From one Hall of Fame inductee to another, keyboardist/composer Larry Dunn (formerly Earth Wind & Fire), a multi-award-winning artist and Hall of Famer, will be presenting the Hall of Fame Award to famed Sax player Ronnie Laws at the Los Angeles Black Music Awards & Hall of Fame Inductions. What better representative than Dunn . . . for he is a 6-time Grammy-winner and 13 GRAMMY nominations, four American Music Awards, 32 Gold and Platinum/Multi-Platinum records and albums, a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2000) and Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010), and the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award (2016), as well as other industry awards that Larry shares with the group.
Ronnie Laws has performed and recorded with countless iconic, chart-topping musicians, but may best be known for combining the exploratory heart of Jazz with the broader reaching strains of Soul and Pop music. His first hit, “Always There” (credited as Ronnie Laws and Pressure on the original 45), was one of the most popular, sax-driven, cross-over hits of the 70s Jazz-Funk Fusion era. He ushered in the sensualization of the soprano sax with Quiet Storm gems such as “Grace,” “Karmen,” and “Just Love.” “Pressure Sensitive,” “Fever,” and “Friends and Strangers” (Blue 70’s: Blue Note Got Soul), the title track of his third album, all propelled to gold status.
Los Angeles Black Music Awards & Hall of Fame Inductions will be held Sunday, September 9, 2018, at the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro, CA, at 5pm. Call the BMA National Office 916-477-0157 for info.
“It is truly an honor for my lifetime friend Larry Dunn to be the presenter of my Hall of Fame Award. My career success could not have existed without his musical genius and contribution to my journey as an artist.” – Ronnie Laws