PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT INFORMATION: Legacy Training, Inc. Lynne Chambers [email protected] 618-203-7353 RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2020

Healing Illinois Event “An Evening of Inspiration with Howard Hewett, Grammy Award Winning Vocalist”

Dateline: Cairo, Illinois

The Alexander/Pulaski County NAACP announces, “An Evening of Inspiration” with National

Recording Artist, Howard Hewett.” This special, virtual event will be held on Saturday, May 15 at 7 p.m. A “watch party” will be held at the Shawnee Community College Auditorium, 8364 Shawnee

Community College Road in Ullin, Illinois with a limited number of attendees. Free and open to all via zoom by registering at [email protected], or live stream from the Legacy Training

Facebook page and youtube channel.

With his silky smooth, straight-from-the-heart soulful style, Howard Hewett is gifted with one of the most instantly recognizable voices in contemporary music.

As the lead singer of the supergroup Shalimar, he enjoyed success with hits like “Second Time

Around”, “Make That Move”; “A Night to Remember”; “Dead Giveaway”; and the now-classic, “This is

For the Lover in You.” As a solo artist, he scored R&B hits including “I’m For Real” followed by

“Stay”, “” and the contemporary gospel classic, “Say Amen.”

Other solo hits include “Show Me”, “Once, Twice, Three Times”, “I Can’t Tell You

Why” a remarkable cover of the legendary group The Eagles. He has recorded duets with legendary leading ladies of music such as, Anita Baker and , Dionne

Warwick. Hewett has recorded on numerous movie soundtracks including the multiplatinum

“Footloose” soundtrack and the first “” soundtrack,

which landed him a Grammy for his composition, “Don’t Get Stopped in Beverly

Hills”. With 16 albums recorded, countless collaborations and over 15 million records sold throughout the world, Hewett remains a viable and legendary force in the music business.

“We have invited the best of the best to become members of the Artists Collective on Race,

Equity and Unity, stated Lynne Chambers, Project Director and asked them to collaborate with other artists that represent differences, racial, genre, etc. Special guest and collaborator for this event is local singer/songwriter, Rhonda Belford. Living along the banks of the River, Belford began as a child performing as a singer/songwriter in her local church, special events, pageants, local and regional fairs, festivals and televised events.

Her band “Rhonda and the Whoopie Cats” toured regional and local circuits with many of her original tunes about the Ohio River and Southern Illinois.

The conversation and dialogue will be co-facilitated by Dr. Larry T. Barnett, Sr., Pastor, thought

Leader and Influencer. This project is sponsored by the Illinois Dept. of Human Services, Healing

Illinois Initiative, the Chicago Public Trust and the Southern Illinois Community Foundation.

For more information contact Lynne Chambers at 573-427-2683 or by email [email protected]

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