Guitarist, composer and producer Steve Vai was the recipient of the prestigious Les Paul Award at the 27th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. The gala co-presented by the TEC Foundation For Excellence In Audio and NAMM, was held on January 20 at the Hilton in Anaheim, California as a special event of the 2012 NAMM show.

The TEC Awards recognizes outstanding achievement in professional audio production and product design.

Sponsored by the Les Paul Foundation, the Les Paul Award is given annually to a musician or recording professional whose work has epitomized the marriage of music and technology. The award was co-presented by Russ Paul and celebrated rock bassist Billy Sheehan.

Video footage of the Les Paul Award presentation can be seen below.

The show was hosted by “Late Show” veteran Will Lee, and featured musical performances by Lee, the 2 COLD CHILIBONE TEC BAND, Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, Orianthi, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, CJ Vanston, scratcher DJ HAPA and other veteran vocalists and session musicians.

The complete list of the 27th annual TEC Awards winners is available at this location. Source: Blabbermouth.net