TLC sent the signal up and fans, including pop star Katy Perry, answered.
T-Boz and Chilli surpassed their $150,000 goal on Kickstarter to raise money for the production of their fifth and final album. At this time, the pair raised $172,319 via donations from more than 1,542 people in 72 hours. At this rate, TLC is on course to more than exceed $200,000 as it has 28 more days to raise funds for the album.
The Kickstarter achievement was welcomed by a very happy T-Boz and Chilli, who broke the good news via Twitter on Thursday.
News of TLC exceeding its goal triggered an enthusiastic response Perry, who donated $5,000 to the cause, according to E! News.
“Nothing but love for #demtlcgirls ahhh I’m SO EXCITED! I can barely focus here at work! Love you ladies with all I have! ❤ xoxo #BACKEDbyTLCArmy #TLC2015Takeover #LookWhoRunninThangs #BOOM” the “Roar” singer tweeted.
“Thank You ladies for letting me be a direct part of this adventure.I have loved you since the beginning.We have been through alot together and I want to tell you both that you are my Superheros. Congratulations, and Keep on Kickin Ass Ladies!”
“I love this!! TLC is forever!!..pledged and done!! woooo!!”
article via eurweb.com
Posts published in “Pop/R&B/Dance”
Usher, Willie Nelson and Janelle Monae Set for Stevie Wonder "All-Star Grammy Salute" on February 10
Stevie Wonder will get the all-star treatment next month during a tribute concert in his honor. The Associated Press reports that Usher, Willie Nelson and Janelle Monae will be among the performers paying tribute to Wonder at “Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life — An All-Star Grammy Salute.”
The event, which will also feature performances from Coldplay‘s Chris Martin and Ed Sheeran, will take place at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Feb. 10.
The concert is scheduled to be held two days after the 57th annual Grammy Awards. Wonder’s history with the Grammys is a stellar one that includes receiving 25 Grammy Awards during his career.
Tickets for “Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life — An All-Star Grammy Salute” are currently on sale. The show is set to air as a two-hour special Feb. 16 on CBS.
article via eurweb.com
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH is hosting its 14th annual FREE admission day in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 19, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Museum will offer a day filled with live performances, education programs and family activities that will highlight how people use music to find their voice and create a sense of community.
Visitors are invited to experience the Rock Hall’s many exhibits that showcase how Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and other artists have used popular music to communicate ideas to a wide audience and bring about social change. The day of events is sponsored by KeyBank.
In addition to free admission, visitors will be able to enter for a chance to win a Museum membership, as five Family Roller memberships will be raffled off during the day. For a list of current exhibits and for more information about this and other Rock Hall events, visit http://www.rockhall.com.
Klipsch Audio stage entertainment lineup:
Jason Walker of Sounds of Entertainment will emcee the events.
The Antioch Spiritual Arts Choir, an acclaimed co-ed choir from Antioch Baptist Church who focus on spirituals, folk and gospel music.
West Side Community House’s Summer of Sisterhood program began in 2010 under the leadership of Ali McClain, youth services director. The program teaches girls ages 10-18 how the power of creative expression can positively change their community and even the world. The girls work intensively for eight week with professional teaching artists to create original songs, music videos, and live performances of their work.
The Distinguished Gentlemen of Spoken Word, a powerful performance arts and spoken word group comprised of adolescent males (age 12-19) from various inner city Cleveland communities.
Inspire *1* One, a band comprised of former students from Cleveland School of the Arts.
Lake Erie Ink, a writing space for youth is a non-profit that provides creative expression opportunities and academic support to youth in the greater Cleveland community. LEI works with youth from different socio-economic, cultural and academic backgrounds, using creative writing to increase literacy and social engagement. The organization offers creative expression workshops onsite and off, to youth of all ages, including an after school program, weekly evening workshops for teens, and monthly weekend workshops and open mics.
Foster Theater Programming:
Programming will be taught by the Rock Hall’s award-winning education staff. Seating is limited. Attendance will be on a first-come first-served basis.
Special Presentation: “Rock and Roll and the Civil Rights Movement”
This program will explore how a range of artists, from Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke to Berry Gordy at Motown and rock and roll pioneer Fats Domino created a popular music that empowered African Americans to take their rightful place in American society. Young people of all races flocked to their performances and embraced their music, which helped to break down the walls and barriers that the Civil Rights movement was fighting against.
Album Spotlight: Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On
This special presentation will focus on the making and impact of Marvin Gaye’s landmark 1971 album, which still resonates for listeners today. The full album will be played, with no interruption, with discussion to follow.
Davis Eli “David” Ruffin (January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of The Temptations (1964–68) during the group’s “Classic Five” period, and was the lead don such famous songs as “My Girl“, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, and “I Wish It Would Rain.” Ruffin would have been 74 today.
Known for his unique raspy and anguished tenor vocals, according to Wikipedia.com, Ruffin was ranked as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2008. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 for his work with The Temptations, and into Cleveland’s R&B Hall of Fame in 2013 as a solo artist as well a Temptations member. Fellow Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye once said admiringly of Ruffin that, “I heard [in his voice] a strength my own voice lacked.”
To see video of Ruffin in action on one of the Temptations classics, click below and enjoy:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tYPJ74TKbI&w=420&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
After airing last Sunday, GBN contributor Becky Schonbrun forwarded me links from “60 Minutes” that were labeled as inspiring “must-watch” material. So I finally did, and they most definitely are.
“Alive: 55+ and Kickin’” is a live show that was created by theater producer and former disc jockey Vy Higginsen, who has made it her mission to preserve a special part of American culture: African-American music, both gospel and popular music like soul and R&B. She found a pool of untapped talent, men and women in what she calls their “second half of life” just waiting for their chance to shine.
The music and the stories are uplifting, remarkable and definitely worth your time. To check them out for yourself, click below:
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/alive-and-kickin-part-one
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/alive-and-kickin-part-two
The show reopens this Spring and you can go to http://www.alive55themusical.com to see performance dates and purchase tickets.
Enjoy!
Lori Lakin Hutcherson, GBN Founder and Editor-in-Chief (follow @lakinhutcherson)
Chaka Khan, Brandy and Lianne La Havas have been added to the lineup for our annual ESSENCE Black Women in Music ceremony.
The three performers join this year’s honoree, Jill Scott, in celebrating the best and brightest moments in Black music over ESSENCE’s 45-year history. The 6th annual event recognizes the achievements of the generations of Black women singers who have inspired and paved the way.
Past ESSENCE Black Women in Music honorees include Mary J. Blige, Kelly Rowland, Janelle Monáe, and Solange Knowles. This year’s event will feature an exclusive performance from Scott as well as several other performances from several classic eras of music. And for the first time, community fans will be able to join in the festivities of this invitation-only event.
Ten-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan has been on the scene for over three decades, racking up accolades and earning the praise of her peers, such as Aretha Franklin and Miles Davis. We’ve watched Grammy winner Brandy grow up right before our eyes since her 1995 debut. She helped shape a generation with songs like “I Wanna Be Down” and “The Boy Is Mine.” Newcomer Lianne La Havas burst on the scene in 2012 with her album, Is Your Love Big Enough? The London-based singer attracted the attention of Prince—the two collaborated for his song, “Clouds.”
The ESSENCE Black Women in Music event will kick-off our year-long commemoration of the 45th anniversary of ESSENCE Magazine, where Black women have always—and will continue to—come first.
Catch these women, along with other music trailblazers, during ESSENCE Black Women in Music on February 5 in Los Angeles.
article by Taylor Lewis via essence.com
The new “Late Late Show with James Corden” has tapped musician and comedian Reggie Watts as its bandleader. Watts — who is known for his improvised musical sets — currently serves in that role on the IFC series “Comedy Bang! Bang!” and has also appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “Conan” and the Web’s “Funny or Die.”
CBS’ “Late Late Show” has pushed back its premiere date to March 23, two weeks later than previously announced. The 12:37 a.m. talker will now debut following the network’s opening-weekend coverage of the 2015 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
CBS’ “Late Late Show” has pushed back its premiere date to March 23, two weeks later than previously announced. The 12:37 a.m. talker will now debut following the network’s opening-weekend coverage of the 2015 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Reggie Watts is an internationally renowned vocalist, beatboxer, musician, comedian and improviser known for his musical sets that are created on the spot, using only his voice and looping peddles. In 2010, he was featured as a “Hot Comedian” in Rolling Stone’s Hot issue, as “Best New Comedian” in SPIN Magazine, and featured in GQ’s Man of the Year issue, also in 2010.
article by Andrea Morabito via nypost.com
“Belle,” “Beyond the Lights,” “Dear White People,” “Get On Up” and “Selma” have grabbed top film nominations for the 46th annual NAACP Image Awards.
The Image Awards will be handed out Feb. 6 in a ceremony telecast live by TV One.
“Get On Up” star Chadwick Boseman, “Selma’s” David Oyelowo, Nate Parker of “Beyond the Lights,” Gugu Mbatha-Raw of “Belle” and Tessa Thompson of “Dear White People” are among the actors who were cited.
Boseman, Oyelowo and Mbatha-Raw are all portraying real-life people.
In the TV heat, ABC freshman “Black-ish” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” BET’s “The Game” and “Being Mary Jane” were among the top nominees. ABC did well, earning three of the five drama-series nominations. Also notable was Lifetime’s scoring seven of the 10 nominations in the two lead acting categories for telefilm/miniseries/dramatic special.
Here is a full list of Image Award nominees:
MOTION PICTURE
“Get On Up” star Chadwick Boseman, “Selma’s” David Oyelowo, Nate Parker of “Beyond the Lights,” Gugu Mbatha-Raw of “Belle” and Tessa Thompson of “Dear White People” are among the actors who were cited.
Boseman, Oyelowo and Mbatha-Raw are all portraying real-life people.
In the TV heat, ABC freshman “Black-ish” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” BET’s “The Game” and “Being Mary Jane” were among the top nominees. ABC did well, earning three of the five drama-series nominations. Also notable was Lifetime’s scoring seven of the 10 nominations in the two lead acting categories for telefilm/miniseries/dramatic special.
Here is a full list of Image Award nominees:
MOTION PICTURE
Motion Picture
- “Belle” (Fox Searchlight Pictures/ DJ Films)
- “Beyond The Lights” (Relativity Media)
- “Dear White People” (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)
- “Get On Up” (Universal Pictures)
- “Selma” (Paramount Pictures)
Actor in a Motion Picture
- Chadwick Boseman – “Get On Up” (Universal Pictures)
- David Oyelowo – “Selma” (Paramount Pictures)
- Denzel Washington – “The Equalizer” (Columbia Pictures)
- Idris Elba – “No Good Deed” (Screen Gems)
- Nate Parker – “Beyond The Lights” (Relativity Media)
Actress in a Motion Picture
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw – “Belle” (Fox Searchlight Pictures/ DJ Films)
- Quvenzhané Wallis – “Annie” (Columbia Pictures)
- Taraji P. Henson – “No Good Deed” (Screen Gems)
- Tessa Thompson – “Dear White People” (Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)
- Viola Davis – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby” (The Weinstein Company)
After making history as the first female artist to have 100 hits on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, Aretha Franklin blazes yet another trail as the first recipient of Billboard Women in Music’s Icon Award.
Franklin’s latest achievement was announced by Billboard, which gives the award to a female artist whose music has helped shape the industry. Although Jennifer Lopez received an Icon Award last year at the Billboard Music Awards, Franklin’s honor marks the first time the award has been at Billboard’s annual Women in Music awards luncheon.
The event, which will also honor Ariana Grande for Rising Star and Idina Menzel for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, will take place Dec. 12.
The Billboard Women in Music awards recognize female music executives for helping to make a difference in the music industry.
article by Qwest7 via eurweb.com
On top of his seven Grammy awards, Pharrell’s success is now cemented in the streets of LA. The singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday.
In line with his stylish reputation, the superstar appeared in a bright jacket from his line, Billionaire Boys Club, and acid wash jeans adorned with the Adidas logo on his bum. He finished off the fun look with red Chanel combat boots and a hat with a graphic blue-and-yellow ribbon.
His wife Helen Lasichanh and son Rocket clapped as the 41-year-old accepted his award and listened to a speech by dear friend, Ellen DeGeneres.
“It’s not possible to experience constant euphoria, but if you’re grateful, you can find happiness in everything. While I’ve expressed gratitude many times for what my song “Happy” did for me personally, I will never stop saying thank you,” he wrote.
article by Ariela Kozin via dailymail.co.uk
article by Ariela Kozin via dailymail.co.uk