Race to Erase MS has announced that multi Grammy-award winning artists Natalie Cole, CeeLo Green and Steven Tyler will perform at the 21st Annual Race to Erase MS event, hosted by Nancy Davis, taking place on May 2nd, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
The evening will also honor Chairman of the Board and founder of MediaNews Group, Dean Singleton, with the 2014 Medal of Hope Award.
Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1986, Singleton has never let the disease dictate his life. Dean has used the success of his career to help raise awareness, and fund vital MS research, bringing hope to the millions that suffer from this autoimmune disease. In addition to his work in the media, Singleton is also on the boards of the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center, the National Sports Center for the Disabled, The Helen G. Bonfils Foundation, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Winter Park Recreational Association.
The legendary, celebrity-filled gala has raised millions of dollars for Race to Erase MS and its Center Without Walls program. This year marks the 21st Anniversary of the event, where guests will be able to participate in a silent auction before enjoying a dinner gala featuring live musical performances. The evening will also include a one-of-a-kind live auction featuring fabulous St. Regis vacation getaways and experiential packages, and an Aston Martin Vanquish designed by last year’s honoree, the Osbourne family, who continue to show their support for the cause. Guests can also enjoy specialty cocktails all night, provided by SVEDKA Vodka, as well as flowers donated by Mark’s Garden, and water by NEO North America Inc.
“This is a historical time in MS research as we know we are truly on the fast track to finding a cure and having great remedies to treat the various symptoms of MS,” stated Race to Erase MS Founder, Nancy Davis. “When we began our Race To Erase MS over 21 years ago, the future for MS was bleak with no known cause, no medicines and no hope. Today, there are 9 drugs with FDA approval and many more coming through the pipeline. Hopelessness has been replaced by hopefulness that we will cross that finish line and find a cure and win this Race To Erase MS in the very near future.”
Multiple Grammy-winning recording artist Natalie Cole won the first of her nine career Grammy Awards as Best New Artist of 1975, the year she debuted with the #1 single, “This Will Be,” off her debut album, Inseparable, which also won her Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. Cole continued her musical success with platinum albums, No. 1 hits, and even more Grammy wins. The singer expanded her success with her own TV special in 1977. It was the first of more than 300 major television appearances in her career, and in 2001, she starred as herself in “Livin’ for Love: the Natalie Cole Story,” based on her autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder. She received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. In 2009, Natalie was diagnosed with kidney failure and released a second memoir titled “Love Brought Me Back,” the heart-wrenching chronicle of her quest for a kidney transplant. After her transplant, the accomplished R&B and jazz vocalist broke new grounds in June 2013, with her first Spanish-language album, “Natalie Cole En Español,” following in her father, Nat King Cole’s footsteps. “Natalie Cole En Español” garnered 3 Latin Grammy Nominations as well as winning Cole another NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding World Album”. Natalie Cole now serves as spokesperson for the University Kidney Research Organization, a nonprofit organization supporting medical research related to the prevention, treatment, and eradication of all form of kidney disease.
As an entertainer and businessman with many layers, CeeLo Green cannot be summed up in just one title. He is a five-time Grammy Award Winning singer-songwriter-producer, television personality, actor, entrepreneur, pop culture & fashion icon, and professional lady killer. In 2001, CeeLo received five Grammy nominations for his worldwide hit “Forget You” (aka “F—k You”), winning the category for “Best Urban/Alternative Performance”. The single is certified Gold in the United States and Denmark and achieved platinum status in Canada, New Zealand, and the UK; and multi-platinum status in Australia. Currently, CeeLo is finishing his forthcoming, new solo album entitled “Girl Power,” which will be released in winter 2014 and most recently, he also reunited with his original rap group Goodie Mob, after a 15 year hiatus, to release a new album entitled “Age Against the Machine” in August 2013. Additionally, in October 2012, CeeLo released a Christmas album “CeeLo’s Magic Moment”, which featured the single “All I Need is Love” featuring The Muppets, and the album is nominated for a 2014 Grammy.
Steven Tyler is the iconic songwriter and prolific voice of the best-selling American rock band, Aerosmith. Tyler is considered one of music’s most recognizable and dynamic frontmen and has been cited by Rolling Stone as “one of the greatest singers of all time.” Tyler and Aerosmith have sold more than 150 million records worldwide, he has won four Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and an Emmy Award. In addition to having nine number one hits, 25 gold, 18 platinum and 12 multi-platinum album certifications, Tyler, along with the rest of his band members were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2013, Tyler was awarded with the Founder’s Award at the ASCAP Pop Awards and was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. In summer 2014, Tyler will be kicking off a European tour with Aerosmith and will be working on his own solo project.
The evening is generously sponsored by Hyatt Regency Century Plaza and Associated Television International.
In addition to the great fundraising this night provides, Race to Erase MS also supports the “Orange You Happy to Erase MS” awareness month, throughout May. The campaign features a variety of orange products (the vibrant color chosen to represent Multiple Sclerosis and hope) to be sold with all or a portion of proceeds benefiting the cause. Some items include a T-shirt designed by Nancy Davis and modeled by Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, and a bracelet by Alex and Ani, sold annually, which has solely helped raise over $300,000 to date. To purchase any of these items please visit www.shop.erasems.org.
Race to Erase MS is dedicated to the treatment and ultimate cure for MS. Funding research is the core focus of the foundation and significant strides have been made to find the cause and cure of this debilitating disease. At the event’s inception 21 years ago, the absence of medications and therapies encouraged its involvement; As a result, the Race to Erase MS has contributed to seven of the nine currently FDA approved medications, providing hope and encouragement for those who suffer with MS. Most recently, the FDA approved the BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate) drug which will revolutionize MS treatments. While most MS medicines are daily or weekly shots, BG-12, developed by Biogen Idec, exists as one of the first safe oral drugs to help stop the progression of MS with very few side effects.
All funds raised support the Center Without Walls program, a unique collaboration of the world’s leading MS research scientists currently representing Harvard, Yale, Cedars Sinai, University of Southern California, Oregon Health Science University, UC San Francisco and Johns Hopkins. This nationwide collaboration of physicians, scientists and clinicians are on the cutting-edge of innovative research and therapeutic approaches to treat MS. It is the hope of the Race to Erase MS that in addition to combating MS through research in a clinical environment, awareness will be created by educating the public about this mysterious disease.
