Source: The Belle Report
More than 2,000 people lined the streets around the Paramount Theatre Friday morning for free tickets to a musical tribute and a funeral for Grammy Award-winning artist Walter Hawkins. Manycamped out overnight, with the earliest arriving at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Hawkins passed away of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61.
Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, and R&B artist Ledisi will perform at the musical tribute called “The Man, the Music, the Ministry: A Musical Salute to Bishop Walter Hawkins,” at 7 p.m. today at the theater.
The box office started giving out free tickets at 11:45 a.m. Friday; by 1 p.m., all the tickets were gone. The box office gave away 2,000 tickets for each event. They withheld 700 tickets for the family and friends of Hawkins.
Also scheduled to perform Hawkins’ songs are Karen Clark Sheard, Daryl Coley, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Byron Cage, Melvin & Doug Williams of The Williams Brothers, guitarist Jonathan DuBose Jr., D.J. Rogers, Ted Winn, The Love Center Choir and Hawkins’ sister, Lynnette Hawkins.
Hawkins’ longtime vocal muse and former wife, Lady Tramaine Hawkins, will make a special appearance.
Bebe Winans, Marvin Winans and Dr. Bobby Jones of Black Entertainment Television will share the master of ceremonies’ duties.
The music directors will include Hawkins’ brother, Edwin Hawkins; Donald Lawrence; Richard Smallwood; Kurt Carr; and Hawkins’ longtime musical director, Rusty Watson.
Bishop Kenneth Moales, of Prayer Tabernacle Church of Love Inc. in Bridgeport, Conn., will officiate the funeral services at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Paramount.
