Angelique Kidjo to Receive Honorary Doctorate from Berklee

Tuesday April 06, 2010

From Berklee.edu

Gamble & Huff, Paco de Lucia, Angelique Kidjo, and Kenny Barron at Commencement

Berklee College of Music President Roger Brown will present Angelique Kidjo, as well as Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Paco de Lucia, and Kenny Barron with honorary doctor of music degrees at Berklee College of Music’s commencement ceremony, Saturday, May 8, at the 7,000-seat Agganis Arena at Boston University.

This year’s honorary doctorate recipients are being recognized for their achievements and influence in music, and for their enduring contributions to American and international culture. Past recipients include Duke Ellington (the first, in 1971), Dizzy Gillespie, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, Aretha Franklin, Juan Luis Guerra, Nancy Wilson, David Bowie, the Edge, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Michel Camilo, Chaka Khan, Loretta Lynn, Quincy Jones, Bonnie Raitt, and Ahmet Ertegun.

On commencement eve, as is Berklee’s tradition, students will pay tribute to the honorees by performing music associated with their careers at the Agganis. The concert and ceremony are not open to the public.

Grammy Award–winning Angelique Kidjo wears the title of Africa’s premier diva—as named by Time magazine—proudly. Like Miriam Makeba before her, Kidjo is internationally renowned as Africa’s most celebrated female musical exponent. She has made her mark not only in music, but in humanitarian work, including with her own Batonga Foundation, which provides educational aid to African girls. The singer, songwriter, and dancer was born in Benin, and the music of her homeland has always been an ingredient in the mix of soul, r&b, jazz, and pop music on her numerous albums. Her newest CD, OYO, is a mix of original songs and covers that pay tribute to the artists that have inspired her, like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Carols Santana, and James Brown. Bono, John Legend, Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove, and Lionel Loueke are just some of the collaborators who join her on the recording.

Read the full article here

Baby, I Love You feat. Dianne Reeves	3:10	Angélique Kidjo
Zelie	2:04	Angélique Kidjo
Move On Up feat. John Legend	3:46	Angélique Kidjo
Ae Ae	3:31	Angélique Kidjo

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