Filed under: Music, News, Celeb Updates, Awards
A true blast from the past will occur whebn Grammy Award winning icons Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Elton John are confirmed to reunite at amFar's annual New York Gala to be held Feb. 9 at Cipriani Wall Street.
The awesome foursome will do a special performance of the song, 'That's What Friends Are For,' which was originally written by Carole Bayer Sager and Burt Bacharach and was released by Arista in 1986 as a benefit single for amfAR, The American Foundation for AIDS Research.
The black-tie gala honors those who have made exceptional contributions to the fight against AIDS.
Held on the eve of New York Fashion Week, the event will begin with cocktails, followed by dinner, a live auction of luxury items, and a special tribute to this years honorees: former President Bill Clinton, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and two of the foundation's co-founders, Dr. Mathilde Krim and legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor.
2011 marks amfAR's 25th anniversary. Born from the union of two like-minded organizations-the AIDS Medical Foundation in New York and the national AIDS Research Foundation in Los Angeles-amfAR awarded its first research grants in 1986.
'That's What Friends Are For' dates all the way back to 1982 and was originally sang by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack to the film 'Night Shift.'The Warwick-helmed cover version is better known and has become the anthem for the fight against AIDS, raising over $3 million for the cause and becoming a Billboard chart-topper. The song went on to win the performers the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, as well as Song of the Year for Bacharach and Bayer Sager.
Since 1998, the amfAR New York Gala has saluted some of the biggest names in entertainment, fashion, and art including Clive Davis, Richard Gere, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks, Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Donna Karan, Liza Minnelli, Natasha Richardson and Vogue magazine editrix Anna Wintour.
Past galas have also featured special appearances by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Woody Allen, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Whitney Houston, Marc Jacobs, Beyoncé Knowles, Vanessa Redgrave, and Stanley Tucci, as well as performances by Tracy Chapman, Lady Gaga, Barry Manilow and Rufus Wainwright.