"VH1 Celebrates Soul" Adds , , & The Dap- Kings, Boyz II Men, , and Travie McCoy as Performers

"VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul" Pays Tribute to the Great Cities of Including , , , Memphis and Special will air Monday, December 19 at 9 PM/8c on VH1

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --

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VH1's beloved, popular franchise, "VH1 Divas," announced today additional performers to join this year's tribute to soul music. Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Boyz II Men, Estelle, Marsha AmbrosiusandTravie McCoywill join VH1's "divas" in paying homage to these cities and soul music's timeless classics at City's Hammerstein Ballroom. "VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul" premieres Monday, December 19 at 9 PM/8c on VH1.

"We are so excited to feature these diverse and multi-talented women and men joining our 'Divas' roster this year to showcase the global impact of soul music and how influential and inspirational the music is to today's chart-topping artists," said Lee Rolontz, EVP, Original Music Production & Development, VH1 and VH1 Classic. "Celebrating the soul music borne out of some of the world's greatest cities being performed by today's top artists with the iconic legends that put soul music on the map prove this year's 'Divas' will be a must-see event."

"VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul" will bring together some of the best singers across the globe, men and women alike, to honor the soulful cities that inspired these divas and their art. The headlining "divas" were announced at an earlier date including: Mary J. Blige, , Florence + The Machine, , . and .

The cities honored include: Chicago, Detroit, London, Memphis and Philadelphia. Accompanied by one of the most exciting groups of modern soul, , with as musical director, each will pay tribute through not only their own soul-inspired songs, but some of the greatest classics that have shaped a genre.

As in previous years, this edition of "VH1 Divas" will benefit VH1 Save The Music Foundation and its programs to restore music education in public schools. For more information, please visit www.vh1savethemusic.org.

This year's sponsors for "VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul" include: AT&T, COVERGIRL, GEICO, Hershey®'s, Old Navy, Samsung and The Wendy's Company.

Additional performers, presenters, special guests and sponsors will be announced as they are confirmed.

Visit DIVAS.VH1.com and Twitter at @VH1 and #VH1DIVAS for more information.

Premiering on VH1 in 1998, "Divas" became synonymous with some of the most memorable, live, female vocal performances in television history. The show quickly became a highly anticipated annual phenomenon, generating speculation among music fans and industry executives on who would be part of that year's telecast. Last year, the "Divas" saluted the armed forces with "The USO Presents: 'VH1 Divas Salute the Troops" with , , , , and Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. Previous featured performers over the years included , , , , , , Mary J. Blige, , , Whitney , Beyonce, Chaka Khan, , Kelly Clarkson, , Jennifer Hudson, , and numerous others have graced the "VH1 Divas" stage.

"VH1 Divas" is executive produced by Greg Sills for Chloe Productions and Lee Rolontz, Rick Krim for VH1.

ABOUT VH1

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 99 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, and extensive video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com. Contacts: Michael Barrett Nyle Washington 212-654-3060 212-846-5576 [email protected]

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Toni Herron Scott Acord

212-846-7528 310-752-8075 Toni.Herron@.com [email protected]

SOURCE VH1