U2's The Edge has been named the 2017 recipient of the Les Paul Spirit Award. The guitarist will be honored during an invite only ceremony in Manchester, TN June 9 before his band takes the stage at the Bonnaroo Festival. The award is presnted annually to "...an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the late, great Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology and/or music." The Les Paul Foundation's Michael Braunstein wrote of this year's recipient, "Not only is he an extraordinary talent who has given us an incredible array of amazing music but he is also an innovator who understands that sound, technologies, and a personal creative spirit play a role in creating music that cannot be forgotten."
The Edge receives the award on what would have been the 102d birthday of the pioneering guitarist it is named for. Past recipients include Joe Perry, Slash, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Robbie Robertson, Steve Miller and Todd Rundgren.
Gibson.com
