BILLBOARD 2014 HUMANITARIAN AWARDS

BILLBOARD TOURING CONFERENCE & AWARDS TO HONOR LIGHT OF DAY FOUNDATION AND CO-FOUNDER BOB BENJAMIN WITH 2014 HUMANITARIAN AWARD

NEW YORK (November 19, 2014) – Billboard Magazine is set to honor BOB BENJAMIN and the LIGHT OF DAY FOUNDATION with the Humanitarian Award at the 2014 Billboard Touring Conference & Awards, honoring the concert industry’s top artists, venues and professionals of the year. The 11th annual event is being held tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 20) at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.

Benjamin, an artist manager and music industry veteran, has been living with Parkinson’s since 1996, two years before he co-founded Light of Day with Tony Pallagrosi president of UMT PRESENTS, and musician Joe D’Urso.

The Humanitarian Award honors outstanding individuals whose vision and leadership have helped address the world’s greatest challenges and make a difference through live entertainment. Light of Day Foundation Founder Bob Benjamin is “the true personification of a rock ‘n’ roll fan,” as his friend Bruce Springsteen has said, and has roots as a manager and founder of his own label, Schoolhouse Records. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1996, Benjamin turned his annual birthday celebration into a marquee Asbury Park, NJ music festival raising funds to benefit research into the cure and treatment for Parkinson’s disease and ALS. The event has raised more than $2 million since 2000, drawing the biggest names in the industry, including Springsteen, Michael J. Fox and Jakob Dylan. Springsteen has brought the organization international notoriety with surprise appearances in 10 of the previous 14 years.

The Award caps a year in which Benjamin and the Light of Day Foundation raised a record $425,000 at LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2014 to combat Parkinson’s disease, by far the most of any previous year. In honor of the 15th anniversary LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2015, being held Jan. 9-19, 2015 in Asbury Park with additional shows in New York and North and South Jersey, the push is on to exceed a half million dollars, which would bring the 15-year total above $3 million. LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST is the anchor event of a global initiative that brings benefit concerts annually to Canada, Australia, and all throughout Europe.

“The Light of Day Foundation and I are proud to be recognized by the Billboard Touring Conference & Awards,” says Benjamin. “Live music has been an inspirational force in my life for nearly 40 years. With the help of the Light of Day board members, we have turned the power of live music into a healing force in the search for a cure for Parkinson's disease. Our concerts in Asbury Park this January will mark our 15th year of bringing people together with live music. We hope to continue rocking the world and raising awareness of Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders for many years to come.”

Benjamin will be joined tomorrow by fellow honorees Lionel Richie (Legend of Live Award) and Ron Delsener (Golden Circle Award). The Billboard Humanitarian Award is the second major honor for the Light of Day Foundation this fall. In October, the non-profit foundation was honored by CurePSP, the foremost organization working toward curing and preventing Parkinson’s related diseases such as CBD and PSP. Pallagrosi’s mother, Dolores, died in 2002 from the effects of PSP.

LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2015, presented by the Asbury Park Press, will bring over 150 music acts to 30 venues over 10 days in three New Jersey cities and New York City. Willie Nile, Gary US Bonds, Guy Davis, John Easdale, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers,Steve Conte NYC (led by the New York Dolls guitarist), James Maddock, John Eddie, Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan, Billy Hector, Bruce Tunkel, Slim Chance & the Gamblers, and the Billy Walton Band, comprise the first wave of acts to be announced for the Asbury Park shows. Suzanne Vega will be headlining the multi-act New York City event (Jan. 14 at the Cutting Room); Garland Jeffrey’s tops the bill for the North Jersey show (Jan. 10 in Montclair), and Dramarama’s John Easdale heads the cast for the South Jersey concert (Jan. 9 in Burlington).

Tickets for Light of Day Winterfest 2015 in Asbury Park are available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com), Ticketmaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000, and all Ticketmaster outlets (including select Walmart stores). A wide variety of combination ticket packages – as well as single tickets to each show – will be available. Further ticket information and more on the Light of Day Foundation at www.lightofday.org.

ABOUT THE LIGHT OF DAY FOUNDATION

The Light of Day Foundation, Inc., utilizes the power of music to raise money and awareness in its continuing battle to defeat Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses such as PSP and ALS within our lifetime. The Foundation’s mission is to fund research into possible cures, improved treatments and support for patients who suffer from those illnesses, their families and their caregivers to help improve their quality of life. Gifts to the Light of Day Foundation, Inc. are tax-deductible to the full extent of the Internal Revenue Code. The Light of Day Foundation, Inc. is designated by the IRS as a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization. The Light of Day Foundation, Inc.'s Federal ID # is 20-1560386. Light of Day - the concerts and the organization - grew from a birthday party and fund-raiser held in 1998 at the Downtown Cafe in Red Bank to celebrate the 40th birthday of artist manager and music industry veteran Bob Benjamin, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1996.

PHOTO CAPTION: Bruce Springsteen shares a moment on stage with Bob Benjamin at the Light of Day Winterfest 2014. Photo Credit: John Cavanaugh

For interviews, hi-rez jpegs and more press info …

Contact:

Randy Alexander, Randex Communications

856.596.1410 | randex@randexpr.com

Online press kit at www.randexpr.com