Eddie Low honoured with Benny Award

Eddie Low honoured with Benny Award

VETERAN performer Eddie Low has been honoured by his peers as the recipient of the prestigious Variety Artists of NZ's Benny Award to mark his lifetime achievements in the entertainment industry. 

Eddie was presented with the award in front of a star spangled crowd last night. Personality Max Cryer, who has presented the award for the last 4 years and a past Benny winner, highlighted Eddie’s huge contribution to raising awareness and funds to help blind and other handicapped kids.

The Benny Award marks legendary or iconic status for an artist.  The Benny is the highest honour given by the Variety Artists of NZ, but more importantly, because selection of a recipient can only be done by the elite group of past Benny Winners, then it’s tantamount to being recognised in the highest degree by your peers.

Other notable winners at the Variety Artists awards last night were:

·         The Topp Twins – received the 2009 Reilly Comedy Award (recognising their continued international success, particularly that their film received the Audience Choice Award at the Canadian Film Festival)

·         Suzanne Prentice – 2009 Top Female Artist Award

·         Dennis Marsh – 2009 Top Male Artist Award

·         Marian Burns – 2009 Top Musician Award and the Agnew Excellence Award.

The Benny Award -- named after a famous NZ magician Edgar Benyon – is awarded by the Variety Artists of NZ annually to an entertainer or member of the entertainment industry who has excelled or made an extraordinary contribution to the industry.

The award puts Eddie in an elite group of artists to have been honoured by their peers with The Benny, including the late Sir Howard Morrison, John Rowles, Suzanne Lynch and the late Rob Guest.

Eddie Low is one of New Zealand’s finest entertainers.

Dubbed as the artist with ‘a voice in a million’ he also played the piano, guitar, flute, trumpet, violin, and other instruments besides. Born partially blind, he developed his musical ability at the Blind Institute in Auckland. In the early 1960s he played in showbands, and with the Quin Tikis toured with the annual Miss New Zealand contest. He also appeared in the film Don't Let It Get You (1966) with the Quin Tikis, the late Sir Howard Morrison and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. He went on to record albums in the United States and Australia.

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