Great night over at the Joy Theatre last night for the Offbeat’s 2011 Best of the Beat Music Business Awards.  This is always a fun evening with many being recognized deservingly  for their contributions to the all important business side of the “heartbeat” of our city, the music industry.  Congrats to all winners! The highlight of the evening though was honoring George Porter Jr. with Best of the Beat’s Lifetime Achievement in Music Award. George was lightly “roasted” by his daughter Katrina, followed by a cool video spanning GPJr’s career with messages from Leo Nocentelli and Art Neville.  Several speakers, including  Cyril Neville, Papa Mali, John Gros, Billy Iuso, among others then joined  George  onstage to  reminisce about their appreciation for and experiences with GPJr over the years.  Truly a beautiful thing to behold  and a MUCH deserved recognition.  Enjoy the pix! Be sure the check out The Best of the Beat Awards will be presented January 27, 2012, THIS FRIDAY, at Generations Hall, with musical performances and tasting stations from local restaurants.  Ticket info avail here.. http://offbeat.com/store/Back-Issues/2011-Best-of-the-Beat-Ticket/prod_376.html  ©2005-2012  Jerry Moran Native Orleanian LLC www.NativeOrleanian.com