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ITN Source
USA: Singer Elton John honoured in Los Angeles with 14th annual "Ella" award
USA: Singer Elton John honoured in Los Angeles with 14th annual "Ella" award
Famous friends came out to support music icon Elton John, who was honoured in Los Angeles on Monday (October 10) with the 14th annual "Ella" Award for his significant musical and humanitarian efforts. Celebrities and performers in attendance included singers Smokey Robinson, K.D. Lang, Natalie Cole, Barry Manilow, LeAnn Rimes, Dionne Warwick. Celine Dion sent a taped message to his friend. The attendees spoke very warmly about the British musician. "He is amazing. Like he is amazing musically and he can play and he has so much spirit about him. If you are walking down the street you are not going to miss Elton John you know. All that aside he is a lovely guy and all he wants to do is help. You know that is the reason why he is here because he has helped so many artists that really were not anywhere. He just heard a demo or something, that is cool. (Reporter: Did he help you?) Yeah he helped me. I did this thing at the Oscars I just sang like a set and I sang two songs with him. Nobody knew who I was I did not even know. My mother had not even heard my music. You know what I mean well obviously she had. But it was like that and he just helped me," said singer Joss Stone while walking the red carpet arrivals at the Beverly Hilton. "There is a persona about Elton that he exposes to us that is really very poignant and we take it lightly but he takes it very seriously and I think it touches us in a way that we really do not totally understand it. But that really is the whole description of a great artist is that there is something about them that touches us that we do not really understand what it is, but we know we like it," said Natalie Cole. Society of Singers (SOS) was founded in 1984 and held its premier fundraising event the annual ELLA Award, named for its first recipient Ella Fitzgerald, in 1989. "I would like to thank the Society of Singers for giving me this award. I am truly humbled as a British artist to be in such eloquent company. Amazing this country has given me so much I say this on stage in Las Vegas every night that I am there. But I came here in 1970 with my partner Bernie Taupin, my song-writing partner who is here tonight. We have had quite an amazing career and ride and we are still riding after 38 years and we are still happily riding away and I am very proud of that. This country gave me my first hit single, my first hit album, my first big tour. This was the country...I just wanted to come here to go to a record store and buy some records of great American music there was no great music in England it all came from America. So to come to this country and to get the reception I got when I first came here and the loyalty and love you have given to me for 36 years I am truly touched, humbled and I can guarantee that I love you back just as much. Thank you," Elton John said as he accepted his award. ELLA honourees are chosen for their contribution to the music world and for their dedicated efforts to benefit the community and worldwide humanitarian causes. Previous recipients include Frank Sinatra (1990), Tony Martin (1992), Peggy Lee (1994), Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme (1995), Lena Horne (1997), Rosemary Clooney (1998), Joe Williams (1999), Tony Bennett (2000), Julie Andrews (2001), Plcido Domingo (2002), Barry Manilow (2003) and Celine Dion (2004). Ticket prices for the event ranged from 600- 2,500 U.S. dollars, with all proceeds to benefit the non-profit SOS Emergency Relief and Scholarship fund designed to advance the vocal arts.
ITN Source | October 15, 2005
