(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —
The Gap Band will be honored as BMI Icons at the performing rights organization's 5th annual Urban Awards on August 26 at Club Tropigala at the Fontainebleau Hilton Resorts & Towers in Miami, FL coinciding with the MTV Video Awards being held on August 28.
The trio, Charlie, Ronnie and Robert, who will be saluted with an all-star musical tribute that evening, are cited for their "enduring influence on generations of music makers." Songs like "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Party Train," "Burn Rubber," "Oops Upside Your Head," "Early in the Morning" and "Outstanding" rank as some of the most sampled tracks in today's urban music.
The Gap Band enters the elite company of previously praised BMI Icons, including Bill Anderson, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Bo Diddley, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Little Richard, Loretta Lynn, Van Morrison, Dolly Parton, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon and Brian Wilson. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
