The Parnelli Awards are annual honors recognizing excellence, innovation, and leadership in the live event and concert touring industry. The awards acknowledge individuals, companies, and technologies that contribute significantly to touring productions and live events.
History The Parnelli Awards were established in 2001 by tour manager Patrick Stansfield and Terry Lowe, founder of the trade publications Front of House Magazine (FOH) and Projection, Lights & Staging News (PLSN). The first awards ceremony was held as a small industry dinner in Southern California. Over time, it expanded into a formal annual event recognizing achievements across multiple disciplines in live production. The awards are named in honor of Rick “Parnelli” O’Brien, a respected figure in the concert touring industry known for his work in production logistics and artist touring support, who died of cancer in 1999.
Comparable awards The Parnelli Awards are distinct from artist-focused honors such as the Grammy Awards, which recognize musical performances and recordings. Instead, the Parnelli Awards focus on the behind-the-scenes professionals in lighting, staging, sound and production management responsible for live touring and events. The awards are most closely related to the TEC Awards, which recognize technical achievement in audio and production across live performance, recordings, and broadcast media. Both awards are presented annually in conjunction with the NAMM Show.
Award categories The Parnelli Awards include a variety of categories reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of live event production. These categories honor technical roles, creative leadership, and organizational excellence. Typical award categories include:
Lifetime Achievement Award Audio Innovator Award Visionary Award Production Manager of the Year Production Designer of the Year Lighting Company of the Year Sound Company of the Year FOH Audio Engineer of the Year Monitor Engineer of the Year NextGen Award (emerging professionals)
Selection process The first 3 awards, collectively known as the Lifetime Achievement honors, are selected by the Parnelli Board of Advisors and announced prior to the NAMM Show. The other awards use a two-stage process. Nominations are submitted annually by industry professionals, after which entries are verified and reviewed by the Board of Advisors. Finalists are then voted on by verified subscribers of FOH and PLSN magazines via a secure ballot system.
Ceremony Since 2016, the Parnelli Awards ceremony has been held in January of each year in conjunction with the annual NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. The event serves as a major industry gathering for touring professionals, technicians, and production companies. The awards have been described by industry commentators as the Grammys for live event personnel who work behind the scenes at concerts, tours and special events. Music entertainers have attended and presented at the awards ceremony as a recognition of the work being done by the award winners on their behalf. Over the years, Garth Brooks, Todd Rungren, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Paul Anka, Alice Cooper, Adrien Belew, Tony Levin and Kevin Cronin have attended the awards event.
Past award winners
The Audio Innovator Award was introduced in 2004 and the Visionary Award in 2008. Winners in the other award categories can be found on the Parnelli Awards website. Many of the Parnelli Award recipients are profiled in the NAMM Oral History Program.
See also Live sound mixing Live event support NAMM Show
References
External links Official website Projection, Lights & Staging News FRONT of HOUSE Magazine