Producer, engineer and professor Susan Rogers has been recognised by the pro audio industry with the 2021 Outstanding Contribution to UK Music MPG Award.
Renowned for her work as Prince’s engineer from 1983-1987, working on five albums and hits such as Purple Rain and Sign o’ the Times, she has also worked with the likes of David Byrne, Barenaked Ladies and Tricky. She is currently a professor at Berklee College of Music and runs a not-for-profit studio called The Record Company in Boston, MA.
The Outstanding Contribution award is gifted by the Music Producers Guild Awards Committee and is presented to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the music industry. The announcement comes before the full 2021 MPG Award winners are announced on June 10.
In a change from the annual awards ceremony at The Grosvenor House Hotel due to Covid restrictions, winners will be announced online.
As sponsors of the award, PPL is delighted that Susan Rogers has been chosen as recipient of the 2021 award.
Peter Leathem, PPL CEO, said: “The PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution to UK Music is reserved for those whose work has had a truly significant impact on music. Susan is a deserving winner, having helped create some of the most popular and critically-acclaimed music of all time. Her work with Prince delivered five albums, including Purple Rain and Sign o’ The Times, and a catalogue of hugely-influential hits that are still being listened to today. She continues to contribute to our industry through teaching and sharing her talent and knowledge with the next generation of producers and engineers. PPL is proud to present this award to Susan in recognition of her outstanding work across the decades, as well as the important role she plays in the industry today.”
Olga FitzRoy, executive director, MPG, added: “We are delighted to present this award to Susan. Through her work with Prince, she shaped the sound of the records that influence producers and artists to this day. We hope that by shining a light on her extraordinary career, we can remind women everywhere that we have a long and proud record of overachieving in an industry where we are still underrepresented. “
Tony Platt, MPG Awards Group managing director, also commented: “Susan's career epitomises the important contribution that the teams of people supporting artists make and that the MPG UK celebrates with our Awards. Collaboration and the sharing of skills and knowledge is at the heart of all creative pursuits, especially music making, and we are delighted to be able to recognise Susan's significant and continued role in that.”