The Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame announces Cathy Hughes, the Founder and Chairperson of Radio One, Inc., as one of its 2016 Hall of Fame Inductees and the sole recipient of its Music Living Legends Award. This double honor will be bestowed on the media mogul at the 4th Annual Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Concert on Sunday, August 21, 2016 at the Ford Performing Arts Theatre in Detroit, Michigan.
Cathy Hughes is a dynamic media pioneer and visionary whose unprecedented career has earned her a place in the history books as the first African-American woman to chair a publicly held corporation – Radio One, Inc., the company she founded 35 years ago. Today, Radio One, Inc. is the largest African-American owned multi-media company in the nation. Its subsidiaries span across radio, television, digital media and branded content agency. Collectively, TV One, Reach Media, Interactive One and One Solution reach over 82% of Black Americans with quality content designed to inform, inspire and entertain its audiences. The organization has also branched out into the gaming industry and financial services.
LaMont Robinson, Founder and CEO of the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame said,
“It is going to be an honor to enshrine Ms. Cathy Hughes into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Class of 2016 and to honor her with the Rhythm & Blues Music Living Legends Award. Ms. Hughes is definitely a trailblazer in every sense of the word. She has opened so many doors for many rhythm & blues artists and entertainers.”
Cathy Hughes is in good company with the 2016 Hall of Fame Inductees. She is joined by music legends, Smokey Robinson,Prince (posthumously), Jimi Hendrix (posthumously), Dionne Warwick, Bootsy Collins, Fats Domino, The Supremes, andEddie Floyd. Special awards, The Rhythm & Blues Music Group of the 20th Century Award and The Lamont D. Robinson Visionary Award will be presented to The Supremes and Deputy Mayor Isaiah McKinnon of Detroit respectively.
“There are so many noted artists, musicians, producers, and others whose impact has not only shaped the African American musical landscape but also significantly influenced music and culture in this country and around the world,” said Hughes. I am humbled and honored that my life’s work with Radio One, especially in the Motor City, is being recognized as part of their collective legacy.”
Having inducted over 125 music legends in the last three years, the goal of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame is to build a world-class museum in the City of Detroit that rivals the excellence and rich history found in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. The music form of Rhythm & Blues chronicles American history and black culture. It is important that these stories and the legacy of artists and influencers of music be honored and preserved.
About Radio One, Inc.
Radio One, Inc. (radio-one.com), together with its subsidiaries, is a diversified media company that primarily targets African-American and urban consumers. It is one of the nation’s largest radio broadcasting companies, currently owning and/or operating 56 stations in 16 urban markets in the United States. Through its controlling interest in Reach Media, Inc. (blackamericaweb.com), the Company also operates syndicated programming including the Tom Joyner Morning Show, the Russ Parr Morning Show, the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, Get up Morning! with Erica Campbell, the DL Hughley Show, Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Empowering Moments, the Ed Lover Show, the Willie Moore Jr Show, the Nightly Spirit with Darlene McCoy and theReverend Al Sharpton Show. Beyond its core radio broadcasting franchise, Radio One owns Interactive One(interactiveone.com), the fastest growing and definitive digital resource for Black and Latin Americans, reaching millions each month through social content, news, information, and entertainment. Interactive One operates a number of branded sites including News One (news), The Urban Daily (men), Hello Beautiful (women), Global Grind (Millennials) and social networking websites such as BlackPlanet and MiGente. The Company also owns TV One, LLC (tvone.tv), a cable/satellite network programming serving more than 57 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult Black viewers. Additionally, One Solution combines the dynamics of the Radio One’s holdings to provide brands with an integrated and effectively engaging marketing approach that reaches 82% of Black Americans throughout the country.
