The 11th annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert will honor GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Pete Townshend of the Who, and the band's longtime manager, music and film producer Bill Curbishley, at the Best Buy Theater in New York on May 28. Tickets will go on sale this month and performers will be announced shortly.

Townshend will be honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund and for his commitment to helping others with the addiction recovery process. Curbishley will be the recipient of MusiCares' From the Heart Award for his unconditional friendship and dedication to the mission and goals of the organization.

"This year, the MAP Fund is traveling to New York City to broaden the visibility of MusiCares' services on the East Coast," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and MusiCares. "Throughout the year, MusiCares offers comprehensive addiction recovery programs to people in need, and the opportunity to showcase the annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit in that great music city should underscore that our resources are available to members of the music community nationwide. It is a genuine privilege to honor Pete and Bill in our 11th anniversary year for their longtime dedication to our mission."

Born into a musical family in London at the end of World War II, Townshend is known principally as the lead guitarist and composer for the Who, as well as for his own solo career. His career with the Who spans 50 years, during which time Townshend has been the driving force behind one of the most powerful, inventive and articulate bodies of work in rock and roll. From early classic singles such as "My Generation" and "Substitute" to complete song cycles such as Tommy, Lifehouse and Quadrophenia, Townshend has always been at the forefront of his profession.

Though known mainly as a guitarist, Townshend is an accomplished singer and keyboard player, and has played many other instruments (such as banjo, accordion, synthesizer, piano, bass, and drums) on his solo albums and on selectWho albums. He has also written newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts. Townshend plans to tour the United States again in 2015 with the Who to celebrate the legendary group's 50th anniversary.

A music and film producer, Curbishley started his career in the music business at Track Records in 1969, a company that recorded and managed a range of bands and artists, including Marc Bolan, the Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Thunderclap Newman, and the Who. When Track Records dissolved in 1974, Curbishley set up his own company, Trinifold Management, which initially only handled the Who. Curbishley's involvement with the group eventually led to him producing the 1979 film Quadrophenia, inspired by the album of the same name, followed by the 1980 film McVicar.

Curbishley expanded Trinifold and began to manage or co-manage other rock icons such as Judas Priest, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Golden Earring, Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant, and subsequently guitarist Jimmy Page — giving birth to a hugely successful period of recording and touring for Page and Plant. Curbishley organized a Led Zeppelin concert in 2007, following the passing of the band's early mentor and founder of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun. The album from that show, Celebration Day, received the 2013 GRAMMY for Best Rock Album. In 2014 Curbishley produced another film, The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. 

All proceeds from the MusiCares MAP Fund event will help provide members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation.