Jasmine Guy, Shirley Sherrod & Fonzworth Bentley Among 2011 Drum Major for Justice Honorees
Shirley Sherrod, Jasmine Guy
and Fonzworth Bentley Among
2011 Drum Major for Justice Honorees
of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Civil Rights – Rev. Joseph E.
Lowery, Ambassador Andrew Young, and Rep. John Lewis – will be honored
ATLANTA, GA – Evelyn Gibson Lowery, founder and chair of SCLC/Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now, Inc. announced today that former Georgia State Director of USDA Rural Development, Shirley Sherrod; award-winning actor, dancer, singer, and director, Jasmine Guy; and a leader in the field of diabetic limb salvage and founder of The Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program, Dr. Bill Releford; will be honored during the thirty-second annual Drum Major for Justice Awards Dinner on Monday April 4. Held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the anniversary of his assassination, the dinner will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Atlanta. For ticket information call (404) 584-0303. To continue, please click “MORE”!
“For Love of Liberty” Wins NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary
NAACP Presents Image Award for Outstanding Documentary to
“For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots”
Frank Martin Film Chronicles Untold Story of
African-Americans’
Courageous Service to their Country
HOSTED BY HALLE BERRY, INTRODUCED BY COLIN POWELL, NARRATED BY AVERY BROOKS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY LOUIS GOSSETT, JR,
WITH COOPERATION OF THE U.S. ARMY
For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots,
the powerful four-hour documentary film chronicling African-Americans
who risked their lives to create and preserve freedom for their country
while attempting to acquire it for themselves, captured the award for
Outstanding Documentary (Theatrical or Television) at the 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards held last Friday (March 4) in Los Angeles. The
program, which beat out several high-profile films for the honor,
salutes our African-American service men and women and reveres their
dedicated allegiance to the United States military. It recently returned to the airwaves across the country via PBS to coincide with Black History Month in February. To continue, please click “MORE”!
UNCF Wins Third Image Award for Its Tribute to Lionel Ritchie: ‘Dancing On The Ceiling’
‘Dancing on the Ceiling’: UNCF Wins Third Image Award For Its Tribute to Lionel Richie
‘Dancing on the Ceiling’: UNCF Wins Third Image Award For Its Tribute to Lionel Richie
LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Friday night in Los Angeles at the Shrine Theatre Auditorium, UNCF(United Negro College Fund) won its third NAACP Image Award for UNCF An Evening of Stars®, its annual televised celebration of education and excellence. The UNCF An Evening of Stars production won in the category of Outstanding Variety or Series Special for A Tribute to Lionel Richie, which aired in early 2010.
UNCF An Evening of Stars 2010
honored Richie with an all-star tribute for his support of UNCF and
minority education, his contributions to the music industry and his role
as a global humanitarian and philanthropist. To continue, please click “MORE”!
Stanley Clarke Wins Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
Stanley Clarke Band Wins Grammy ® Award
Jazz bass legend
Stanley Clarke won a Grammy® Award in ceremonies held this evening at
the Staples Center in Los Angeles, streamed line online worldwide and
broadcast live in the US on CBS-TV. Clarke received his award in
Category 44, Best Contemporary Jazz Album, for the full-length album The Stanley Clarke Band on the Heads Up International label. For a complete
list of winners visit: www.grammy.com.
“I’m grateful on behalf
of the whole band for this honor. It’s humbling to be in such strong
company.” Clarke said while on tour with his seminal group Return to
Forever in Australia. “It’s so gratifying to see that jazz and
instrumental music remain such vibrant and exciting musical forms, and
that we could contribute to their vitality. I’d like to thank the
members of the Stanley Clarke Band: keyboardist Ruslan Sirota; drummer
Ronald Bruner, Jr.; pianist Hiromi Uehara and the rest of the performers
on this album. I’d also like to thank my wife Sofi, who’s been such a
strong supporter of my career, and my children, who are also making
their paths in the arts.” Members of The Stanley Clarke Band were on
hand to accept the award from the podium in Los Angeles. To continue, please click “MORE”!
Esperanza Spalding Wins Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards
ESPERANZA SPALDING WINS BEST NEW ARTIST GRAMMY® AWARD
First Jazz Musician To Ever Win Best New Artist Award
Cleveland, OH – Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, is proud to announce that bassist, singer and composer Esperanza Spalding has won the GRAMMY® Award for Best New Artist.
Keri Hilson, The Roots & Members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to Perform at 2011 GRAMMY Celebration®
Keri Hilson, the Roots, and Members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to Perform at 2011 GRAMMY Celebration®
DJ Wayne G and GRAMMY® Jazz Ensembles also Scheduled to Participate
Chef
to the Stars Wolfgang Puck to Cater and Along Came Mary Productions to
Produce The Recording Academy®’s Official GRAMMY Awards After-Party
to the Stars Wolfgang Puck to Cater and Along Came Mary Productions to
Produce The Recording Academy®’s Official GRAMMY Awards After-Party
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — GRAMMY®-nominated R&B/pop singer/songwriter Keri Hilson, GRAMMY-winning and current GRAMMY nominee hip-hop/neo-soul band the Roots, and DJ Wayne G are scheduled to perform at the 2011 GRAMMY Celebration® — The
Recording Academy®’s official after-party. Additionally, in the
celebration’s MasterCard Jazz Lounge, the exclusive invitation-only
event will feature performances by members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the GRAMMY® Jazz Ensembles.
Inspired by images of Studio 54, this year’s all-star gathering will
hearken back to one of the most stylized eras in music history with a
chic disco nightclub theme. The event will be catered by chef
extraordinaire Wolfgang Puck and produced by Along Came Mary Productions.
One of the year’s most anticipated events attracting GRAMMY winners,
nominees and celebrities, the 2011 GRAMMY Celebration will take place at
the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 13 immediately following the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. To continue, please click “MORE”!
Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Hudson and Many More will Join Together to Celebrate the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin on the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards®
Yolanda Adams, Christina Aguilera,
Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, and Florence Welch Will Join Together
in a Rousing Celebration of the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin on the
53rd Annual Grammy Awards®
Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, and Florence Welch Will Join Together
in a Rousing Celebration of the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin on the
53rd Annual Grammy Awards®
ESPERANZA SPALDING AND STUDENTS FROM
THE GRAMMY® JAZZ ENSEMBLES AND GRAMMY CAMP ALSO WILL JOIN TOGETHER FOR A
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE
Marc Anthony, Jamie Foxx, Jewel, John Mayer,
Pauley Perrette, and Donnie Wahlberg Added as Presenters to the
Superstar Lineup for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards®
Music’s Biggest Night® Airs Live Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, 8 P.M. ET/PT, Only on CBS
Pauley Perrette, and Donnie Wahlberg Added as Presenters to the
Superstar Lineup for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards®
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — As a “valentine” and “get-well card” to Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award and GRAMMY® Legend Award recipient Aretha Franklin, four-time GRAMMY winner Yolanda Adams, four-time GRAMMY winner and Latin GRAMMY® winner Christina Aguilera, GRAMMY winner Jennifer Hudson, country superstar Martina McBride, and current nominee Florence Welch will join together on the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards®
in celebration of the 18-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee’s music
and ongoing legacy. The special segment will feature individual and
collective performances of some of the Queen of Soul’s classic hits and
will add to the stellar lineup for Music’s Biggest Night®. Current
nominee Esperanza Spalding will also perform in a special number with members of the GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles and GRAMMY Camp. Two-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Marc Anthony, GRAMMY and Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx, seven-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee John Mayer, actor Pauley Perrette, and actor/singer Donnie Wahlberg have been added as presenters to the music industry’s premier event. The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Westwood One, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys. To continue, Please click “MORE”!
Pianist Geri Allen Nominated for 2011 NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Jazz Album”
NOMINATED FOR A 2011 NAACP IMAGE AWARD –
GERI ALLEN & TIMELINE – LIVE – “OUTSTANDING JAZZ ALBUM”
Composer/pianist Geri Allen has been nominated for a 2011 NAACP Image Award in the category of “Outstanding Jazz Album” for her most recent Motéma Music release, Geri Allen & Timeline – Live.
The NAACP Image Awards, currently celebrating its 42nd anniversary, are presented each year to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music and literature. In conjunction, the ceremony offers awards to individuals or groups who help promote social injustice through creative efforts. Members of the NAACP vote on the awards and the process is similar to that of the Grammy and Oscar awards.
For Allen, who is an Associate Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan’s School Of Music Theatre & Dance, the nomination comes after a banner year in 2010, with two debut releases for Motéma Music: Flying Toward The Sound, a solo piano work inspired by Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock, as well as Geri Allen & Timeline – Live. The releases collectively have garnered critical acclaim from the media, selected on the “Best Jazz CDs of 2010” lists from outlets such as the Village Voice, Detroit Free Press, JazzTimes and National Public Radio’s “50 Favorite Albums of 2010,” among others. To continue, Please click “MORE”!
Best New Artist Grammy Nominee Esperanza Spalding to Perform at the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards
ESPERANZA SPALDING to perform at the GRAMMY Awards
Best New Artist GRAMMY nominee ESPERANZA SPALDING will perform on the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. The show will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 13, 2011. The GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. ET/PT.
ESPERANZA SPALDING also to Co-Host GRAMMY Pre-Telecast Ceremony
The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony will take place on Sunday, February, 13 from 1 – 4 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live internationally on www.grammy.com/live and www.youtube.com/thegrammys beginning at 1 p.m. PT. Well-attended by nominees and industry VIPs, the star-studded ceremony with be co-hosted by current GRAMMY nominees ESPERANZA SPALDING and Bobby McFerrin, and will feature performances by nominees including Afro-Colombian hip hop trio ChocQuibTown, blues musician Buddy Guy, singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper, American roots interpreter Maria Muldaur, contemporary blues artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, trombone and trumpet player Trombone Shorty, legendary gospel singer Mavis Staples, jazz musician Kirk Whalum, and R&B singer/songwriter Betty Wright. Presenting the first GRAMMY Awards of the night in 98 categories will be current nominees Laurie Anderson, Sara Bareilles, BT, Kathy Griffin, and Wayne Wallace. To continue, Please click “MORE”!
Trombonist Trombone Shorty is Making News…
TROMBONE SHORTY CAPTURES NEW ORLEANS AND NATIONAL HONORS
Shorty, a 2010 GRAMMY nominee, is the big winner with five Offbeat magazine Best of the Beat awards; joins First Lady Michelle Obama and NBA superstar Kevin Durant as one of NBC News’ “Grio’s 100: History Makers in the Making”.
LOS
ANGELES, Calif. — Trombone Shorty’s star continues to rise as he is
honored with more local and national awards. The just-turned 25-year-old
New Orleans singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and all-around
musical powerhouse was awarded five Best of the Beat Awards from New
Orleans’ OffBeat magazine. And Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews was named
among NBC News’ The Grio’s 100: History Makers in the Making, a list of
the top 100 African-American men and women who are writing the next
chapter of American history. To continue, Please click “MORE”!