Ronnie Milsap Receives Legend Award; Continues Touring With 40 No 1 Hits

Nashville, TN. (Top40 Charts/ RCA) - RONNIE MILSAP was recently presented the Legend Award by Rocketown founder Michael W. Smith at a fundraising event in Nashville, Tennessee. The event dubbed "What a Difference You've Made In My Life," raised funds to help Rocketown's mission to strive to make that difference daily by providing a home away from home for teens.

Ronnie Milsap ranks as the pre-eminent country soul singer, using his emotionally expressive voice and remarkable musical talent to become the most consistent and enduring artist of the '70s, '80s, and early '90s. Signing with RCA Records in 1973, Milsap's myriad of influences blended into a cosmopolitan style of country music that has helped revolutionize Nashville.

Now, over thirty years later his track record speaks loud and clear: 40 No 1 hits, more than 25 million records sold, seven GRAMMY Awards, four Academy of Country Music Awards, and eight Country Music Association Awards. Together, they underscore Milsap's position as one of the best-loved and most enduring artists in country music history.

Born into dire poverty in the Appalachian town of Robbinsville, North Carolina, Milsap's mother viewed her newborn's blindness as punishment from God. Shortly after his first birthday, he was cast off and given to his grandmother to raise. At age six, he was sent to the Governor Moorehead State School for the Blind in Raleigh, and the young boy faced barbaric disciplinary treatment all through his grade school and high school years. All along, the sightless child took refuge in music and the radio.