For this year’s Apollo Theatre annual Spring Benefit Concert and Awards Ceremony, the famed Harlem concert venue will honor a king and queen.
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, and the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, will receive this year’s Apollo Legends Hall of Fame award.
Jackson got his start at the Apollo in the late-1960s when he and his brothers won Amateur Night. Franklin joins previous Apollo Legends Hall of Fame inductees Quincy Jones, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson, Little Richard, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Ella Fitzgerald. She will be present at the June 14 event.
The Apollo has nailed Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx to host the fifth annual gala.
Chairman of the Apollo’s board of directors, Richard Parsons, is honored to be a part of the venue’s future.
“The Apollo Theater shares a unique relationship with everyone who walks through its doors, from the generations of stars whose careers were launched on our stage to our world-famous, international audience to the thousands in Harlem who are served by our programs,” Parsons said.
“With the support of businesses, combined with commitments from civic-minded individuals, this milestone event will go far in helping to guarantee the future of the Apollo and its programs.”
Also being honored this year are celebrity couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, who will receive the Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis Arts & Humanitarian Award, which is given to a couple who embodies the beliefs of the famed entertainers.
JPMorgan Chase will be recognized for its corporate leadership to the Apollo and the Harlem community. Following the gala event, DJ D-Nice will spin at after party, which will be held at the Apollo Supper Club.
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