By Mark Beech
Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Peter Gabriel is to be honored as an Icon by Broadcast Music Inc., the U.S. performing rights organization announced today.
The U.K. singer-songwriter, 57, who founded the rock band Genesis in 1967 and left for a solo career in 1975, will receive the award on Oct. 16 in London, BMI said in an e-mailed release.
``Gabriel´s achievements, whether musical, visual or humanitarian, are the work of a true visionary,´´ BMI said.
The BMI Icon award is given to songwriters who have had ``a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.´´ Previous winners include Ray Davies, Van Morrison, the Bee Gees, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton, James Brown and Paul Simon.
Gabriel´s Grammy Award-winning solo career includes songs such as ``Solsbury Hill´´ and ``Sledgehammer.´´ He also has composed soundtracks for films, including Martin Scorsese´s ``The Last Temptation of Christ´´ (1988) and is the founder of the Womad (World of Music, Arts and Dance) movement.
BMI, a not-for-profit entity, collects and distributes to its member songwriters, composers and music publishers money for public performance of music in the U.S., including on the radio, TV and Internet.
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