The Long Island Music Hall of Fame will present their Long Island Sound (LISA) Award to legendary performer and music producer Kenny Laguna on Friday, August 10, just prior to the performance of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts at the Metro New York Balloon and Music Festival at Brookhaven's Calabro Airport.

Kenny Laguna is a long-time member of the Long Island and international music communities, as a performer, songwriter, and producer. He started his performing career with hit-makers The Ohio Express and The Lemon Pipers. By the age of sixteen, he was producing Bill Medley. During those sessions he met and began working with Darlene Love, Phil Spector's legendary lead voice. He served as keyboard player and background singer for Tommy James and the Shondells. Kenny produced Jay and the Americans, Tony Orlando, and Edwin Starr, and worked for The Who at their record label in London. In the late seventies, he wrote and produced new wave/punk hits for the Beserkley Record Label with artists such as Jonathan Richman and Greg Kihn. Kenny was asked to produce Bow Wow Wow and, around the same time, he began working with Joan Jett. This marked the beginning of their long-standing partnership, which has included his work with her as producer and collaborator. The diversity and great expanse of his body of work comes from his acute understanding of music and the artists he produces. Visit him online at http://www.lagunatunes.com/.

The Long Island Sound Award gives the Long Island Music Hall of Fame the opportunity to recognize those individuals or institutions which made a significant contribution to Long Island's musical landscape, and to give Long Islanders the opportunity to celebrate with us. Previous Long Island Sound Award recipients have included Lindenhurst's Pat Benatar, Brooklyn's own Arlo Guthrie, The American Chamber Ensemble of Hofstra University, electronic music pioneer Herbert Deutsch of Massapequa Park and a posthumous award presented to Harry Chapin's widow, Sandy.

For press inquiries about the Long Island Music Hall of Fame LISA Awards, contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-586-3433 or jamesarts@worldnet.att.net. For more information about the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, please call 631-828-3914 or visit http://www.limusichalloffame.org/.

The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island's musical heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which defines Long Island geographically rather than politically, as Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties, was created as a place to inspire in each person the desire to explore and celebrate music in all its forms and to be a place where the music community will find the support, resources and leadership necessary to aid them in that exploration. The Long Island Music Hall of Fame sponsors the Long Island Sound Award, traveling educational exhibits and is working to create a permanent home for the story of the Island's musical heritage.