Current Projects as of 2009
1.
PBS
Tribute Concert in Honor of
“The Originator of Rock & Roll”
Bo Diddley
eMax and Reload has agreed to form a partnership agreement to Co-Produce a Bo Diddley TV
Special and oversee the acquisition of the financing to accomplish all that needs to take place in
the coming months. PBS in association with Reload Entertainment presents … Bo’s Friends a
Celebrity Concert Fundraiser to honor Bo Diddley, a Music Icon! Spanning his life in Music for
more than six decades, we honor Bo Diddley with two special nights of thanks in from his many
friends throughout the music business. In September of 200 we are bringing together some of the
greatest names in the history of Rock & Roll. Covering the last six decades, this is a two-hour
television special honoring the life of Bo Diddley, recognizing his contributions to Rock & Roll,
from its beginnings to the present. Bo Diddley has influenced generations of musicians with his
unique style of music. This is our opportunity to show him what he has meant to the world over
the years. Bo is a true icon!
The Bo Diddley music productions will be an All-Star historic event to honor Bo Diddley, “The
Originator” of Rock & Roll. As the world knows, Bo is the true essence of the roots of Rock &
Roll. Some artists have gone as far as to say that his “Bo Diddley Beat” was the DNA of Rock &
Roll! With that being said, this one-time event will honor Bo as “The Originator” of the beat that
shaped music of all genres for over six decades.
This event is being produced and filmed as a tribute for Bo in conjunction with PBS Television.
Participation and attendance for this event will be limited to those artists who have achieved high
plateaus of fame through the influence of Bo Diddley’s beat and music, or to those who have in
some way touched this Rock & Roll Icon’s life in a special way. As a tribute to Bo, his closest
friends and family have compiled an impressive list of many of the world’s most renowned Rock
& Roll icons to participate and perform for this tribute.
On October 31, 2007, a Letter of Intent was executed between WEDU/PBS and the production
group of Paul Curcio, Carl Spagnuolo, and Charles Tona to produce a musical entertainment
program honoring legendary entertainer Ellas McDaniel, a/k/a “Bo Diddley” as a fund raiser for
the Bo Diddley family. This tribute concert is scheduled to be held in two 'yet to be determined'
locations tentatively in St. Petersburg, FL and Chicago IL.
Invited performers include such notables as Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Eric Clapton, Tom
Petty, George Thorogood, Peter Frampton, Ivan Neville, Solomon Burke, Rick Derringer, Steve
Winwood, and many others. Potential Masters of Ceremony include Steven Segal and Dan
Akroyd. Due to the number of artists that are expected to participate in the event, it will be
scheduled over two days, a Friday and a Saturday and will run for two full days.
The event will be recorded in High Definition video by PBS and will be used by them as a
fundraiser in their membership drive nationally.
This project will qualify for corporate sponsorship as well through PBS contacts and the
sponsor’s name will be on the show every time it airs throughout the nationwide PBS network.
There are 350 potential TV markets in the U.S. and Canada and each station runs four pledge
events per year equal to sixteen showings. According to PBS, many stations will continue to run
the Bo Diddley tribute for up to three years.
The producers have assembled a top-flight production team for all aspects of the tribute concert.
In addition to inviting the top names in popular music to participate in the concert, the very best
engineers, producers, audio and video technicians, set designers, promoters, and management
staff have been recruited and are ready to start on the project.
