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The 16th annual "BOOKED" event honors an individual whose work reflects the purpose of the library "to nurture the love of learning and to enhance our understanding of the world," according to a press release.
Tickets are $200 and $350. Sponsorships are also available. To buy a ticket, click here.
New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones will be the master of ceremonies. Attendees will enjoy live entertainment, from disco and funk to soul and R&B. Music made famous by honoree Rodgers will be performed by Keith Robinson, guitarist; Jessie Wagner, vocalist; Tony Lewis, drums; Lenny Underwood, keyboard; and Billy Grant, bass and vocals. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
For more information, contact Cindy Clark at cclark@westportlibrary.org or 203-291-4824.
From his early start as a session guitarist touring with the Sesame Street band in his teens to the creation of the ground-breaking funk band Chic with a string of No. 1 hits through his recent 2014 Grammy Awards, Rodgers has been a one-of-a-kind creative force in modern music. His collaborators over the years have included Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna and Michael Jackson.
He has composed music for the movies and received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, NY Chapter’s Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Heroes Award. In 2005, he was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements as a producer, along with former bandmate Bernard Edwards.
Rodgers’ memoir, "Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco and Destiny," was published in 2011, and he is the subject of the highly rated 2013 BBC documentary “The Hitmaker.”
Rodgers is almost as well known for his philanthropy as he is for his music. The 9/11 tragedies prompted Rodgers to create the We Are Family Foundation to help promote the healing process. He has created special events and recordings that continue to air as public service announcements on the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and PBS stations, promoting a common humanity and celebrating the vision of a global family.
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