By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — No one could replace the inimitable talent that was Whitney Houston. But when you need someone to sing her timeless tracks, the great EGOT (that’s Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner) Jennifer Hudson has proven time and time again that she’s up for the job.
Hudson will headline the fourth annual Whitney Houston Legacy of Love gala on Aug. 9, presented by The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation and Primary Wave Music. The event, held at the St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta on what would have been Houston’s 62nd birthday, doubles as a celebration of 40 years since the launch of her career. Houston’s self-titled debut album was released in 1985.
The Legacy of Love gala will benefit the late singer’s foundation aimed at helping young people. A grant will also be awarded to the Los Angeles-based Kids in the Spotlight, an organization that seeks to heal and empower children through storytelling and filmmaking.
Houston founded the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children in 1989 with the goal of empowering youth, providing resources to unhoused children, giving out college scholarships, and raising funds for charities like the Children’s Defense Fund and St. Jude Children’s Research.
A charity auction will raise money for the foundation, which is now called the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation.
Other performers include R&B singer-songwriter Meli’sa Morgan and Jimmy Avance. The gala will also feature a preview performance of the upcoming orchestral tour, “The Voice of Whitney: A Symphonic Celebration,” conducted by William R. Langley.
“This year marks Whitney’s fortieth anniversary and our fourth Annual Legacy of Love Gala and we are delighted how the foundation has developed and expanded over the past four years,” co-host Pat Houston said in a statement. She is Houston’s sister-in-law and the executor of her estate. Houston died in February 2012 at age 48. “Though Whitney is known worldwide for her exemplary talent in music and entertainment, one of the things she loved more than anything was supporting children and our youth. She always reached back to various communities globally.”
In addition to Pat Houston, the gala will be hosted by Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier. Clive Davis, CCO of Sony Music, is honorary chair.