Earth, Wind & Fire, Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary Lift Their Voices for ‘Super Bowl Soulful Celebration 25th Anniversary’
Earth, Wind & Fire, Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary are the first wave of performers being announced for the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration 25th Anniversary special. CBS will broadcast the one-hour special on Feb. 10 (8 p.m. ET).
Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold, stars of the CBS series The Neighborhood, the special will be taped on Feb. 7 during Super Bowl LVIII week in Las Vegas. The taping will take place at the Pearl Theater in the Palms Casino Resort. Also performing will be The Players Choir. The ensemble of NFL talent has been a staple of the league’s Super Bowl weekend festivities for 16 seasons. Additional Super Bowl Soulful Celebration performers, honorees and partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
In addition, three NFL players will be saluted for their achievements on and off the field during the special. The honorees include Dallas Cowboys quarterback Rayne “Dak” Prescott (Faith In Action Award), Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (New Beginnings Award) and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Markquese Bell (HBCU Player of the Year).
The Super Bowl Soulful Celebration 25th Anniversary is executive produced by Melanie Few, with Valarie Benning Thompson as producer. Television veteran Leon Knoles will direct, while four-time Grammy nominee Adam Blackstone will serve as music director.
Launched in 1999 during Super Bowl XXXIII, the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration was formerly known as the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. Over the last 25 years, the annual NFL-sanctioned program has welcomed performers such as Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, Fantasia and Gladys Knight. Previous NFL honorees include Deion Sanders, Ray Lewis and Troy Vincent. For tickets and more information, visit SuperBowlSoulful.com.
Gail Mitchell
Billboard