The portion of the evening honoring Keaggy included an an emotional video montage of the guitarist's 40-plus years as a musician, interspersed with family photos with his wife, Bernadette, with whom he celebrates 40 years of marriage this year, and their three children, Alicia, Olivia and Ian, who has followed in his father's footsteps as a member of the award-winning pop band Hot Chelle Rae. Bernadette Keaggy and their children were in the audience, along with Phil Keaggy's sister, Geri Bobeck.

Following the video presentation, Keaggy took the stage to perform his classic "Salvation Army Band." In true Keaggy fashion, the guitarist turned in a signature one-man-band performance-creating multiple loops with his Lexicon Jamman and utilizing a dizzying assortment of effects pedals-which brought the industry audience of more than 300 to its feet in a spontaneous standing ovation. "From now on my nickname for you will be 'soul catcher,' because you catch our souls," said Paul Williams ASCAP's Chairman of the Board and award-winning songwriter, at the conclusion of Keaggy's performance. "Phil is one of the most admired guitarists in modern history and I am honored to salute him in this honor tonight," Williams said. "Phil, you are a giant."

"The reception at the ASCAP Awards was heartwarming; I am so humbled and honored to be recognized," said Keaggy. "My thanks to the many who have shown so much love and support."

Past recipients of the ASCAP Golden Note Award have included Michael W. Smith, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Bob McDill, Don Williams, Lindsey Buckingham, Reba McEntire and J.D. Souther.

"Phil Keaggy's influence on both the contemporary Christian and mainstream music markets is immeasurable," says ASCAP's Michael Martin. "We are very proud to honor him with the ASCAP Golden Note Award in recognition of his incredible career."

Keaggy is one of the most admired figures in music today. His fans find solace in his beautifully penned lyrics, memorable melodies and blistering guitar licks. Many musicians-both aspiring performers and seasoned professionals-have been influenced by his style. Keaggy's solo career has spanned more than 40 years and has included over 50 solo albums, both vocal and instrumental, as well as eight releases with his band, Glass Harp. A sought-after studio guitarist, Keaggy continues to sell out concerts all over the United States, with an ever-changing style that moves from rock and roll to fully orchestrated instrumental compositions.

Keaggy earned his first Dove Award in 1988 for his instrumental album The Wind and the Wheat, and won his second in 1992 for the Celtic-influenced Beyond Nature. From 1998 to 2001, Keaggy dominated the Instrumental Album of the Year category at the Doves, winning for Invention, Acoustic Sketches, Majesty and Wonder, and most recently, Lights of Madrid. For three years in a row, Keaggy was voted one of the top fingerstyle guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers. He has also gained a reputation as an amazing producer and engineer, producing albums and songs for such artists as Cheryl Bliss, Keith Moore, Phil McHugh, Third Season, Rachel Lanier, Gianna Jesson and Kevin Gould.

The 35th Anniversary ASCAP Christian Music Awards also celebrated the year's most-performed Christian songs and named other top winners, including Ben Glover as Songwriter of the Year, Matthew West as Songwriter/Artist of the Year; and Capital CMG Publishing as Publisher of the Year. "10,000 Reasons," written and recorded by Matt Redman, published by Said and Done Music, Sixsteps Music, Thank You Music and Worshiptogether.com Songs, was named the Song of the Year.

About Phil Keaggy: Widely recognized for his phenomenal guitar playing as well as his vocal and songwriting prowess, Keaggy has received numerous accolades and awards for his music, including seven Dove Awards and a Grammy nomination. Keaggy lives with his wife, Bernadette, in Nashville, TN. Keaggy's most recent CD, The Cover of Love, is available from Strobie Records. For more information on Keaggy and The Cover of Love, visit philkeaggy.com. Follow Keaggy on Facebook (facebook.com/philkeaggy) or Twitter (@Phil_Keaggy).

About ASCAP:
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With more than 450,000 members representing over 8.5 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. For more information, visit ascap.com.

For more info on Phil Keaggy visit the JFH Artists Database.

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