*The Living Legends Foundation, Inc. (LLF) today announces its two newly elected officers to the music and entertainment organization.
Following the recent passings of industry legends Varnell H. Johnson and Kendall A. Minter, Esq., and their longtime commitment and service to the organization since its inception, 33 years ago, the LLF is continuing to expand its mission to serve the ever-evolving business of music.
Music Industry Veteran Azim Rashid was appointed to president, replacing Varnell H. Johnson, and longtime entertainment attorney Dr. Denise J. Brown was appointed to general counsel, replacing Kendall A. Minter. Legendary Radio Executive Skip Dillard moved from the advisory board to the board of directors, where he has served between both boards for nine years.
“During the past few years, the board has been in discussion about how to best move the foundation forward, how to bring younger music executives into the organization, and how to expand our reach beyond the foundation’s initial mission from radio and records to a 21st-century multimedia organization,” says David C. Linton, chairman of the Living Legends Foundation.
Linton adds: “Fortunately, many of these discussions included both Varnell and Kendall, and I am profoundly grateful for their input, knowledge, expertise, and passion through the years.”
The officers of the Living Legends Foundation are David C. Linton, chairman of the LLF, and the program director of WCLK Atlanta, one of the leading jazz stations in the country. In 2021, the former senior-level music executive was named among the 500 Most Influential Leaders in Georgia Trend magazine, and in 2023, he was inducted into the National Black Radio Hall of Fame. Azim Rashid, president of the LLF and a marketing strategist, spent his career working alongside successful and chart-topping artists, executives, cultural leaders, and global brands including Motown, Universal, Atlantic, Capitol, Roc Nation, and Columbia Records. As an entrepreneur, he serves as chief executive officer of Alum Apparel, a lifestyle clothing brand. He is the chief strategist for The Alchemy Group LLC, an entertainment and marketing company. He is also the founder of Behind and Beyond The Mic, his philanthropic foundation that fosters mentorship and coaching for up-and-coming entertainment executives. Jacqueline Rhinehart, vice-president of the LLF is a marketing and publicity executive for companies in music and government through her consultant firm, Organic Soul Marketing. An omni-media strategist, she has created content and campaigns for stage, concert tours, music videos, online platforms, and experiential events. She is the brainchild behind the Living Legends Foundation’s Music Day podcast. Pat Shields, secretary of the LLF is a partner at Black Dot LLC, a multimedia service company specializing in marketing, production, and social responsibility integration. She held executive positions at Warner Bros. and Atlantic Records and has handled event and conference production, marketing campaigns, and consumer promotions. C.C. Evans, treasurer of the LLF, is one of the co-founders of the organization and has been the treasurer since 2012. She held financial administrative positions at Capitol/EMI, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks Records. She currently works at Fox Studios. Dr. Denise J. Brown is the general counsel of the LLF. She received her law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Through the years as a leading entertainment attorney, Brown is widely known for her keen negotiation skills, and she gained a solid reputation as a dealmaker. Brown worked in numerous roles at New York’s top law firms including Lewis & Clarkson; TLC Group, an LBO company; Minter Gay & Brown; Levine, Thall & Plotkin; Mayer, Katz, Baker, Leibowitz & Roberts, P.C.; and she started her practice and has worked with cross-genre artists, producers, songwriters, and other creative talent. She currently teaches at the Clive Davis Institute at Tisch School of the Arts.
The Living Legends Board Members include Vinny Brown, an accomplished radio air personality and programming senior executive, whose multi-format expertise includes urban, classic soul, urban adult contemporary, and mainstream, contemporary hit radio, classic rock, country, Latin, and gospel. He has successfully led stations from New York to Los Angeles to No. 1 ratings and market dominance. Skip Dillard has an expansive career in radio and media. He is currently the vice president and brand manager of Audacy’s WXBK-FM, 94.7 The Block in New York City, and its rhythmic adult contemporary stations. Before WXBK, Dillard spent 12 years programming New York City’s legendary urban and adult contemporary station, WBLS, and its Gospel station, WLIB. He guided the WBLS brand through the conversion to electronic ratings measurement, attaining the highest ratings in the station’s history. His on-air and programming career has taken him to Detroit, Buffalo, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and New Orleans. Sheila Eldridge is the chief executive officer of Miles Ahead Entertainment & Broadcasting, with more than 30 years of experience in the fields of broadcasting, corporate communications, integrated marketing, event activation, and public relations. Her award-winning Café Mocha Radio Network and Mocha Podcasts Network are recognized as authentic destinations for multicultural women. Tony Gray is an influential radio consultant for many of the most successful urban adult contemporary, and hip-hop stations in the country. His career includes air shifts in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Detroit, and Philadelphia, and program director of WRKS/Kiss 98.7.
Other board members include Ray Harris, the founder and chairman emeritus of the Living Legends Foundation. He held senior executive positions at RCA, Warner Bros., and Epic Records and was named president of SOLAR Records. His leadership has been recognized by industry and civic organizations and his accomplishments are on permanent exhibit at the National Museum of African American Music. Shannon A. Henderson is the director of marketing and community engagement at HBCUGO.tv with 18 years of experience as a Higher Education Student Affairs professional. She has served in multiple executive leadership roles as a marketing and promotion expert at numerous record labels and entertainment entities. Ken Johnson is the president and chief executive officer of Mean Ole Lion Media, a podcast platform featuring Black and brown voices. He has programmed multiple radio stations in large and medium markets for Cumulus Media, iHeartRadio, and ABC Radio Networks. He helped to launch the foundation’s Music Day podcast. Barbara Lewis is one of the co-founders of the Living Legends Foundation and is a music industry veteran who held senior management positions at Columbia, MCA, and Capitol Records, one of the first women to hold leadership positions in the industry. She currently heads B&B Productions and Consultants. Miller London heads Russell Street Entertainment and Bert’s Marketplace & Jazz in Detroit. He was the publisher of Urban Network magazine after holding senior executive positions at Motown, RCA, and A&M Records. As the first Black salesperson at Motown Records, he made history, and his likeness was presented as a character in the Broadway production of Motown: The Musical. Kathi Moore is a veteran in the music industry; holding senior executive positions at MNRK Music Group and Sanctuary Music Group, and Atlantic, Def Jam, Virgin, RCA, and Epic Records, where she was responsible for managing multi-million-dollar promotion and marketing budgets for both urban and hip-hop artists.
Rounding out the Living Legends Foundation board is Jon Platt, chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Music Publishing. An influential and creative executive, he signed and collaborated with prominent songwriters and has been widely credited for bringing hip-hop music to dominance in the music publishing industry. Formerly, he was chairman and chief executive officer of Warner Chappell and was a senior executive at EMI Music Publishing. Gwendolyn Quinn is the president and chief executive officer of Gwendolyn Quinn Public Relations, a global communications, publicity, marketing, content, special events, and gifting company. The award-winning public relations strategist currently has a diverse clientele in music and entertainment including The Estate of Whitney E. Houston. She formerly headed communications for Aretha Franklin and The Estate of Aretha Louise Franklin. Vivian Scott Chew is the founding partner of Chew Entertainment, a global premier event design and entertainment firm, and co-founder and president of the Power 2 Inspire Foundation. She founded the global marketing and promotion firm, TimeZone International. She held senior executive positions at ASCAP, PolyGram, Epic, and 550 Music. Sam Weaver is the founder of Sam Weaver Media. He is a radio consultant, a coach to radio air talent, a strategic music adviser, a radio and music news publisher, and a columnist for “Coaches Corner.” His client list includes on-air personalities, broadcast operation managers and program directors, record companies, recording artists, artist management, and social media influencers. Colleen Wilson is a respected brand entertainment and development specialist. She has guided chart-topping artists including Janet Jackson, Drake, Busta Rhymes, Tyga, and Missy Elliott. Wilson currently works with Charlie Wilson, Johnny Gill, Keyshia Cole, Ledisi, Kenny Lattimore, and Leela James. She held senior executive positions at Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group. Tony Winger is a music consultant for various artists and for-profit and non-profit organizations. He has held positions in club and radio promotion and retail merchandising for Al and the Kidd Promotions, WEA, RCA, A&M, Epic, and Mercury Records, and concert promotion for Dimensions Unlimited.
For additional information on the Living Legends Foundation, please visit livinglegendsfoundation.com. Follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
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