The Country Dick Montana Lifetime Achievement Award

A guitar player, writer, producer, and composer, Oceanside native Stevie Salas has recorded on over 70 different albums, with artists as diverse as George Clinton, Justin Timberlake, Buddy Miles, T.I., Mick Jagger, and Rod Stewart. Having sold over two million solo albums around the world, Stevie has been cited as one of the top 50 guitarists of all time.

Salas music career started in Oceanside, with the local band This Kids. He was then discovered by funk music legend George Clinton, and was the lead guitarist for several of Clinton’s albums. Stevie received his first major label producer credit with “Was (Not Was)” when he co-produced the UK hit “Out Come the Freaks” from the Album “What up Dog?” Rolling Stone Magazine listed “What up Dog?” as one of the top 100 records of that decade.

In 1988, Stevie was asked to join Rod Stewart as lead guitarist on his world tour. Skipping from city to city in a private jet to sold-out stadiums led to Stevie signing the largest record deal Island Records had ever paid for a new artist. Stevie’s first solo record, “Colorcode,” is still a cult classic in the UK and Europe, and his second solo album, “Back from the Living,” ousted the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for “Best Album” in Japan.

An accomplished composer, over 50 of Stevie’s compositions have been released on major labels. Salas also participated in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure by performing the guitar solo for the character Rufus in the closing scene.

From 2006 to 2010, Salas served as music director and consultant for American Idol, nurturing Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, and their respective touring bands for subsequent American tours.

 A Native American, Stevie has been involved in prominent projects that support indigenous communities, including serving as the Advisor of Contemporary Music at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. For his efforts in support of Native American culture, Stevie received the Native American Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

And this year, the San Diego Music Awards is proud to present Stevie Salas, the 2024 Country Dick Montana Lifetime Achievement Award.