Radio & Music News Weekly
Whitney Houston Legacy Honored At 3rd Annual Gala in Atlanta
The WHITNEY E. HOUSTON LEGACY FOUNDATION and PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC hosted the 3rd Annual Gala recently (8/9) at the ST. REGIS HOTEL in ATLANTA, GEORGIA. The event marked the 30th anniversary of WHITNEY HOUSTON’s visit to SOUTH AFRICA following NELSON MANDELA’s election as President.
The gala was hosted by ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT’s KEVIN FRAZIER and PAT HOUSTON, Pres./WHITNEY E. HOUSTON LEGACY FOUNDATION. JONATHAN SLOCUMB was the emcee.
HOUSTON was the first major artist to perform in post-apartheid SOUTH AFRICA. Her concerts were held at KINGS PARK STADIUM in DURBAN (11/8/94), ELLIS PARK STADIUM in JOHANNESBURG (11/12/94), and GREEN POINT STADIUM in CAPE TOWN (11/19/94). The JOHANNESBURG performance was filmed for an HBO special.
The event opened with a video message from SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT Chief Creative Officer CLIVE DAVIS. He spoke about HOUSTON’s trip to SOUTH AFRICA.
Musical performances included GARY HOUSTON, her brother/longtime duet partner, PAT HOUSTON, and the SAUCE background singers.
Four-time GRAMMY AWARD winner YOLANDA ADAMS two of HOUSTON’s signature songs, “I Love the Lord” and “Home -which was dedicated to MIRRIAM SOLANI MAZIBUKO, Dir./ORLANDO CHILDREN’S HOME in SOUTH AFRICA -this year’s charity grant recipient.
In addition, GREGORY SAMS and DENISIA, winners of The WHITNEY E. HOUSTON LEGACY FOUNDATION’s Cover Song Competition, also performed at the event. Both were honored with The WHITNEY E. HOUSTON LEGACY FOUNDATION 2024 Voice Awards.
The event also included scholarships for HBCU students studying the arts. This year’s recipients were DONOVAN MCCLAIN and SANIAH WHARTON of MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY in BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
PAT HOUSTON said, “WHITNEY would have wanted us to return to SOUTH AFRICA to represent her and commemorate this special time in history. WHITNEY’s love for children, her connection with SOUTH AFRICA, and her time with NELSON MANDELA shaped her life and deepened her commitment to her work with children and young adults. WHITNEY was a great example of the BIBLE scripture, LUKE 12:48, “To whom much is given, much will be required.”