Chaka Khan and Q Parker Set to Lead Living Legends Foundation’s 35th Anniversary Celebration in Atlanta

Atlanta is preparing to welcome some of the music industry’s most influential executives, artists, radio personalities and cultural leaders as the Living Legends Foundation celebrates its 35th anniversary with its annual Awards Dinner & Gala on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Taking place at Flourish Atlanta, this year’s milestone celebration will put a spotlight on the often-unsung figures whose work behind the scenes has helped shape Black music, media and culture for generations.

And two familiar names will help lead the celebration.

Ten-time GRAMMY Award winner Chaka Khan will serve as the evening’s Honorary Ambassador, while GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and founding member of 112 Q Parker will serve as Honorary Gala Chair.

For Khan, the evening also represents a full-circle moment.

Her relationship with the Living Legends Foundation stretches back to 1992, when she was among the organization’s early artists recognized for both her artistry and impact on music and culture. More than three decades later, she returns during its 35th anniversary to help direct attention toward the executives, radio personalities, entrepreneurs, advocates and cultural architects whose contributions aren’t always made in front of an audience.

“When you cross a bridge, you don’t think about all the hands that built it,” Khan said in the announcement, emphasizing the importance of recognizing contributions that often go unseen.

The celebration comes during another major moment in Khan’s career. Her new album, Chakzilla, is scheduled to arrive September 18, marking her first full-length album in seven years. The project includes collaborations with Sia, Snoop Dogg and Lenny Kravitz.

Q Parker Helps Give the Industry Its Flowers

Joining Khan at the forefront of the celebration is Atlanta’s own Q Parker, whose career as a founding member of 112 has now spanned nearly three decades.

As Honorary Gala Chair, Parker will help champion the Living Legends Foundation’s mission and bring additional attention to the people whose work has strengthened Black music and entertainment from behind the scenes.

“Black music has given me a career, a community, and an opportunity to use my gifts to impact people around the world,” Parker said, adding that the industry is bigger than “the names we see on the marquee.”

Parker is also entering another chapter musically. He recently released the single “Stare,” which is set to appear on his forthcoming album, Evolution of Romance, Volume Two, arriving this fall.

Celebrating the People Who Built Black Music

Founded in 1991, the Living Legends Foundation has spent more than three decades recognizing professionals who have helped bring Black music and culture to audiences around the world.

But its mission extends beyond awards.

The nonprofit also provides assistance to music industry professionals with confirmed needs while investing in future generations through mentorship, scholarships and other forms of support.

That mission will be front and center when the organization recognizes its 2026 class of honorees.

This year’s recipients include Louis Carr, President of BET, receiving the Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award; Black Promoters Collective, receiving the A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award; Kenny Smoov with the Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award; and Atlanta’s Greg Street with the Frankie Crocker Radio Personality Award.

Also being recognized are Juliette Jones, Tim Reid, Phylicia Fant, James McMillan, Esq., Ted Lucas and Ralph McDaniels, representing leadership across record labels, radio, entertainment advocacy, hip-hop, media and entrepreneurship.

Together, the honorees reflect exactly what the Living Legends Foundation has championed throughout its history: the people whose decisions, ideas, advocacy and leadership helped build an industry even when their names weren’t always the ones appearing on album covers or marquees.

35 Years of Giving Legends Their Flowers

As music continues to evolve, the Living Legends Foundation’s 35th anniversary serves as both a celebration and a reminder.

Behind every artist who reaches the stage are executives, programmers, promoters, advocates, entrepreneurs, media professionals and countless others who helped create the path that got them there.

On October 2, those individuals take center stage.

With Chaka Khan returning to an organization that recognized her more than three decades ago, Q Parker helping champion its mission and a new class of industry leaders preparing to receive their flowers, the 35th Anniversary Living Legends Foundation Awards Dinner & Gala will celebrate not simply where Black music has been, but the people responsible for helping move it forward.

And this year, Snubb3d Magazine will be there to capture the celebration.