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SOURCE: bet.com
The Otis Redding Foundation is slated to honor Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Jermaine Dupri in September.
The Atlanta native will be presented with the Otis & Zelma Redding Award of Respect at the organization’s upcoming King of Soul Music Festival in Macon, Georgia. The two-day event is scheduled for September 8-9.
The Otis Redding Center for the Arts fundraiser will also be a celebration of the late iconic singer and songwriter’s 82nd birthday on September 9th.
“We are thrilled to honor Jermaine Dupri at this year’s King of Soul Music Festival,” said Karla Redding-Andrews in a statement, according to Billboard. Andrews is vice president and executive director of the Otis Redding Foundation.
“Jermaine and his father Michael Mauldin have been connected to the Redding family since he was a young man visiting the Big ‘O’ Ranch with his dad. And we are so proud of his remarkable contributions to the music industry as a songwriter, producer, DJ, and entrepreneur,” the statement continued. “He was very close to my brother Otis III, who passed away in April, and credits him with teaching him to make beats. Jermaine aligns with Otis Redding’s spirit and the foundation’s mission to inspire and empower young artists.”
“The Reddings and Otis III became my musical family before the world knew of Jermaine Dupri,” Dupri added. “While I understand the family is honoring me, in my mind I am also honoring them for all they have allowed me to do, see and be a part of at a time when they didn’t have to.”
The Otis Redding Center for the Arts, which is proposed to open in late 2024, will house the Otis Redding Foundation’s various music and arts programs for students. The programs include the annual Otis Music Camp for students between the ages of 12-18, Camp DREAM for those between the ages 5-11, music education workshops, private and group lessons and the chance to perform on legendary stages such as Nashville’s Ryman Theatre.
The Otis Redding Foundation was established in 2007.