Released on: August 21, 2008, 8:36 pm

Press Release Author: Jalilah Larsuel

Industry: Entertainment

Press Release Summary: Philadelphia, PA (August) - Music legends Dionne Warwick,
Bonnie Raitt and Jerry Butler will co-host the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's
star-studded 20th Anniversary Pioneer Awards gala. The event, to be held at the
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on September 9, 2008, will pay
homage to Chaka Khan with the Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition,
Bill Withers, Teena Marie, and singer-songwriter Sugar Pie DeSanto will receive the
Foundation's Individual Artist Award; The Whispers and Kool & the Gang will receive
the Foundation's Group Artists Award; Motown session players the Funk Brothers will
receive the Foundation's Sidemen Award; Soul legend Donny Hathaway will posthumously
receive a Legacy Award in recognition of his influential output in the 1970s; and Al
Bell, former president of two renowned record labels, Stax Records and Motown
Records, will be given the Ahmet Ertegun Leadership Award.

Press Release Body: Warwick, Butler, and Raitt have deep ties to the Rhythm & Blues
Foundation, and in recognition of the importance of the Foundation's mission and
their 20th anniversary, they have graciously given their time to co-host the Pioneer
Awards show. Bonnie Raitt, one of the top slide guitarists and singers, as well as a
9-time Grammy Award winner, is a Co-Founder of the Foundation. Jerry Butler, an
original member of soul group The Impressions and a highly successful R&B/Pop solo
artist, served as Chairman of the Foundation for many years, and is now Chairman
Emeritus of the Foundation as well as a past Pioneer Award honoree. Dionne Warwick,
a 5-time Grammy winner, has served as a Director of the Foundation, and received the
Foundation's coveted Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
The 2008 Pioneer Awards Event Co-Chairs Octavius "Ted" Reid III, Sr. Vice
President/Wealth Advisor in the Global Wealth Management for Morgan Stanley, and
Judy Tint, entertainment attorney and consultant in New York City, both long-time
members of the Board of Directors of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, expressed their
enthusiasm about the Pioneer Awards and the participation of this year's co-hosts.
Reid commented: "As an ardent supporter of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, I am proud
of this year's Pioneer Awards list of honorees. And our co-hosts this year add
immeasurable class to the proceedings. I believe this year's event will go down as
one of the best in its 20-year history." Tint added: "Our honorees, co-hosts and
presenters represent rhythm and blues at its finest. The R&B Foundation has
supported musicians in need and provided professional opportunities to artists who
are still at the top of their game. The Pioneer Awards is a show like none other,
honoring our legends and celebrating the rich past of R&B while looking toward its
future. This year\'s event promises to be the most amazing \'family reunion\'of all...
wear your dancing shoes!\"
Patricia Wilson Aden, Executive of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, commented on the
Foundation's 20th anniversary: "Over the years', the active support Jerry Butler,
Dionne Warwick and Bonnie Raitt has been enormously beneficial to the work of the
Rhythm & Blues Foundation. Its only fitting that they serve as co-hosts as we
celebrate our accomplishments over the past twenty years and prepare to meet the
challenges that will come in the next twenty years.
For more information about the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and to purchase tickets for
the 2008 Pioneer Awards, please visit www.rhythmblues.org or call 215-568-1080.


Web Site: http://www.rhythmblues.org

Contact Details: Media contact and press credentials requests: Jalila Larsuel of JL
Media Relations, JLMediapr@aol.com, 626.398.5028 office or 213.369.4362. *PHOTOS ARE
AVAILABLE AT www.rhythmblues.org ( See media only) or contact jlmediapr@aol.com