Pet Shop Boys' Outstanding Contribution to Music

By a happy coincidence, it is during LGBT History Month, next February, that Neil Tennant and Chrls Lowe, the members of Pet Shop Boys, will be honoured with the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award as part of the Brit Awards 2009.

Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have sold 50 million records since they signed to Parlophone in 1985 with four No 1 singles, 22 top 10 hits and a staggering 39 top 30 singles making them one of the most successful pop duos ever.

In 1986 their first hit single, “West End Girls”, topped the charts all over the world and the following year their single “What Have I Done To Deserve This?” relaunched the career of Dusty Springfield.

Pet Shop Boys have also worked as producers or remixers with artists including Robbie Williams, Liza Minnelli, David Bowie, Madonna, Kylie, Yoko Ono, The Killers and, as part of the group Electronic with Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner.

The Boys were awarded their first BRIT in 1987 winning Best British Single for ‘West End Girls’. The duo went on to pick up the coveted Best British Group Award in 1988 and performed their hit single Go West with the accompaniment of a 200 piece Welsh male choir in 1994 while being lowered onto the stage by two huge cranes.

Ged Doherty, Chairman of The BRITs Committee said, “Since their first BRIT Award over 20 years ago, Neil and Chris have produced a fantastic body of work with songs that truly were the soundtrack to a whole generation’s lives. The Pet Shop Boys have since become one of the most influential groups of the modern era and are deserving recipients of the award.”

Previous recipients of the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award include Paul McCartney, Oasis, U2, Paul Weller, Tom Jones, Sting. David Bowie, Eurythmics, The Beatles and The Who.

The ceremony which will also feature a performance with the band will take place on Wednesday 18 February.