The Living Legends Foundation (LLF), today announces its 30th-Anniversary celebration and the 2022 honorees for the Annual Living Legends Awards Gala. This year’s event will be held on Friday, October 7, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. at Taglyan Complex, 1201 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, CA.
The esteemed group of nine honorees include: Ronald “Slim” Williams and Bryan “Birdman” Williams, co-founders of Cash Money Records, who will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Charlamagne Tha God, entertainment personality, author, and co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show, The Breakfast Club with DJ Envy and Angela Yee will receive the Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award; Curtis Symonds, CEO of HBCUGO.TV will be presented with the Media Icon Award; Geo Bivins, CEO of Port Perry Entertainment will receive the Music Executive Award; Johnnie Walker, founder and CEO of the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment, Inc.
(NABFEME) will be presented with the Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award; Tuma Basa, Director of Black Music and Culture at YouTube will receive the Digital Executive Award; Sharon Heyward, founder and CEO of The Solutionist LLC and music industry legend (formerly of Perspective, Virgin, and Harmony Records) will be presented with the A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award; Hank Caldwell, founder and CEO of Expert Fixer and music industry legend (formerly of WEA, SOLAR, Epic, and Death Row Records) will receive The Founders Award.
The 30th Anniversary honorees reflect the brilliance and excellence of today’s global music leaders and follow the tradition of the organization’s past honorees, who are trendsetters, trailblazers, legends, and icons. The foundation’s core mission is to honor the best among us in today’s ever-changing multimedia industry in the areas of broadcasting, recorded music, media, publishing, radio, publicity, and marketing.
“It’s been nearly three years since we gathered for our annual gala,” says David C. Linton, Chairman of the Living Legends Foundation. “Fortunately, COVID did not stop the organization nor its mission to serve our community through some challenging times for so many. Unfortunately, over the past few years, we have lost many of our comrades, who were longtime champions of the music and entertainment industries. We are immensely blessed and grateful that we can honor and celebrate those who are still among us.”
Linton concludes: “We are also indebted to all the music labels, corporations, organizations, and individuals who have financially supported the foundation and its mission during COVID. We thank you for your generous donations. We are looking ahead to the next thirty years with a renewed spirit of gratitude, vision, and energy.”
Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Ray Harris, added, “The Living Legends Foundation is the oldest Black Music organization around today. It’s no small feat that we have been able to survive for the past thirty years and for many years, we were the only Black organization standing. As the founder of this organization, I am humbled and profoundly grateful to the current and past Chairmen, Board of Directors, Advisory Board Members, honorees, and all the people who volunteered and kept the vision of this organization alive, especially during the mean and lean times.
I think we have done a few things right. We look forward to gathering with our music industry family and celebrating each other.” During the three-year pandemic, the LLF continued its work and implemented new ideas.
In addition, to meeting the financial needs of many of its constituents, board members of the organization created the Music Day Podcast/Vodcast, an informational and educational interview show featuring artists, industry insiders, and music executives, highlighting the business of Black music and its impact on music globally. The podcast is available on all digital platforms, and the vodcast is shown on the Living Legends Foundation YouTube channel.
The foundation also continues to support the next generation of music creators and executives through the Scholarship Fund at historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) including Texas Southern University (Houston, TX) and Shaw University (Raleigh, NC).
The Living Legends Foundation will follow both California and Los Angeles mandates for COVID-19 protocols for the anniversary event, which we will be announcing in the coming months.
