Show Opens with Wayne Brady and Ends With Fireworks

FRIDAY and SATURDAY, JULY 27 and 28, at 8:30 PM

July 27 is a Fidelity Inspire the Future concert

July 28 sponsored by Lexus. Media sponsor: LA.com

Rhythm and blues legend Gladys Knight brings the spirit of Las Vegas to the Hollywood Bowl stage on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28, at 8:30 p.m. for two special concerts. Performing selections from her latest album, Before Me, an homage to the great legends of song, Knight headlines "Viva Las Vegas: An Evening with Gladys Knight" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Wayne Brady opens the program in his second stint on the Hollywood Bowl stage, performing new arrangements of Sammy Davis, Jr. songs. The evening closes with a Vegas-style finale complete with dazzling showgirls and fireworks.

Knight's extensive career spans more than 40 years beginning in the gospel choir and leading her to seven Grammy wins, and making her the ultimate soul songstress. She was recently seen performing on the top-rated "American Idol" in May, and her latest album, Before Me, was released in the fall of 2006 and includes covers such as "God Bless the Child," "Good Morning Heartache," and "The Man I Love".

GLADYS KNIGHT, a seven-time Grammy winner, has enjoyed #1 hits in pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary, and has triumphed in film, television and live performance. Her latest album, Before Me, was released last fall and pays homage to the great legends of song - Ella, Duke, Billie, Lena, and more. The album pays tribute to the many artists who served as Knight's friends, mentors, colleagues and inspiration throughout her career, and features such timeless material as Holliday's "God Bless the Child," Horne's "Stormy Weather," and Ellington's "Come Sunday." Concurrently, Knight released her second collaboration with the Saints Unified Voices gospel choir, A Christmas Celebration, an album of holiday classics. Coming off of a "Best Gospel/Choir Album" Grammy win with their debut album One Voice, Knight again directed the 100-member multi-cultural choir she formed, injecting their unique flavor and definitive soul into Christmas staples. Adding to her already impressive collection, Knight won another Grammy for her duet with the late Ray Charles on his posthumous album Genius Loves Company (2005). The duo won for Best Gospel Performance for their duet "Heaven Help Us All." All told, Knight has recorded more than 38 albums over the years, including four solo albums during the past decade: Good Woman (1991); Just for You (1994); the inspirational Many Different Roads (1999); and At Last (2001). In 1995, Knight earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the next year, Gladys Knight & The Pips were inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. Knight published an autobiography, "Between Each Line of Pain and Glory" (a line taken from her million selling recording "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me"), in 1997, and the next year, she and The Pips were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. In 2004, Knight received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the annual BET Awards ceremony.

A humanitarian and philanthropist, Knight has been honored by numerous organizations as well, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), B'Nai Brith, and is a recent recipient of BET's Lifetime Achievement Award.

WAYNE BRADY Emmy award winning Wayne Brady is one of the most versatile men in show business. He sings, dances, acts, and is an improvisational genius. He recently hosted the Simon-Cowell produced "Celebrity Duets" on Fox and was seen in guest starring roles on the hit shows Everybody Hates Chris and How I Met Your Mother. He will next be seen on the hit NBC show, 30 Rock. Known for hosting his own syndicated talk/variety show The Wayne Brady Show for two years, Brady picked up two Emmys for Outstanding Talk Show Host for his ability to act, sing, dance, and make audiences laugh. Prior to The Wayne Brady Show, Brady was best known for his improvisational skills on ABC's Whose Line Is It Anyway? for which he won an Emmy and earned four Emmy nominations. On the big screen, Wayne recently starred in the Screen Gems feature, Crossover opposite Anthony Mackie. He also starred in the independent feature The List, a romantic comedy with Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Illeana Douglas, as well as Roll Bounce for Fox Searchlight. In addition, the comedian completed two voiceover roles in the animated DVD features The Adventures of Brer Rabbit and Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild. He also provided a voice for the animated feature, Foodfight! for Lions Gate which will be out in 2007. Wayne continues to tour the country with his Improv stage show that incorporates singing, improv, and a musical homage to some of Brady's biggest inspirations.

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 39th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2007, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the third year in a row at the 18th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

FRIDAY, JULY 27 at 8:30 PM

SATURDAY, JULY 28 AT 8:30 PM

HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood

Viva Las Vegas: An Evening with Gladys Knight

LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

GLADYS KNIGHT

WAYNE BRADY

July 27 is a Fidelity Inspire the Future concert

July 28 sponsored by Lexus. Media sponsor: LA.com

Tickets ($7 - $95) are on sale now at online at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, or by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232 and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

# # #