HBCU Marching Bands Wow Capacity Crowd With Exhilarating Show At Fifth Anniversary Honda Battle of the Bands

HBCU Marching Bands Wow Capacity Crowd With Exhilarating Show At Fifth Anniversary Honda Battle of the Bands

Top Black College Marching Ensembles Pay Fitting Tribute To Late Music Legends

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- In a moving display of reverence, some 68,000 fans, 2,200 musicians and a spirited gospel choir united under one sound this weekend in Atlanta at the 5th anniversary Honda Battle of the Bands, to pay a much-deserved tribute to late Black music icons. Among the luminaries honored by America's top Black college marching bands were "Godfather of Soul" and Augusta, Georgia native son James Brown, Luther Vandross, Lou Rawls, Gerald LeVert, Rick James, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and others.

These recently departed music artists were among those memorialized before the sold-out Georgia Dome audience via music, a stirring video montage, synchronized dance team choreography and, most significantly, by the young, up-and-coming collegiate musicians who have inherited their legacies. Now commonly referred to as "the Super Bowl for Black college bands," the Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase annually features ten of the nation's top HBCU marching bands, chosen from a field of 41 participating universities. For 2007, the ensembles took to the field together in two mass- band numbers that shook the roof of Atlanta's Georgia Dome, while also turning in their own incredible, individual performances in sequence.

The ten "starring" bands for 2007 performed a dynamic mix of today's hottest chart-topping music. The invitees included: Alabama State University, Albany State University, Bethune-Cookman College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Langston University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Prairie View A&M University and Virginia State University.

The 2007 Honda Battle of the Bands was sold-out early Saturday, complemented by the success of Honda's second HBCU Recruitment fair, hosted the same morning with 31 schools participating at the Georgia World Congress Center. Friends, family, fans and generations of Black college alumni packed the venues for both signature events.

"The continued popularity of this event and the reception it receives in Atlanta and throughout the region is evidence of the importance of America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Black college marching band culture," said Barbara Ponce, manager of Corporate and Diversity Advertising for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Honda is proud to play a significant role in bringing this historic and electric experience to fans from throughout the country," she added.

The Invitational Showcase places a well-deserved spotlight on a variety of HBCU marching styles, including show bands with heart-pounding drumlines, entertaining skits and routines, powerful brass sections plus a number of ensembles complemented by ovation-getting dance teams. The Honda Battle of the Bands is the largest and only national scholarship program of its kind. As sponsor, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. this year awarded $141,000 in grants to 41 HBCU band programs, including $10,000 each to the Invitational Showcase bands.

For the first time, Honda will produce a DVD concert documentary which will include live footage of the 2007 Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase, footage of behind-the-scenes action and interviews with key members of the HBCU music community -- all captured by 18 High Definition cameras and multiple audio tracks.

Honda's long-term commitment to HBCUs was established 17 years ago when it introduced the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, a program designed to showcase the academic gifts and prowess of HBCU students. For more information about the Honda Battle of the Bands, visit www.HondaBattleoftheBands.com.

Source: American Honda Motor Company

CONTACT: Ronald E. Childs, +1-312-986-1260, or mobile - +1-312-863-1013;
Janice Kyser, American Honda +1-310-783-3217

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

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