THE LIVING LEGENDS FOUNDATION MARKS 35TH ANNIVERSARY IN ATL, HONORING THE VISIONARIES BEHIND BLACK MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

BET President Louis Carr, Jacob Latimore, Donell Jones, Q Parker & more celebrated Living Legends Foundation’s 35 years of honoring Black music.

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, October 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Living Legends Foundation, Inc. (LLF) celebrated a historic milestone Friday evening as leaders across music, entertainment, radio and media gathered at Flourish by Legendary in Atlanta for the organization’s 35th Anniversary Awards Dinner & Gala.

For more than three decades, the Living Legends Foundation has championed the executives, broadcasters, entrepreneurs, advocates and visionaries whose work behind the scenes has helped shape the sound, business and global influence of Black music. With Chaka Khan serving as Honorary Ambassador and Q Parker as Honorary Gala Chair, the 35th anniversary served as both a celebration of this extraordinary legacy and a reminder of the nonprofit’s continued mission to honor the past, support industry professionals in the present and invest in the next generation of leaders.

“It has taken a moment to truly reflect on what it means to give 35 uninterrupted years of your life to something you believe in,” said David Linton, LLF Chairman. “I thank God for allowing me the privilege of serving my industry family through the Living Legends Foundation and for the honor of serving as only the third Chairman in its 35-year history."

Louis Carr, President of BET, received the prestigious Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award, adding to a milestone year marking his 40th anniversary at the network. Actress Porscha Coleman, star of BET+ and Paramount’s Tyler Perry’s Divorced Sistas, delivered a special message celebrating Carr and the impact of his leadership, underscoring the generational reach of his legacy and the opportunities his work has helped create for Black talent and storytellers. Ray Harris, the award’s namesake, personally presented Carr with the honor.

Phylicia Fant, Global Director Black Music & Culture at Amazon Music, received the Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award, presented by Honorary Gala Chair and founding member of 112, Q. Parker. The Black Promoters Collective received the A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award, presented by LLF Chairman David C. Linton, recognizing the collective’s impact on live entertainment and Black ownership. Atlanta radio icon Greg Street received the Frankie Crocker Radio Personality Award, presented by Charita Brittenum, while Kenny Smoov was honored with the Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award, presented by LLF Board member, Colleen Wilson. Juliette Jones, COO of Alamo Records, received the Impact Player Award from LLF President Azim Rashid, and Tim Reid, Former SVP of Repertoire & Marketing at BMG Recorded Music, received the Music Executive Award in a poignant presentation by his father, acclaimed actor and filmmaker Tim Reid Sr.

Ted Lucas, Founder and CEO of Slip-N-Slide Records, received the Hip-Hop Visionary Award, presented by Ric Ross, while Video Music Box creator, Ralph McDaniels received the Entrepreneur Award, presented by Skip Dillard. Entertainment attorney and ART@WAR Entertainment CEO, James McMillan, Esq. received the Kendall Minter Entertainment Advocate Award, presented by former Motown Records President, Kedar Massenburg. Together, the honorees represented the breadth of LLF’s 35-year mission—celebrating the executives, entrepreneurs, broadcasters and advocates whose contributions have helped shape Black music and entertainment.

The anniversary celebration brought together generations of entertainment and cultural leaders, including Jacob Latimore, Donell Jones, Porscha Coleman, Johnell Young, Nicci Gilbert, Jessica Woo, Ragan Whiteside, Tim Reid Sr., Daphne Maxwell Reid, Polow Da Don, Shannon Brown, Paul Anthony of Full Force, Stephen “S Dot” Gree and Pat "Sleepy" Brown and Ray Murray, Organized Noize Production. Music and business leaders in attendance included Michael Mauldin, Ray Daniels, Ron “Tricky” Montgomery, ONE Musicfest founder Jason “J.” Carter, Maurice “Moetown” Lee and Steve Canal.

The evening also welcomed influential voices from radio and media, including Steve Hegwood, owner of Streetz 94.5; Monica Barnes of The Steve Harvey Morning Show; Gary Wit Da Tea of The Rickey Smiley Morning Show; Jamal Ahmad of WCLK FM; and V-103’s Rick Caffey, Reggie Rouse, Francesca Amiker, Tori Starr and Skye Butterfli.

HONOREES SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS

The evening’s acceptance speeches reinforced the Foundation’s focus on legacy, leadership and responsibility to the next generation.

Louis Carr — Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award:

Carr reflected on the urgency of preserving Black music history and ensuring the contributions of those who built the industry are not forgotten.

“The work that the Living Legends Foundation is doing is more important today than it has ever been,” Carr said. “As people try to erase our history, try to change our journey and try to erase our contributions, it is more important today than ever.”

Celebrating four decades at BET, Carr also acknowledged the role Black music played in building the network, declaring, “Without Black music, BET would not be where it is today.”

Phylicia Fant — Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award:

Fant offered one of the evening’s most reflective messages, challenging traditional definitions of achievement and encouraging attendees to consider success through the people they have helped along the way.

“When you’re young, you think success is about getting somewhere,” Fant said. “Then you live a little longer and realize success is about who gets somewhere because you were here.”

She concluded by defining legacy through service: “I stayed long enough to become something greater than successful. I became useful — useful to my community, useful to the next generation, useful to something bigger than myself. That is legacy.”

James McMillan, Esq. — Kendall Minter Entertainment Advocate Award:

McMillan used his acceptance speech to call for greater investment in the executives working behind the music. “Sustainability in our culture requires an ecosystem,” McMillan said. “My mission has become building the minds behind the music just as vigorously as the voices on the mic.”

Paying tribute to the late Kendall Minter, McMillan emphasized the importance of intellect, ownership and leadership.

The Living Legends Foundation proudly acknowledges the corporate partners and supporters whose investment helped make its 35th anniversary celebration possible, including: Alamo Records, Amazon Music, Universal Music Group, Anchor Promotions, BET, Black Promoters Collective, BMG, Fire Marshall Entertainment, Mauldin Brand, Vernon Brown/Cash Money, V-103, Warner Music Group, WCLK Radio, Republic Records, CineFi and HarbourView Equity Partners.

For coverage materials and interview inquiries, contact: Tosha Whitten at Tosha@FrontPageFirm.com or Jalila Larsuel at jlmediapr@gmail.com.

Learn more at LivingLegendsFoundation.com.

Jalila Larsuel
Living Legends Foundation Inc
213-369-4362
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