Entertainment

The Living Legends Foundation Celebrates 30th Anniversary and Annual Awards Gala

Published

1 year ago

October 4, 2022

The Living Legends Foundation (LLF), will host its 30th-Anniversary celebration and honor the 2022 honorees for the Annual Living Legends Awards Gala. This year’s event will be held on Friday, October 7, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. at Taglyan Complex, 1201 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, CA.

The esteemed group of nine honorees include: Ronald “Slim” Williams and Bryan “Birdman” Williams, co-founders of Cash Money Records, who will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Charlamagne Tha God, entertainment personality, author, and co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show, The Breakfast Club with DJ Envy and Angela Yee will receive the Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award; Curtis Symonds, CEO of HBCUGO.TV will be presented with the Media Icon Award; Geo Bivins, CEO of Port Perry Entertainment will receive the Music Executive Award; Johnnie Walker, founder and CEO of the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment, Inc. (NABFEME) will be presented with the Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award; Tuma Basa, Director of Black Music and Culture at YouTube will receive the Digital Executive Award; Sharon Heyward, founder and CEO of The Solutionist LLC and music industry legend (formerly of Perspective, Virgin, and Harmony Records) will be presented with the A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award; Hank Caldwell, founder and CEO of Expert Fixer and music industry legend (formerly of WEA, SOLAR, Epic, and Death Row Records) will receive The Founders Award.

The 30th Anniversary honorees reflect the brilliance and excellence of today’s global music leaders and follow the tradition of the organization’s past honorees, who are trendsetters, trailblazers, legends, and icons. The foundation’s core mission is to honor the best among us in today’s ever-changing multimedia industry in the areas of broadcasting, recorded music, media, publishing, radio, publicity, and marketing.

“It’s been nearly three years since we gathered for our annual gala,” says David C. Linton, Chairman of the Living Legends Foundation. “Fortunately, COVID did not stop the organization nor its mission to serve our community through some challenging times for so many. Unfortunately, over the past few years, we have lost many of our comrades, who were longtime champions of the music and entertainment industries. We are immensely blessed and grateful that we can honor and celebrate those who are still among us.”

Linton concludes: “We are also indebted to all the music labels, corporations, organizations, and individuals who have financially supported the foundation and its mission during COVID. We thank you for your generous donations. We are looking ahead to the next thirty years with a renewed spirit of gratitude, vision, and energy.”

Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Ray Harris, added, “The Living Legends Foundation is the oldest Black Music organization around today. It’s no small feat that we have been able to survive for the past thirty years and for many years, we were the only Black organization standing. As the founder of this organization, I am humbled and profoundly grateful to the current and past Chairmen, Board of Directors, Advisory Board Members, honorees, and all the people who volunteered and kept the vision of this organization alive, especially during the mean and lean times. I think we have done a few things right. We look forward to gathering with our music industry family and celebrating each other.”

During the three-year pandemic, the LLF continued its work and implemented new ideas. In addition, to meeting the financial needs of many of its constituents, board members of the organization created the Music Day Podcast/Vodcast, an informational and educational interview show featuring artists, industry insiders, and music executives, highlighting the business of Black music and its impact on music globally. The podcast is available on all digital platforms, and the vodcast is shown on the Living Legends Foundation YouTube channel. The foundation also continues to support the next generation of music creators and executives through the Scholarship Fund at historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) including Texas Southern University (Houston, TX) and Shaw University (Raleigh, NC).

For additional information on the Living Legends Foundation, please visit the website at livinglegendsfoundation.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

ABOUT THE LIVING LEGENDS FOUNDATION Founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1992, the Living Legends Foundation, LLC is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization and has been funded primarily with corporate contributions and individual donations. The 30-year-old organization has expanded its mission to assist those who have served the music industry and who have a confirmable need. This assistance is provided in a manner that maintains the dignity of those who may receive financial help. Many former music industry employees worked during a time when 401Ks and retirement packages were not available—and even today, in this era of downsizing and mergers, the uncertainty of career stability within the industry has grown. Proceeds from the event will enable the LLF to continue to aid those in need.

Over the past 30 years, the foundation has also recognized and honored more than one hundred distinguished leaders in music, radio, retail, and media. Past honorees include, in alphabetical order: Brenda Andrews, Larkin Arnold, Clarence Avant, Lee Bailey, Big Boy, Jamie Foster Brown, Troy Carter, Ray Chew and Vivian Scott Chew, Hymen Childs, Keith Clinkscales, Sheila Coates, Sheila Eldridge, Kenny Gamble, Jack “The Rapper” Gibson, Tony Gray, Ethiopia Habtemariam, Jeffrey Harleston, Denise Brown, Esq., Stephen Hill, Leon Huff, Cathy Hughes, Don Jackson, Hal Jackson, Larry Jackson, Cynthia Johnson, Varnell Johnson, Quincy Jones, Larry Khan, Mathew Knowles, Morace Landy, Karen Lee, Vicki Mack Lataillade and Claude Lataillade, Miller London, Michael Mauldin, Rushion McDonald, Sidney Miller, Kendall Minter, Esq., Jon Platt, Gwendolyn Quinn, Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Ruben Rodriguez, Aundrae Russell, Pat Shields, Eddie Sims and Belinda Wilson, Dedra Tate, Phil Thornton, Herb Trawick, Charles Warfield, Dr. Logan H. Westbrooks, Maurice White, Dyana Williams, Tyrone Williams, and numerous others.

Black Life Texas

Carver Annual Fundraiser Dec. 2

Published

1 week ago

November 23, 2023

BLT Staff

The Carver Development Board presents the Cavalcade of the Stars on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Center.

This annual fundraiser benefits the Carver’s School for Visual & Performing Arts’ Artist Residency/Master Class Program, summer camps, Youth Matinee Series, and supports the education programs of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The title fundraiser is Valero.

The night will start with a reception and silent auction at 5:30 pm. Dinner is served at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm featuring Kiland Kyham, also known as Mr. Houston. Kyham is a gifted and powerful author, singer, and songwriter. He has performed and produced with such music legends as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Johnathon Butler, and Smokey Robinson. He has written over 400 song jingles and has produced numerous projects.

For over 75 years, The Carver Community Cultural Center (“The Carver”) has served as the San Antonio Eastside’s foremost gathering place of cultural exchange and performance arts. It was originally erected in 1918 as a community center for African-Americans. By the 1930s, the building was repurposed as the Colored Library and renamed the Carver Library and Auditorium in honor of Dr. George Washington Carver. From the 1940s through the Civil Rights Era, prominent African-American entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong played at the Carver.

Individual tickets for the Cavalcade of the Stars are $250 or $2,500 per table. For more information, visit (TheCarver.org).

Entertainment

Kirk Brings Tour to San Antonio

Published

4 weeks ago

November 3, 2023

avista

Kirk Franklin’s new album “Father’s Day” just released on Oct. 6, 2023. Franklin has written and produced “Father’s Day,” marking his first new solo album since the 2019 release of his Grammy-winning solo album “Long Live Love.”

Franklin says about Father’s Day and connecting with God’s love: “I hope this album is a stripped-down, honest conversation about the difficulty of the life journey and how life can be messy, nuanced, and a matter of trial and error even for those who subscribe to faith. But it’s all wrapped in a bow of love, and that love doesn’t always make sense, but is always constant.”

Legendary artist Kirk Franklin has etched a mark on the music industry with his soul-stirring melodies and powerful lyrics. With an astonishing 2 billion career streams, his music has touched the hearts of millions around the globe.

Highly decorated with an impressive collection of accolades, including 19 Grammy Awards, 42 Stellar Awards, 23 Dove Awards, and 8 Soul Train Awards, he stands as a true icon in the gospel genre.
Kirk Franklin’s unwavering passion for gospel music continues to shine as a beacon of inspiration, leaving an indelible legacy that will resonate for future generations.

Franklin will be featuring some of his new albums in The Reunion Tour at the Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center) on Nov. 16 at 7 pm. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
Joining Franklin on The Reunion Tour are Israel Houghton, David & Tamela Mann, Tye Tribbett, The Clark Sister with special guests of the New Breed, The Family, & God’s Property.

Entertainment

Jada’s Entangled Memoir – Worthy

Published

1 month ago

October 19, 2023

avista

By Ebony Huerta Wells

It must be nice! I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I heard actress Jada Pinkett Smith say she and her famous Oscar-slap husband, Will Smith, are separated but still married, I immediately thought that when I get upset with my husband, I have to sit in my car.

I don’t have another house to go to. I don’t even have another wing of the house to go to. And then I thought of the infamous Oscar slap in 2022 and the “Red Table Talk” discussion where she and Will Smith are in tears over her entanglement or affair. So, was all that necessary? Maybe to sell books, it may be necessary. Jada Pinket Smith’s new memoir, “Worthy,” has hit the shelves and she is making the talk show circuit. Like talk show host Sherri Shepherd said, the whole family should get Oscars for living a lie for seven years – supposedly the amount of time Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been separated.

Truthfully, I’m still trying to grapple with liking the couple – before her memoir. Unlike R. Kelly, Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby, Will Smith hasn’t been totally shunned yet, but he has paid a hefty price for his actions “defending” her honor. But it takes two to tangle, and I don’t think by any means we have heard of all his “entanglements,” and he has his own demons to work out.

. . . the whole family should get Oscars for living a lie for seven years . . .

In the Black community and especially in the entertainment industry, we don’t have a plethora of Black male actors. We are more accustomed to negative stories of Black men than good, so when Will Smith reprised his role as Muhammad Ali at the Oscars, we wanted so much to embrace him for his achievements. Instead, we had to defend Black men at work, hit rewind about a thousand times to make sure it wasn’t a skit, and then joke about it in our inner circles – what the hell was he thinkin’ fighting in front of white folks!

I haven’t read “Worthy,” but Jada Pinkett Smith does talk about Tupac, Chris Rock, and many more of our favorite celebrities. Maybe I will read it for that, or perhaps I will just wait for them to move back together again and stop all this actin’.