Deacon John Moore will receive the Louis Armstrong Jazz Pioneer Award on Thursday, June 9. The honor will be bestowed by the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp, with the ceremony taking place at a private residence in New Orleans.

The summer jazz camp, which provides musical training to New Orleans area youth, hosts a fundraiser each year for its scholarship program. Its Pioneer Award was established to recognize an individual who has contributed to the musical heritage of New Orleans, while also drawing attention to the fundraiser.

Moore certainly meets the criteria for the award, having performed R&B, funk, blues, jazz, rock and gospel music professionally for nearly six decades. In the 1960s, he played in recording sessions with legends like Allen Toussaint, Dave Bartholomew and Harold Batiste, eventually earning a reputation as one of the most in-demand guitarists at Cosimo Matassa’s studio. During the 1970s, Moore and his band performed at the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (making them the only act to play every Fest since its inception) and became the first rock musicians to take the stage with the New Orleans Symphony.

Since then, the 74-year-old guitarist has further cemented his reputation as one of the premier old school New Orleans musicians, continuously playing gigs and tirelessly working to support the artistic legacy of the city. Moore has been inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, picked up a Best of the Beat Lifetime Achievement Award and performed for President George W. Bush, Governor Bobby Jindal and Mayor Mitch Landrieu. He’s even dabbled in a little politics himself, becoming the first African American to be elected president of New Orleans Musicians Union, Local #174-496.

The awards ceremony and fundraiser will take place a just a couple of week before the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp begins its 2016 session on June 27. The camp will run until July 15 on the campus of Loyola University New Orleans.