The 2017 Living Legends Awards will be hosted by Rolonda Watts, veteran broadcasting and media personality, author, and CEO of Watts Works Productions. The 2017 honorees include seven distinguished individuals: Varnell Johnson, CEO, Junes Entertainment and LLF President, will be presented with the Chairman’s Award; Morace Landy, Chief Marketing Strategist of Empire Distribution, will receive the Music Executive Award; Steve Crumbley, Senior Vice President of Programming/Operations Manager of Apex Media Charleston, will be presented with the Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award; Don Jackson, founder, Chairman, and CEO of Central City Productions, Inc., will receive the Broadcast Icon Award; Ray Chew and Vivian Scott Chew, Partners of Chew Entertainment will be presented with the Creative Visionary Award; Tyrone Williams, Chairman of the Board, Brooklyn United/Former Chairman and CEO of Cold Chillin’ Records, will receive the Hip-Hop Visionary Award; and Larry Jackson, Head of Original Music Content of Apple Music, will be presented with the Digital Music Executive Award.
The LLF Honorary Event Chairpersons for this year’s Awards Dinner and Gala are Geo Bivins, Executive Vice-President, Urban Promotions, RCA Records, and Siedah Garrett, Grammy Award winner and two-time Oscar-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer. Patricia Shields, Partner of Black Dot, LLC, and LLF Officer, serves as Dinner Committee Chairperson.
The LLF Dinner Committee includes a who’s who in radio, records and media, including Eulis Cathey, Radio Personality, Watercolors, Sirius XM and WBGO-FM; Skip Dillard, Program Director, WBLS-FM (New York) and LLF Advisory board member; Sheila Eldridge, CEO, Miles Ahead Entertainment & Broadcasting and LLF board member;Ethiopia Habtermariam, President, Motown Records; Karen Kennedy, President, 24 Seven Artist Development; Vicki Mack Lataillade, CMO, Premiere Label Group; Pat Prescott, Radio Personality, 94.7/The Wave Radio; Lynn Scott, Vice President, Marketing, Warner Bros. Records; and Phil Thornton, Senior Vice-President/GM, RCA Inspiration/Sony Music.
The 2017 honorees continue to reflect the music and entertainment industries’ ever-changing and evolving businesses. The foundation’s core mission is to honor pioneers and professionals who have broken new ground in the arenas of broadcasting, recorded music, and other allied fields, including publicity, marketing, and publishing. “Last year, the Living Legends Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary,” says David Linton, Chairman of the Living Legends Foundation. “Since that time, the foundation and its board have shared a renewed vision on the direction of the organization that will hopefully carry us into the next 25 years. This year’s honorees include a progressive group of movers and shakers, as well as the legends who have led the way and created a pathway for the next generation of music creators and executives.”
In 1991, record industry legends Ray Harris, Barbara Lewis, C.C. Evans, and the late Jerry Boulding founded the Living Legends Foundation,® Inc. Over the years, the organization has recognized and honored more than 100 distinguished leaders in music, radio, retail, and media. Past honorees include Brenda Andrews, Larkin Arnold, Clarence Avant, Lee Bailey, Big Boy, Jamie Brown, Troy Carter, Keith Clinkscales, Kenny Gamble, Jack “The Rapper” Gibson, Tony Gray, Ethiopia Habtemariam, Jeffrey Harleston, Stephen Hill, Leon Huff, Cathy Hughes, Hal Jackson, Quincy Jones, Larry Khan, Vicki Mack Lataillade and Claude Lataillade, Miller London, Rushion McDonald, Kendall Minter, Esq., Jon Platt, Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Ruben Rodriguez, Aundrae Russell, Herb Trawick, Charles Warfield, Dr. Logan H. Westbrooksand numerous others.
The Living Legends Foundation,® Inc. is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization and has been funded primarily with corporate contributions and individual donations. The 26-year-old organization has expanded its mission to provide assistance to 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 401K’s and retirement packages were not available—and even today, in this era of downsizing and mergers, the industry’s lack of long-term career stability has become more commonplace. Proceeds from the event will enable the LLF to continue to aid those in need, as well as the Living Legends Foundation Scholarship Program, which helps the educational pursuits of the next generation of music makers and marketers at three HBCUs.
The Living Legends Foundation Officers and Board Members include Chairman David Linton, President Varnell Johnson, Vice-President Jacqueline Rhinehart, Recording Secretary Pat Shields, founder and Treasurer C.C. Evans, and General Counsel Kendall Minter, Esq. Board Members include co-founder Barbara Lewis, Vinny Brown, Sheila Eldridge, Marcus Grant, Ken Johnson, Miller London, Sidney Miller, Kathi Moore, Jon Platt, Gwendolyn Quinn, A.D. Washington, Sam Weaver, and Colleen Wilson.
The Living Legends Foundation Advisory Board includes a list of distinguished entertainment executives, including founder Ray Harris, Monica Alexander, George Daniels, Brad Davidson, Skip Dillard, Kevin Fleming, Tony Gray, Shannon Henderson, Sharon Heyward, Allen Johnston, Alonzo Robinson, Kevin Ross, A. J. Savage, T.C. Thompkins, Irene Ware, Buzzy Willis, and Tony Winger.