Clockwise, from top left: Patti LaBelle, Kirk Franklin, David Porter and Teddy Riley.
The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) will kick off Black Music Month by honoring the inimitable Patti LaBelle during the 2017 My Music Matters: A Celebration of Legends Luncheon. The event will begin at 10:30am CT on Thursday, June 1, at City Winery in Nashville, TN.
“I’m extremely honored to be recognized by NMAAM and I’m looking forward to being at the Legends Luncheon! This is an important event for the Museum and I hope that people will continue to support their efforts to honor and preserve the legacy of African American music,” said Patti LaBelle, 2017 Legends Lunch honoree.
In addition to Ms. LaBelle, the 2017 luncheon will also honor multi-GRAMMY ® award winning gospel music icon Kirk Franklin, world renowned producer / songwriter / artist Teddy Riley, and acclaimed producer and composer David Porter for their enduring contributions to music and American culture. Phil Thornton (SVP & GM, RCA Inspiration) and Catherine Brewton (VP, Writer / Publisher Relations, BMI) will serve as co- chairs. Actor/comedian David Mann will host the event.
“We are thrilled to recognize and celebrate such an impressive group of African American influencers during this year’s event,” said H. Beecher Hicks, III, President and CEO of NMAAM. “The luncheon presents an opportunity to pay tribute to musicians who have had an enduring impact on American culture, and what better time to host such an important event than at the start of Black Music Month?”
The luncheon will also feature a tribute concert for each of the honorees. Tamela Mann, Kelly Price, Dave Hollister, Le’Andria Johnson, Mannie Fresh and Avery Wilson are all confirmed performers for the mid-day event.
NMAAM launched the Celebration of Legends Luncheon in 2014 to recognize African American music icons. The event serves as a critical fundraiser for the educational programs at NMAAM, which is scheduled to open in Nashville in 2019. As the only museum dedicated to all dimensions of African American music, NMAAM is focused on preserving the legacy and celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans who have created, influenced and inspired more than 50 music genres around the world.
Single tickets for the Celebration of Legends Luncheon are $175 and tables of ten are $1,500; both are available for purchase online at https://nmaam.org/event/2017-music-matters-celebration-legends-luncheon/. For sponsorship opportunities, contact NMAAM’s development department at 615-301-8724 or via email at info@nmaam.com.
The Legends Luncheon celebrates music, specifically the impact that African Americans have made on American musical culture. This concept was generated as a component of NMAAM’s “My Music Matters™” campaign – an initiative featuring middle Tennessee executives, musicians, artists and community leaders describing the impact of music in each of their lives, with the goal of building awareness, momentum, and interest for a project that has local, national and international impact. The diversity in music in American culture is evident on artistic, business and economic levels throughout American society. The purpose of the luncheon is to benefit NMAAM’s educational programs.
Learn more at www.nmaam.org and connect with @theNMAAM on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Tickets are available for purchase at http://www.mymusicmatters.org/.
