LEGENDARY QUEEN OF SOUL ARETHA FRANKLIN CELEBRATE WITH SPECIAL TRIBUTE FROM SYLEENA JOHNSON, ANGELA WINBUSH AND PARIS BENNETT AT 3RD ANNUAL BLACK MUSIC HONORS BOBBY BROWN, FAITH EVANS, BEBE AND CECE WINANS, WHODINI, STEPHANIE MILLS AND DALLAS AUSTIN RECEIVE RECOGNITION AT 3rdANNUAL BLACK MUSIC HONORS

Hosted by Rickey Smiley and LeToya Luckett at Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center Performances by Bell Biv Devoe, Demetria McKinney, Donnie McClurkin, Kierra Sheard, Yo-Yo, Raheem DeVaughn, Regina Belle, Jonathan McReynolds, Monie Love, Doug E. Fresh & More

(NASHVILLE, TN) – August 20, 2018 - The 2018 Black Music Honors recognized the legacy of Aretha Franklin during the award show taping on Thursday, August 16. . Hosted by 2017 Marconi Award Winner Rickey Smiley and singer/actress LeToya Luckett, the annual two-hour television special honors artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music. This year’s honorees were Bobby Brown, Faith Evans, Bebe & Cece Winans, Whodini, Stephanie Mills and Dallas Austin.

The night included performances by Bell Biv Devoe, Next, Jade Novah, Kierra Sheard, Tasha Page-Lockhart, V. Bozeman, Demetria McKinney, DJ Mell Starr, Sammie, Donnie McClurkin, Sammie, Yo-Yo, Koryn Hawthorne, Rhyon Brown, Raheem DeVaughn, Regina Belle, Paris Bennett, Syleena Johnson, Angela Winbush, Jonathan McReynolds, Monie Love, Ruben Studdard and Doug E. Fresh. Additional VIP’s in attendance included Shiggy, Kyla Jade, Stevie J and more.

Proceeds from the 2018 Black Music Honors will benefit the 2019 opening of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville. NMAAM’s mission is to educate the world, preserve the legacy, and celebrate the central role African Americans play in creating the American soundtrack. Event sponsors include AT&T, McDonald’s, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Chevrolet and State Farm as title sponsor.

The annual two-hour television special taping will broadcast in national syndication from Sept. 8-30, 2018 and will air on Bounce TV Sept. 28, 2018. Click here to see syndication airdates.

For more information on Black Music Honors visit www.blackmusichonors.com. Connect with Black Music Honors on social media @blackmusichonors, #BMH2018 and #BlackMusicMatters.

ABOUT BLACK MUSIC HONORS

Black Music Honors is an annual two-hour event that acknowledges the legendary African American artists who have influenced and made significant musical contributions to African American culture and American music worldwide. Produced by Chicago-based production company Central City Productions (CCP) and hosted by Rickey Smiley, television and radio personality, and Grammy Award-winner and actress, LeToya Luckett. For more information visit www.blackmusichonors.com

ABOUT CENTRAL CITY PRODUCTIONS

With 47 years of successful and innovative television production and marketing experience, Central City Productions (CCP) is a Chicago-based production company that focuses primarily on minority- targeted television. CCP is a full-service television production company that produces, syndicates, and manages advertising sales for all of its programs. CCP programs reflect the widespread diversity of talent, the one-time specials and the annual and/or weekly programs that have achieved tremendous mass audience appeal, including its flagship production of The Stellar Gospel Music Awards, and the Black Music Honors, which is now in it's third year of production. For more information on CCP, check out www.ccptv.com.

Music makes the world go round and round and it’s going to really make heads spin at the 87th Oscars and with each musical number and performer announced #OSCARS keeps trending bigger and bigger.

There has been plenty of ink spilled about the 2015 Oscar award season being “too white-so white” noting the global feeling that powerhouse film director Ava Duvernay and Brithish born and trained actor David Oyelowo were snubbed for “Selma” despite the fact that the dynamic film earned two nods: Best Picture (producers Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner) and Best Original Song (called “Glory”).

Since the tongues started wagging “Selma” has been picking up awards so the excitement and chatter is around the performance related to the nominated song, which was co-written by John Legend and Common who will perform their Oscar®-nominated song at the award ceremony.

“Common and John Legend are artists who have always lifted our spirits and made us think,” said Zadan and Meron. “The Oscar stage is that much more profound because of their presence and we welcome them.”

Glory is good but it’s got major and stiff competition since it’s nominated alongside “Everything Is Awesome!!!” from The Lego Movie (written by Shawn Patterson), “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights (written by Diane Warren), “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me (co-written by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond) and “Lost Stars” from Begin Again (co-written by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois).

From the film “Beyond The Lights,” directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the Oscar®-nominated song “Grateful” will be performed by singer, songwriter and actress Rita Ora adding that “mixture of her incredible voice and glamour (making it) … a perfect combination for our show" says Zadan and Meron.

Prince-Bythewood shared this on hearing the song nomination: “I wont’ lie. It’s an honor and this is the first time that I will, along with my husband producer Reggie Bythewood, attending the Oscar ceremonies. Look for us, we will clearly be visible ….”

Social media has become an important thermometer to test the temperature of our global zeitgeist and #Oscars started trending (again) when the news that Oscar and Grammy-winner Jennifer Hudson will be performing.

The shows producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron made the official announcement sharing this: "We're creating several musical sequences for the Oscars and we couldn't be happier that our friend, Jennifer Hudson, will be performing in one of them.”

The songbird won the Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role (“Dreamgirls”) and will make her Great White Way debut in the John Doyle-helmed revival of The Color Purple with the show being produced (in part) by Oprah Winfrey and Scott Sanders Crossing musical borders Grammy®-winning singer, songwriter and actor Tim McGraw (three Grammy Awards, 14 ACM Awards, 11 CMA Awards, 10 AMA Awards) will perform the Oscar®-nominated song “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” for Glen Campbell.

Pop music will have it’s time on the stage with Adam Levine ( lead singer for the group Maroon 5) and the duo Tegan and Sara with comedy-music trio The Lonely Island will perform the Oscar®-nominated song “Everything Is Awesome.”

The Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara have been releasing critically acclaimed albums since 1999 and the comedy, music and film-making trio The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) have released three studio albums and is responsible for one of the biggest channels on YouTube, garnering over 1.5 billion views.

The usually silver tongued producers (Zadan and Meron) could only muster this on commenting on the pairing; "Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island?.....Everything Is Awesome, indeed. This is certainly an 'Only on the Oscars’ moment.”

Keeping viewers on their toes the creative team invited Jack Black (“School of Rock”) to add his "original comic voice” in a top guarded sequence and pushing the creative envelope further the stage will be occupied by six-time Grammy®-winning singer and songwriter Lady Gaga in a special tribute performance.

"Lady Gaga is a once in a lifetime artist who's musical evolution keeps growing. We are proud to have her perform on the Oscars for the very first time," says Zadan and Meron.

The 87th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015 and televised live on the ABC Television.

87th Oscars Social Media Guide:

twitter.com/ActuallyNPH #Oscars www.oscars.org