Bluesfest director Peter Noble took out the fifth annual Rolling Stone Award at a ceremony held in Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel last night.
The award, which recognises an outstanding career-long contribution to popular culture, acknowledged Peter’s contribution not only to the iconic Byron Bay festival but also to the wider music industry that he has been a part of for 50 years.
He joins the ranks of previous winners including luminaries such as Michael Gudinski and Michael Chugg.
Before starting Bluesfest Peter Noble had a long career, first as a musician and later as a booking agent in Australia and the US.
He began booking international acts with the then East Coast Blues Festival in 1990, and became a festival director in 1993.
Peter coined the term Blues & Roots Music Festival in 1996 to encompass the growing reach and flavour of the festival.
In addition to touring blues, jazz, roots and indie artists in Australia, Peter Noble ran AIM Records, which became the first-ever Australian independent label to win a Grammy Award.
Last year saw Peter team up with leading cultural creative, Rhoda Roberts to produce the first Boomerang Festival – a new world indigenous festival for all Australians to be held annually at the Bluesfest site.
A Bluesfest spokesperson said, ‘it is fitting that Peter was awarded this honour as Bluesfest is about to celebrate its 25th Anniversary over the Easter long weekend’.
Bluesfest 2014, at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, will see heavyweights such as John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band and Jack Johnson take the stage, along with many others.
For more information on Bluesfest visit: www.bluesfest.com.au
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