's devoted most of her time to gospel, recording and touring with her group the Voices of St. Louis.
Saxophonist Big Jay McNeely and singer Dee Dee Sharp are the other individual performer honorees, while the Emotions — who had a #1 pop and R&B hit in 1977 with "Best of My Love" — will receive a Group award.
Jordan, who will receive a Legacy Tribute award, was responsible for dozens of R&B hits, including "Beans and Cornbread," "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie" and "Caldonia."
Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland, who were responsible for many of Motown's 1960's hits, will receive a Songwriter award along with New Orleans pianist Allen Touissant, who wrote hits for Irma Thomas and Etta James and produced LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" and Dr. John's "Right Place, Wrong Time."
The R&B Foundation was founded in 1988 to provide emergency medical assistance and other financial help to seminal artists from the 1940s, '50s and '60s.
This report is from MTV News.
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