April 16, 2003 - LOS ANGELES - Composer and songwriter Randy Edelman will receive the 2003 Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement at the BMI Film and TV awards May 14 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. Composer, songwriter and television executive Merv Griffin will also be presented with the BMI President's Award at the ceremonies. The event is a black-tie affair hosted by BMI's President and CEO Frances W. Preston.
Edelman is known for his vast and diverse credit list, including scores to "The Last of the Mohicans," "Gods and Generals," "While You Were Sleeping," "The Mask, " "Anaconda," "Billy Madison," "XXX" and more. He wrote the hit "Weekend In New England" and has worked with such diverse groups as The Carpenters and Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention. He won an Emmy Award for his closing theme for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and his score to "The Last of the Mohicans" was nominated for the British Academy Award and the Golden Globes.
The BMI award for Outstanding Career Achievement is named after past BMI Vice President Richard Kirk and is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions in the field of film and TV music. Former recipients of the award include John Barry, Danny Elfman, Charlie Fox, Jerry Goldsmith, Earle Hagen, Michael Kamen, Alan Menken, Thomas Newman, Mike Post, Lalo Schifrin, Richard and Robert Sherman, W.G. "Snuffy" Walden, John Williams and Patrick Williams.
In addition to being one of television's most successful personalities with his ground-breaking "Merv Griffin Show," Griffin has created the scores and themes for two of the most-watched game shows in television history: "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" He has also made significant contributions as a recording artist and actor and is highly regarded for his business acumen and philanthropic activities.
BMI created the President's Award in 1993 to honor an exceptional person in the entertainment industry deserving of special recognition. It symbolizes BMI's commitment to creative and unique individuals who have made this industry what it is today. Past awardees include Harlan Howard, Earle Hagen, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, Alabama and Pete Townshend.
BMI, founded in 1940, is an American performing rights organization that represents approximately 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music. Through its music performance and reciprocal agreements, it grants businesses and media access to its repertoire of approximately 4.5 million musical works from around the world.