R&B Foundation Honors Chaka Khan, Teena Marie And More
Recognized as one of nine R&B pioneers, Chaka Khan, whose hits include "I'm Every Woman" and "Sweet Thing" will be honored Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Joined by Kool & The Gang, Bill Withers, The Whispers, The Funk Brothers, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Al Bell, Donny Hathaway and Teena Marie, Khan becomes the R&B Foundation's latest honoree since its 2006 ceremony. Teena Marie, 52, is expected to perform at the event which is dedicated to celebrating and preserving the genre, and to assisting artists in need. "I'm very, very excited," Marie said in a phone interview. "All my idols that I grew up on are going to be there." Marie is scheduled to perform "Casanova Brown," which she calls her "masterpiece," at the award ceremony at the Kimmel Center. She'll be accompanied by an orchestra, a career first for her.