Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: May 10, 2020
By: Laura Deni
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FRENCH PRESIDENT STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE - PROMISES TO HELP THE DECIMATED INDUSTRY

'Starving artists' may sound like a romantic phrase from a movie or book - unless you are one.

In a May 6 video conference from the Elysée Palace, which Broadway To Vegas watched, President Emmanuel Macron of France announced his plans to support the culture sector. The conference included artists, writers and film directors participating by video link. Macron stressed that he plans to "rebuild a cultural ambition for the country [...] that the government would implement quickly”.

President Emmanuel Macron

1.3 million workers in the entertainment industry in France are currently unemployed.

Artists, including those on the tech side, are given special status in France and receive monthly monetary compensation if they work 507 hours per year. Payments depends upon the job and how much the person makes. That was set to run out this October. Macron announced that program would be extended to July 2021.

In what seemed inspired by President Roosevelt's New Deal, Macon pledged “a large program of public commissions”, ranging from contemporary art to performing arts and crafts. “I'm thinking in particular of creatives that are under 30,” he continued. He also announced plans for some artists to work in schools until July with small groups of ten children for one or two hours a week and for artists to work with children in summer camps in order to engender “a revolution to the access of culture and art”.

Criticism immediately erupted that all ages should be assisted, not just artists under 30.

At the end of the meeting, which included proposals by the culture minister Franck Riester, the economy minister Bruno Le Maire and labor minister Muriel Pénicaud, Macron said: “We're going to reopen museums, bookshops, record shops [and] art galleries. A lot of things will be able to restart but by adapting themselves to the constraints of the epidemic so that the coronavirus does not recirculate at full speed.”

Macon stated that small theatres and museums could slowly start preparing to re-open this week.

However, Macon stressed that changes are mandatory. People "will not want to go back to the theatre if they feel it is dangerous”.

He emphasized that "we have to new forms - to rethink a new sort of relatonship with audiences."

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

BANSKY DONATES SENSITIVE ARTWORK TO HOSPITAL

Game Changer by Bansky.

the famed and elusive street artist has given a new artwork entitled Game Changer to Southampton General Hospital in England.

The piece is displayed in a foyer near the emergency department where several of the hospital workers died after treating COVID-19 patients.

The framed picture depicts a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy while recognizable superhero toys, such as Superman, Batman and Spiderman are discarded in a wastebasket.

The nurse with her arm outstretched as if in flight, wears a nurses cap and a surgical face mask. The red cross logo on her apron is the only touch of color in the otherwise black-and-white artwork which is one square metre.

The anonymous artist left a note with the piece saying: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only in black and white."

Paula Head, CEO of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust said that "the fact that Banksy has chosen us to recognise the outstanding contribution everyone in and with the NHS is making, in unprecedented times, is a huge honour."

"It will no doubt also be a massive boost to morale for everyone who works and is cared at our hospital," she added.

The tender and sensitive Eventually the art work will eventually be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the National Health Service. (NHS) charities.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY IN LONDON ANNOUNCED WINNERS OF THE BP PORTRAIT AWARD Jiab Prachakul, awarded First Prize and £35,000 in the BP Portrait Award 2020 for her portrait Night Talk.

Selected from 1,981 entries from 69 countries, the judges thought the work was ‘an evocative portrait of a fleeting moment in time, giving us a glimpse into someone else’s life that is beautiful, mysterious and alive. It is loosely painted and the bold composition makes clever use of contrasting shapes.’

Second Prize: Sergey Svetlakov for Portrait of Denis: Actor, Juggler and Fashion Model
Third Prize: Michael Youds for Labour of Love
BP Young Artist Award: Egbert Modderman for Restless

All 48 works selected for BP Portrait Award 2020 can now be experienced in a virtual gallery space that replicates the rooms of the National Portrait Gallery. Step into the exhibition online and view the portraits collectively, read the labels and get insights from the artists, as well as exploring each individual work in more detail.

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SWEET CHARITY

LIVE FROM FLORENCE, ITALY HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN is a special streaming to benefit Seattle Rep.

Experience some of America's greatest songs in the context in which they were written. From God Bless America, to There's No Business Like Show Business; Puttin' on the Ritz; White Christmas; Always, and so many more - in a musical event that has been performed in theaters throughout the nation and abroad. Relive this smash-hit performance—last seen at Seattle Rep in our 2017/18 season—or witness for the first time Hershey Felder’s stellar turn as one of America’s most beloved songwriters.

A Note From Hershey Felder in part states:

"Over the past 25 years, the stages of many theaters across the United States have been my home for eleven out of twelve months each year. Yet, for the first time in all these years, I find myself at that elusive "home," here in Florence, Italy; the place where the many things I have collected over the years live, and where the dog is king and allows me to visit from time to time. It was here in this city that the Piano and Opera were invented and the city was the center of the Renaissance, where even today every molecule is still infused with art. It is a place that I had hoped, when all was said and done some years from now, would be the place where I could make music, write and create, and then simply fade away with the most beautiful sunset that ever was. I could never have imagined that it would be because of such world tragedy and sadness, that I would find myself at "home." As otherworldly as it is here, I am still drawn to the many theaters that have given me homes over the years, and so together we have created a nationwide event paying tribute to America's greatest songwriter, Irving Berlin. Proceeds from this event will benefit each of the many participating theaters throughout the nation.

"To present this event, we have recreated here in Florence, the set of Irving Berlin's home on Beekman Place in Manhattan, and we have a film crew that has been safe and in quarantine here in Florence. If you've seen the production some time ago, there is some new additional material that speaks to our times, as well as a few surprises. Because audiences always request the now infamous "audience encore," we have even made it possible for you to ask your questions by cellphone text directly to me during the encore section, and I will answer live, just as I do in the theater. And yes, we will be coming to you live from our stage at 2 a.m. in Italy, 5 p.m. on the West Coast, 7 p.m. in the Midwest, and 8 p.m. on the East Coast, in honor of the beautiful theaters across the nation, and in honor of all the Mothers on this unusual and special Mother's Day."

Sunday, May 10, 2020 (Mother's Day) Viewing will be available for an additional 72 hours post live performance.

SPREADING THE WORD

COUSINS CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS

Mom Meghan reads to son Archie. Photo: from video

First cousins Princess Charlotte, daughter of William and Kate and Archie, son of Harry and Meghan celebrated their birthdays days apart.

Charlotte turned 5 on May 2 while her younger cousin turned a big boy one on May 5, 2020.

We're certain that, though experiencing home schooling and Covid-19 shutdown, Charlotte enjoyed cake and ice cream and all the revelry her tired parents could muster.

Across the pond in Los Angeles Archie's father took a video of Archie's mother reading their son the book Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. The children's book has an interesting back story regarding author Rosenthal who, sadly, is deceased.

Her widower Jason Rosenthal called Meghan's reading of Duck! Rabbit! beautiful, relatable and genuine.

“Although Meghan Markle is clearly one of the most famous people in the world, seeing her read Duck! Rabbit! to her son Archie was so relatable to any parent anywhere,” said Jason. “There he was squirming around, smiling and just being a regular little boy. What a testament to Amy that her book has such meaning to so many families.”

Duck! Rabbit! was created by Amy and Tom Lichtenheld from their love of word play and visual puns. After speaking at an elementary school together and drawing visuals for children on an easel, the idea of a “duckrabbit” concept was born. The story is based on the idea that whether you are seeing a duck or a rabbit depends on how you look at it.

While the Duchess of Sussex read to Archie, he kept trying to turn the pages. All the while, husband and father Duke of Sussex Harry filmed and released the three minute video on Save the Children’s Instagram account as part of a Save With Stories campaign to help support children affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jason became nationally known after his wife Amy wrote a heart-wrenching column "You May Want To Marry My Husband" which the The New York Times published ten days before she died. The essay illuminated her desire for Jason to move forward and find happiness after her death.

WE'LL MEET AGAIN last Friday's tribute to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the Royal Albert Hall in London played host to a very special concert behind closed doors, the first in their 150-year history.

Katherine Jenkins OBE perofmred a half-hour concert to an empty auditorium, streamed to audiences for free, featuring wartime favorite We’ll Meet Again performed as a virtual duet with Dame Vera Lynn.

The event was presented in partnership with Mayor of London #LondonTogether, SSAFA and YouTube.

THE ALLEY THEATRE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS is offering Creativde Content to View in the comfort of your home.

Segments include: Designer Talks, Behind the Scenes, Virtual Stage, Fun at Home, Meet the Playwrights and Resident Acting Company Reels.

GIBSON the iconic, American-made, leading guitar brand has announced the new four-part, LIVE interview series “Ask Eddie Kramer, Presented by Gibson” which premiered Thursday, May 7 on Gibson’s Facebook Live, Here and on GibsonTV Here.

Every Thursday in May, the Live series will feature legendary producer and engineer Eddie Kramer who is renowned for his collaborations with the Beatles, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp, Carlos Santana and many more. “Ask Eddie Kramer” will focus on special topics and highlights throughout Eddie’s storied recording career including:

Thursday, May 14. Topic: Recording Led Zeppelin. Moderator: Brad Tolinski.

Thursday, May 21: Topic: Recording Woodstock. Moderator: Brad Tolinski.

Thursday, May 28: Topic: Recording the Rolling Stones. Moderator: Bob Merlis.

THE OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL has cancelled ts Fall 2020 season, previously scheduled to begin September 8, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a press conference on May 7, Governor Brown announced that “large gatherings,” including live sporting events with audiences, concerts, festivals, and conventions, will not be able to return until at least the end of September, and not until a “reliable treatment or prevention like a vaccine” is available.

“The health and safety of our entire Ashland community, including artists, staff, volunteers, patrons, and Festival partners, is our highest priority,” said Nataki Garrett, OSF artistic director. “It is with great sadness that we are forced to cancel OSF’s 2020 Fall season. My primary goal is to protect the future of this celebrated 85-year-old organization and to bring great theatre back to our stages in 2021. I’m thankful for the clear and sure-handed leadership of Governor Brown, and thank our local community for all of their support. We are committed to remaining grounded in the expertise of scientists and healthcare professionals who have informed the Governor’s decision.”

“The city of Ashland and the entire Rogue Valley have always been a premier tourist and lifestyle destination for arts, culture, and outdoor enthusiasts from all over the country and the world,” said Paul Christy, OSF acting executive director. “Throughout these difficult circumstances, and for seasons and years to come, we are committed to working with all of our partners, community, and member organizations to revive, grow and preserve the prominence of this region that is so dear to the OSF family.”

Canceling the 2020 season has very real financial consequences for OSF. Since suspending performances on March 12, OSF teams have been working to plan and schedule a 2021 season. All 2020 ticketholders are invited to donate tickets or consider a voucher for use in 2021. Ticket donations and vouchers represent an investment in the future of OSF, the communities of Ashland and the Rogue Valley, and the importance of art and storytelling in a post-pandemic world. OSF is also currently running a $5MM critical relief fundraising campaign, Dare to Dream.

ON TUESDAY, MAY 19th, 92nd STREET Y IN NEW YORK CITY will host a virtual continuing education panel on criminal justice reform with a discussion about the coronavirus health crisis that is devastating the prison system as well as wrongful convictions and their catastrophic consequences for innocent men and women. Moderated by journalist and Yale Law School lecturer Emily Bazelon, the panel will feature music executive and criminal justice advocate Jason Flom, as well as Noura Jackson – a young woman who spent years behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit.

Wrongfully convicted of murder in 2005, Jackson spent 11 years in prison despite her repeated pleas of innocence, no physical evidence linking her to the crime scene, and DNA tests that excluded her as a suspect. Since her release in 2016, she has worked tirelessly for the rights of those who have been wrongfully convicted as well as those who are navigating the complex process of re-entering society after being incarcerated. She has served as the president of Meet Your Mentor, the re-entry chairperson for the Justice Impact Bar, and the public relations director for Women Empowered to Become Self-Sufficient (WEBS).

During the discussion, Jackson will unravel the saga of her own wrongful conviction. Joined by Flom and Bazelon, the discussion will also cover the current state of the criminal justice system during the coronavirus pandemic, what needs to change both now and in the future in order to save lives, and what others can do to help. The panel will take place online at 7 p.m. EST.

THE LATINO THEATER COMPANY in Los Angeles is going online with Latino Theater Co. LIVE, a series of online conversations hosted by Xavi Moreno.

On Friday, May 15 at 4 p.m. PDT: Join the Latino Theater Company for a conversation with company member Geoffrey Rivas.

On Wednesday, May 20 at 4 p.m. PDT: Go behind the scenes of the Latino Theater Company and “Check-In with the LATC Techs.”

On Friday, May 22 at 4 p.m. PDT: Sit down for a drink with the entire Latino Theater Company and have “A Glass with the Company.”

All conversations will stream live at Facebook.com/LatinoTheaterCo and Facebook.com/TheLATC.

BEANIE FELDSTEIN, MARCIA GAY HARDEN, DAVID THEWLIS, ELWOOD REID HEADLINE 92Y VIRTUAL TALKS MAY 14-18 IFC’S How To Build a Girl Beanie Feldstein in Conversation with Variety's Nelle Tiley takes place May 14, 2 pm ET. Feldstein has appeared on Broadway opposite Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly! and will be seen later this year opposite Amy Schumer in The Humans. She will next begin production on as Monica Lewinsky. Feldstein talks with Variety editor Jenelle Riley about her busy career and the complex challenges of How To Build a Girl, available in the U.S. as f last Friday.

On May 18, the stars and creator of National Geographic’s Barkskins - Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, David Thewlis, and Peabody Award winner Elwood Reid - join in conversatoin one week before the Memorial Day premiere of the electrifying new eight-part limited series. Based on the bestselling novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx, Barkskins examines the mysterious massacre of settlers in the vast and unforgiving wilds of 1690s New France that threatens to throw the region into all-out war. It’s a tale of exploration, adventure, and ambition among dreamers and fighters - some with a utopian vision of the world, others crass and conniving, but all navigating the perils of a treacherous new frontier. Don’t miss what is sure to be a fascinating conversation, as Harden, Thewlis, and Reid talk about the show’s exploration of survival in an uncharted world and what it took to bring the 17th century back to life.

ALL RISE the CBS law drama which "pulls back the curtain on the court system and follows the dedicated, chaotic, hopeful, and sometimes absurd lives of the judges, assistant district attorneys, and public defenders, as they work with bailiffs, clerks, and cops to get justice for the people of Los Angeles amidst a flawed legal process.

Accomplishing the almost impossible All Rise flawlessly pulled off adapting to COVID-19 sheltering with a virtual episode that showcased the disruption that the virus has caused the legal system, with serious case backlogs and the impossibility of social distancing jurors.

The award worthy series' finale effortlessly managed to convey, in an interesting and memorable manner, not just the legal issues but the COVID-19 induced emotional states of the lead characters - ranging from not sleeping to putting labels on spices to telephone video sex.

All actors were filmed in their own homes with the actor also responsible for setting up the lighting, moving furniture, designing most of their wardrobe, hair and make-up. Craft services amounted to whatever they had in their own kitchen and fixed themselves.

Sixty-four pages of script were filmed in six 10-hour days, according to information from a virtual press conference held by executive producer Len Goldstein, series lead Simone Missick (Judge Lola Carmichael) as well as executive producers Greg Spottiswood, Michael Robin, and Dee Harris-Lawrence.

Some costumes and make up were delivered to the actors' individual homes - resulting in concern as to whether they needed to Lysol spray boxes and contents. However, about 95% of what can be viewed on screen was found in each actor’s home, Robin said.

Apple's FaceTime and Zoom's virtual meeting software helped during filming, the producers said. A private Cisco Webex room allowed actors to dial in when it was time to film a particular scene. Carefully sanitized Ethernet cables and Wi-Fi boosters were distributed to supplement the personal equipment in use by the cast and crew - which became one and the same.

Just as this episode of All Rise showed how the defendants will have to waive some of their procedural rules, union rules will have to be addressed and modified for at home streaming. Just as the Golden Age of Television enabled creativity, this new age we've entered will do the same. At Rise proved it can be successful.

The show is smart and brilliantly written, directed and acted. On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a second season. The show features: Simone Missick as Judge Lola Carmichael, Jessica Camacho as Emily Lopez, Wilson Bethel as Mark Callan, Ruthie Ann Miles as Sherri Kansky, and Lindsay Mendez as Sara Castillo, Marg Helgenberger as Judge Lisa Benner and J. Alex Brinson as Luke Walkins.

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

George Gobel (May 20, 1919 – February 24, 1991) was a dry witted, Emmy Award winning comedian who had his own television show as well as being a welcome guest on talk and game shows.

He was also a skilled guitar player, and as such was issued a specially designed electric guitar in his name commissioned by the Gibson guitar company in 1959.

Gobel and Sam Levene starred as Erwin and Patsy in Let It Ride, an original Broadway musical based on the 1935 original Broadway play Three Men on a Horse (1935) co-authored by George Abbott and John Cecil Holm which had an initial Broadway run of 835 performances.

Some of Gobel's famous one liners:

“If inflation continues to soar, you're going to have to work like a dog just to live like one”

“Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?”

“I've never been drunk, but often I've been overserved.”

“If you build a better mousetrap, you will catch better mice.”

“College is a place to keep warm between high school and an early marriage.”

“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today -- for tomorrow's gonna be bad enough as it is.”

And, from Wayne Allen, comedian and owner of The Historic North Theatre and Performing Arts Center in Danville, VA.

24540 Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.

Day 15 of Homeschooling: My child just said "I hope I don't have the same teacher next year".... I'm offended.

During these troubling times you have to be especially beware of scam artists. "A man knocked at my door and asked for a small donation to the neighborhood swimming pool. I gave him a glass of water."-Greg Davies

If forced to describe myself in one word, I would have to say, 'Won't follow directions.

Better 6 feet apart than 6 feet under.

"If it weren't for electricity, we'd all be watching television by candlelight."

2020 PULITZER PRIZES have been handed out.

Categories of particular interest to Broadway To Vegas readers:

The author Colson Whitehead won in the fiction category for his novel The Nickel Boys a harrowing exploration of abuse at a reform school in Jim Crow–era Florida. This win makes him one of only four novelists (Booth Tarkington in 1919 and 1922; William Faulkner in 1955 and 1963; John Updike in 1982 and 1991) to win the Pulitzer twice. His novel The Underground Railroad won the award in 2017.

Poetry: The Tradition by Jericho Brown.

Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight won, in the Criticism category, for his watchdog coverage of plans for the new Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

General nonfiction: The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care by Anne Boyer and The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America by Greg Grandin.

The musical theater writer Michael R. Jackson won the Pulitzer for drama for his musical A Strange Loop.

W. Caleb McDaniel took the award in history for his book Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America, and Benjamin Moser won in biography for Sontag: Her Life and Work, his study of the writer and public intellectual Susan Sontag.

IAMA THEATRE COMPANY has named Ryan J. Haddad 2020 recipient of Shonda Rhimes-sponsored ‘Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission’.

The commission, sponsored by award-winning writer and producer Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal), was created to help grow and nourish budding playwrights and artists with emphasis on cultural inclusion and the goal to showcase fresh, creative, thought-provoking work. This is the third year of the commission.

Ryan J. Haddad is an actor, playwright and autobiographical performer based in New York. He is an alum of the Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group and a former Queer/Art Performance and Playwriting Fellow under the mentorship of Moe Angelos. Earlier last week, Ryan was named the second recipient of Rising Phoenix Repertory’s Cornelia Street American Playwriting Award, presented to an emerging playwright of exceptional work ethic, character and talent.

The Rhimes Family Foundation was established in 2016 by writer/producer Shonda Rhimes and her family. The foundation was created to support arts, education and activism with a focus on promoting cultural inclusion, fighting for equality and standing up against bigotry of any kind.

E-Book

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E-Book

Soft back Book

This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

FINAL OVATION

ROY HORN famed magician of Siegfried and Roy fame died Friday, May 8, 2020 at Mountain View Hospital in Las Vegas due to complications from COVID-19. He was 75.

Horn was mauled and dragged offstage by a 400-pound Siberian tiger used in their act during a live show in 2003, ending Siegfried & Roy's successful Las Vegas performance career.

At the Mirage Resort in Las Vegas Siegfried and Roy performed their over-the-top illusion spectacle in the custom-designed, 1,504-seat Siegfried & Roy Theater. Annually, they entertained 700,000 people a year. Over 44 years, according to their longtime manager, Bernie Yuman, the duo performed more than 30,000 live shows to close to 50 million people.

The duo had appeared at the Mirage continuously since 1990, when they signed their original $57.5-million, five-year contract with the hotel. In 2001, they signed a “contract for life” at the Mirage.

The elaborate Siegfried & Roy show, which cost $50 million to produce, featured complex stagecraft, liquid smoke, lasers, dozens of dancers and more than 30 exotic cats.

Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn was born in 1944 in Nordenham, a town near Bremen, Germany. Raised by his mother and an abusive, alcoholic stepfather, Horn escaped his unhappy home life by seeking the company of animals. Horn left home at 13 in 1957 and became the personal bellboy to the captain of the T.S. Bremen, a German luxury liner that ran between Bremerhaven and New York. Horn met Fischbacher, a first-class steward who entertained passengers at night with his magic act. Needing an assistant for his act, Fischbacher enlisted Horn.

In 1964, Siegfried & Roy took their successful cruise ship act on the road. Billed as Siegfried and Partner, they plied Europe in a Citroen, performing in small cabarets and theaters. But they didn’t begin to gain media attention until they performed before Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco and a host of Hollywood celebrities at a 1966 Red Cross gala in Monte Carlo. They went on to perform as Siegfried & Roy at the famous Lido and Folies-Bergere in Paris and, in 1967, they arrived in Las Vegas.

In 1981, after performing at the Tropicana, the Stardust and the MGM Grand, they opened their own show at the Frontier hotel. The show, “Beyond Belief,” ran for some 3,500 performances over the next seven years.

In 1987, the two men who were once told that “magic doesn’t work in Vegas,” signed to be the star attraction at the Mirage when the $640-million resort opened on the Strip in 1990. Variety proclaimed their contract as the largest in the history of show business. Eight years after debuting at the Mirage, Forbes magazine reported that Siegfried & Roy were the highest-paid entertainers in Las Vegas history, earning an estimated $58 million in 1996-97 (with an estimated net worth of more than $100 million).

Siegfried & Roy have been recognized by National Geographic and others over the years for their efforts in saving and protecting endangered animals, particularly white tigers, which are extinct in the wild.

LITTLE RICHARD (RICHARD PENNIMAN) the flamboyant singer considered one of the founders of rock music died Saturday, May 9, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. He had been in poor health for several years, suffering hip problems, a stroke and a heart attack. He was 87 and reports stated his death was related to bone cancer.

His hits included Tutti Frutti, Long Tall Sally, and Good Golly Miss Molly.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its first group of inductees in 1986. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 2015, Richard received a Rhapsody & Rhythm Award from the National Museum of African American Music for his key role in the formation of popular music genres and helping to bring an end to the racial divide on the music charts and in concert in the mid-1950s changing American culture significantly. Tutti Frutti" was included in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2010, which stated that his "unique vocalizing over the irresistible beat announced a new era in music".

Greg Harris, President & CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame issued the following statement: "Inductee Little Richard ripped-up the Fifties. His unrestrained musicality and charismatic persona created a rock & roll blueprint followed by generations. Songs like “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly” were amplified by Richard's rockin’ piano, rolling rhythms and an electric stage presence. His sound and style were the cornerstones of rock & roll, and his outrageousness and rebellious spirit challenged the world to change.”

He is survived by a son Danny Jones Penniman.

ANDRE HARRELL music executive who founded Uptown Records and signed Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Mary J. Blige died of heart failure, May 8, 2020 at his home in West Hollywood, CA. He was 59.

Raised in the Bronx, Harrell started his career in music as half of the 80s hip-hop duo Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. He became immersed in the city’s hip-hop scene and soon met Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons. He moved up the ranks at Def Jam to the position of vice president and general manager before leaving the company and forming Uptown Records in the late 1980s, where he signed notable artists such as Heavy D & The Boyz and R&B singer Al B. Sure!

In 1995, Harrell was appointed CEO of Motown Records and remained there until 1997. He also hosted Champagne & Bubbles on Sunday nights from 6 to 9pm on Emmis Urban AC WRKS (98.7 Kiss FM)/New York. Harrell was the CEO of Harrell Records, which is distributed through Atlantic Records. He partnered with budding Atlanta-based production company L7 Entertainment for the release of their new artists Hamilton Park and Netta Brielle. For the next 20 years, he helped kickstart the careers of several singers, most notably Robin Thicke.

Harrell was the Vice Chairman of Revolt, Diddy's multi-platform music network. On October 17, 2014, he was instrumental in launching the Revolt Music Conference in Miami, Florida, at the Fountainbleau Hotel. The event was attended by such entertainment figures as Guy Oseary, Russell Simmons, and L.A. Reid.[15] Before his death, Harrell had accepted a position as the vice-chairman of the music television network REVOLT and was working on a scripted miniseries about the early days of Uptown Records with BET.

He is survived by his ex-wife Wendy Credle, and son Gianni Harrell.

Next Column: May 17, 2020
Copyright: May 10, 2020 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
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