My guess as to the pre-eminent exponent would run to someone like Simon Shaheen who won the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Lifetime Honors for his work--among other things.

I am naturally suspicious of all those state sponsored "Honors" and such things, however. My award for the Arab-American musician who has made the most impact with his work goes to Dick Dale, the King of Surf Guitar, for his classic version of "Miserlou"--

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