‘Wicked’ star and a lot of country flavor coming to Power of Love
In a music context, the Keep Memory Alive Power of Love gala is a cross-country adventure.
Blake Shelton is the honoree for the May 10 event at the MGM Grand Garden in what has become a country music celebration. The event is one of the largest, most prestigious galas held annually in Las Vegas (go to keepmemoryalive.org/pol for intel).
Announced Wednesday, those who have signed on to join Shelton at the star-packed event raising funds for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health include:
— Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer known for her roles including Broadway’s “Wicked” and “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and TV’s “The West Wing” and “Pushing Daisies.”
— Mickey Guyton, four-time Grammy Award-nominated country artist and Time Magazine’s “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” honoree in 2022.
— Gary LeVox, 25-year-long frontman of Rascal Flatts with 17 No. 1 singles and more than 23 million albums sold, and solo artist.
— Jay Allen, country music singer-songwriter and Alzheimer’s awareness advocate known for his song “Blank Stares,” inspired by his mother’s battle with the disease.
— Colbie Caillat, two-time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter with more than 15 billion streams and multiple albums certified Platinum or higher, including the breakthrough hit “Bubbly.”
— Andy Grammer, multi-platinum singer/songwriter with chart-topping singles including “Don’t Give Up On Me” and “Honey, I’m Good.”
— Cassadee Pope, former lead singer of the pop-punk band Hey Monday, winner of “The Voice” season three and platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter.
The gala’s theme hits as country culture is enjoying a boom across the country, largely due to Beyonce’s foray into the genre with her swift-selling release “Cowboy Carter.” The album is dotted with such collaborators as Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.
As this year’s honoree, Shelton himself is to play Power of Love. More celeb appearances are to be announced.
The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is commemorating its 15th anniversary. According to the news release announcing the event, the nonprofit uses philanthropic support to “find, fund, and facilitate” research, treatment and educational support programming for patients and their families affected by brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, multiple system atrophy and multiple sclerosis.
Celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck, a supporter of Keep Memory Alive since its inception, and Evan Funke of Mother Wolf at Fontainebleau Las Vegas will create exclusive dishes for the gala. Each course will be paired with wines selected by master sommeliers from Southern Glazer’s Wine, Spirits & Beer of Nevada.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.