The Society of Singers Presents 14th Annual ELLA Award to Elton John at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 10, 2005

The Society of Singers Presents 14th Annual ELLA Award to Elton John at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 10, 2005

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- A musical icon for more than three decades, one of the top-selling recording artists of all time, and a man who has worked tirelessly to raise tens of millions of dollars to fight AIDS, Elton John has been selected to receive the 14th Annual ELLA Award by the Society of Singers (SOS). The announcement was made by Jerry F. Sharell, the president and CEO of SOS, a non-profit organization that offers comprehensive services to meet the emergency financial needs of professional singers worldwide. Named after its first recipient, Ella Fitzgerald, the ELLA Award is given to singers whose significant musical accomplishments are equaled by their dedication to charitable and humanitarian causes both local and international.

"Anybody who's listened to the radio over the past thirty-five years knows that Elton John's track record is unequalled," says Sharell. "A couple of generations have now grown up listening to his songs, and he's truly one of the greats not just in pop and rock but also in film and theatrical music. But just as crucially, he is also a pioneer in the worldwide fight against AIDS and a humanitarian whose efforts exemplify what the ELLA Award seeks to honor."

The honor will be presented to John at a special ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 10, 2005. Previous recipients of the ELLA Award, besides Ms. Fitzgerald herself, include Frank Sinatra, Tony Martin, Peggy Lee, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Lena Horne, Rosemary Clooney, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett, Dame Julie Andrews, Placido Domingo, Barry Manilow, and Celine Dion.

For more than a dozen years, John has donated profits from his singles to AIDS charities. In 1992 he formed the Elton John AIDS Foundation, an international non-profit organization funding prevention education programs and patient-care services around the world. To honor his charitable work and to salute his artistic accomplishments, John was knighted by the Queen of England in 1998.

The Society of Singers was founded in 1984 by Chairman Emeritus Ginny (Mrs. Henry) Mancini and Gilda Maiken Anderson when the two friends, both of them former professional singers, realized that many of their friends and colleagues were without pensions, unions, medical insurance or places to turn for financial help during tough times. With the help of donations from private and corporate sponsors, SOS offers comprehensive services to meet the emergency financial needs of applicants who have earned their primary living as singers for five years or more. SOS aids professional singers of all ages, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. It also works within the entertainment community to offer scholarship programs designed to advance the vocal arts.

For more information about the Society of Singers, please consult www.singers.org or call (323) 653-7672.

Source: Society of Singers

CONTACT: Jane Ayer, jane@janeayerpr.com, or Irene Dean, both of Jane Ayer Public Relations, +1-310-581-1330, for Society of Singers

Web site: http://www.janeayerpr.com/

Web site: http://www.singers.org/

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