Phoenix, Arizona, USA – In a press release, Canyon Records announced that Native American flutist, R. Carlos Nakai and Grammy winning recording engineer Jack Miller, both associated with Canyon Records for over two decades, will be inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 17th in Phoenix, Arizona.

Nakai, of Navajo-Ute heritage, is considered the leading performer of the traditional Native American flute and has been credited with leading its renaissance. Nakai has released over thirty albums with Canyon Records since his first Canyon release in 1983 with his output spanning genres from traditional music to jazz, classical, new age and world.

Two of his albums, Earth Spirit and Canyon Trilogy: Native American Flute Music, have earned Gold Records (sales in excess of 500,000 units) and six have received Grammy nominations. He is a past recipient of the Arizona Governor’s Arts Award and numerous Native American Music Awards.

Miller, whose Jack Miller Productions has been a subsidiary of Canyon Records since 2001, has been recording Native American music for over a quarter century including many albums with Nakai. Miller earned a Grammy Award in 2002 for his work on Bless the People by Verdell Primeaux and Johnny Mike.

Miller, considered by many the dean of recording engineers in the Southwest, was nineteen when his family moved to Phoenix in 1953. He began in the music business by establishing a music section in the variety store his family owned. He later worked for Dawson Music, a combination music store, record label and recording studio, until landing a job at Ramsey’s Recording studio (later Audio Recorders).

In 1958 Miller made a name for himself by recording the sound known as the “twang heard around the world” for the single “Rebel Rouser” by Duane Eddy. This record went on to sell over a million copies and drew attention from major music figures like Henry Mancini. Miller moved to Los Angeles where he recorded Mancini, The Rolling Stones, The Limelights, The Monkees, Waylon Jennings, Wayne Newton, and Sammy Davis, Jr. to name a few. Miller has recorded over 4,000 albums in his more than fifty-year career.

The Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame recognizes artists who grew up in or started their careers in Arizona. Previous inductees include Wayne Newton, Stevie Nicks, and Alice Cooper. Other inductees this year include Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings, Lew King, and Marty Robbins. Musical performances scheduled for the event include R. Carlos Nakai, Glen Campbell, Jessi Colter, and The Pistoleros.

Canyon Records, founded in Phoenix, Arizona in 1951, produces and distributes contemporary and traditional Native American music. For more information on the label, its artists and for sound clips, visit www.canyonrecords.com or call (800) 268-1141.

For ticket information contact The Dodge Theatre at 602-379-2888 or Ticketmaster at 480-784-4444.

[R. Carlos Nakai photo courtesy of Hershel Freeman agency].