This weekend, local rock legend Alan Parsons told the world about his latest accolade, and it’s a big one. 

He has received the Order of the British Empire.

“Many of you will have already heard that I have been awarded an OBE at the annual Queen’s Birthday Honours,” Mr. Parsons, who lives in the Santa Barbara area, said in a statement Saturday on Facebook. “I am hugely chuffed and very grateful for the countless congratulatory messages from family, friends, business associates, and fans.

“I’ve actually known about the honour since May but was asked to keep it confidential until today,” Mr. Parsons continued. “It’s tremendously satisfying to be listed among an amazing array of musicians, actors and music producers who have also received The Queen’s Honours in the arts. “For those of you who may not know about the British Honours System, the Honour of OBE stands for ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire,’” Mr. Parsons said.

The OBE recipient has excited fans of classic rock and concept albums for more than 40 years. Mr. Parsons is known for everything from his sound production work for Pink Floyd to his performances with The Alan Parsons Project and his touring band, The Alan Parsons Live Project.

“For the over-50 crowd, or even the over-40 crowd, there’s a need for strong, melodic, song-driven music,” the British rocker told the News-Press in 2016. “I think that’s what I’ve always delivered.”

The London native’s career began as an assistant sound engineer on The Beatles’ albums “Abbey Road” (1969) and “Let It Be” (1970). He received industry attention with his engineering work on Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” (1973), before joining the late Eric Woolfson as his songwriting and performing partner in The Alan Parsons Project, a British progressive rock band.

“It was a wonderful series of being in the right place at the right time,” said Mr. Parsons, who moved to Santa Barbara in 1999 from London and the south of England.