In many ways, the Rhythm & Blues Foundation has been a godsend. The organization should be better known to the general public; ideally, people should be as familiar with it as they are with the Grammy Awards or the American Music Awards.

Among the reasons for that deserved recognition is that the foundation, an independent non-profit service organization, has a philanthropic side, and hundreds of artists, many of whom have fallen on hard times, have benefited from the organization’s commitment to honor R&B artists, both the looked over and forgotten as much as the widely celebrated.

The foundation’s biggest event is its annual Pioneer Awards ceremony, which takes place around the time of the Grammys. This program has recognized more than 150 artists “whose lifelong contributions have been instrumental in the development of rhythm & blues music.”

One unique aspect of the Pioneer Awards event is that the presentation is made to each honored artist by a current act. For example, in 1995 when the Marvelettes were among those being honored, the presentation was made by a “girl group” of a different type, Salt-N-Pepa (Cheryl James, Sandra Denton and Dee Dee Roper).

This is done as a way to show the connection of artists past to artists present, representing the continuation of the music.

A generous check comes with the award.

THE RHYTHM & Blues Foundation was established in 1988 “to promote recognition, financial support, educational outreach and historic and cultural preservation of rhythm & blues music through various grants and programs in support of R&B artists from the 1940s through the 1970s.”

The organization developed in 1987 during discussions between veteran R&B, blues and jazz singer (and actress) Ruth Brown, Atlantic Records chief executive and co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, and entertainment attorney Howell Begle.

One sad reality of R&B (and rock & roll) history is that so many artists have been ripped off, particularly in the past. Whereas they should have received thousands of dollars for sales of their recordings and/or for writing them, they all too often received little or nothing, thanks to the dirty work of shysters, shady record company executives, and others of their ilk.

Not knowing much about business and being poor, some would, for example, sell a song outright for, say, $100, and the crooked buyer would put his name on it and market it through his publishing company.

The Rhythm and Blues Foundation came into existence in 1988 with a $1.5 million donation from Ertegun.

Atlantic Records was enormously important in the recording and marketing of Black music that, as most of the world knows, was the source from which rock & roll developed. (“Rock & roll is just rhythm & blues,” Fats Domino once said. “I’ve been playing it all my life.”)

The Atlantic roster included many of the artists who have received Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Awards, including LaVern Baker, the Clovers, Percy Sledge, Booker T. & MG’s, Ray Charles (Lifetime Achievement Award), Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, Ruth Brown, Ben E. King, Clarence Carter, Aretha Franklin (Lifetime Achievement Award), the Drifters, the Coasters and Albert King.

ONE OF THE other most important aspects of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation is the Doc Pomus Financial Assistance Program, named in memory of the prolific songwriter (“Save the Last Dance For Me,” “This Magic Moment,” etc.) who was one of the organization’s founding directors.

The financial assistance program was created in response to many artists, often through no fault of their own, ending up in very bad condition, financially and physically, in many cases with no insurance. The Pomus program provides emergency financial assistance for health care, musical instruments and even funeral expenses.

There is also the Motown/Universal Music Fund that provides grants for health, welfare and medical purposes in the form of monetary assistance to former rhythm & blues artists affiliated with the Universal Music Group or affiliated labels.

In addition, the Gwendolyn B. Gordy Fuqua Fund specifically assists Motown artists from the ’60s and ’70s. It was established by Motown founder Berry Gordy to honor the memory of his sister who was instrumental in the company getting started and it growing into the legendary giant it is.

Gwen Gordy Fuqua had been married to Motown producer/arranger Harvey Fuqua (who sang with the Moonglows in the ’50s).

FUNDING FOR the Rhythm & Blues Foundation comes from corporations, artists (Bruce Springsteen and Bonnie Raitt are among those who have made generous contributions), fundraisers and concerned citizens.

A substantial number of artists (and others) from Detroit or with Detroit ties have received Pioneer Awards, including Bettye LaVette, Kim Weston, Jackie Wilson (Legacy Tribute Award), Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland), Marvin Gaye (Legacy Tribute Award), the Spinners, George Clinton, and Gladys Knight & the Pips (Lifetime Achievement Award).

Also, Hank Ballard, Eddie Floyd, Stevie Wonder (Lifetime Achievement Award), Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Jr. Walker & the All Stars, John Lee Hooker (Lifetime Achievement Award), Mable John, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, the Four Tops (Lifetime Achievement Award), Wilson Pickett, Mary Wells, Berry Gordy (Lifetime Achievement Award) and the Marvelettes.

FOLLOWING is a listing of Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honorees. (Editor’s note: There was no awards ceremony in 2007 because the organization was planning its 20th anniversary celebration, taking place in September 2008. At press time, lists were not available for 2005, 2004 and 2002.)

1989: Etta James, Percy Sledge, LaVern Baker, Little Jimmy Scott, the Clovers, Charles Brown, Mary Wells, Ruth Brown.

1990/1991: Ray Charles, Al Hibbler, the Five Keys, Albert King, Jimmy McCracklin, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Moore, Doc Pomus, the Spaniels, Maxine Brown.

1992: Chuck Jackson, the Staple Singers, Hank Ballard, Bobby “Blue” Bland, the Dells, Aretha Franklin, Ella Johnson, Nellie Lutcher, Jesse Stone, Rufus Thomas, Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams.

1993: Hadda Brooks, James Brown (Lifetime Achievement Award), Solomon Burke, Dave Clark, Floyd Dixon, David “Panama” Francis, Lowell Ful-son, Erskine Hawkins, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wilson Pickett, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Carla Thomas, Jimmy Witherspoon.

1994: Jerry Butler, the Coasters, Otis Blackwell, Clarence Carter, Don Covay, Bill Doggett, Mabel John, Ben E. King, Little Richard (Lifetime Achievement Award), Johnny Otis, the Shir-elles, Irma Thomas.

1995: Booker T. & the MG’s, Fats Domino (Lifetime Achievement Award), Inez & Charlie Foxx, Cissy Houston, Illinois Jacquet, Darlene Love, the Marvelettes, the Moonglows, Lloyd Price, Arthur Prysock, Mabel Scott, Jr. Walker, Justine “Baby” Washington.

1996: The Chantels, Dave Bartholemew, Bo Diddley (Lifetime Achievement Award), the Cadillacs, Betty Everett, the Flamingos, Eddie Floyd, the Isley Brothers, Jay McShann, Johnnie Taylor, Doris Troy, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Bobby Womack.

1997: Wiliam Bell, Gary (U.S.) Bonds, Gene Chandler, the Four Tops, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Little Milton, Gloria Lynne, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Phil Upchurch, Ruby & the Romantics, the Spinners, Van “Piano Man” Walls.

1998: Faye Adams, Bobby Byrd, Herb Abramson, Tyrone Davis, the Five Satins, the Harptones, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Ernie K-Doe, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the O’Jays, David “Fathead” Newman, Kim Weston.

1999: Sam Cooke (Legacy Tribute Award), Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Mickey Baker, Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Johnny Adams, Brenda Holloway, Barbara Lewis, John Lee Hooker (Lifetime Achievement Award), Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles, Barbara Lynn, the Manhattans, Garnet Mims, Johnny Moore, Joe Simon, Bill Pinkney and Charlie Thomas (both of the Drifters), Dee Dee Warwick.

2000: The Chi-Lites, Ahmet Ertegun, Marvin Gaye, the Impressions, Johnnie Johnson, Clyde Otis, Sylvia Robinson, Huey “Piano” Smith, Stevie Wonder, Betty Wright.

2001: Dee Dee Sharp, Allan Toussaint, Al Green (Lifetime Achievement Award), Big Jay McNeely, the Emotions, Fontella Bass, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Sly & the Family Stone, Louis Jordan (Legacy Tribute Award).

2003: The Del Vikings, George Clinton, the Dixie Cups, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Dionne Warwick (Lifetime Achievement Award), Hal Jackson, Johnny Nash, Maceo Parker, Koko Taylor, Jackie Wilson.

2006: Frankie Beverly, Thom Bell, Chubby Checker, the Delfonics, Berry Gordy, Barbara Mason, Otis Redding (Legacy Tribute Award), Bettye LaVette.