The Dream Awards took a year off in 2025. The show is making up for lost time, big time.
The list of awardees is stacked for the show scheduled for Oct. 25 at Orleans Showroom. The awards had been scheduled for this past October, but moved because to generate higher ticket demand. Those being honored should help fill seats. Tickets start at $43.55 at ticketmaster.com.
Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers; legendary ’70s recording and TV star Tony Orlando, 10-year Flamingo headlining comedian George Wallace; and R&B/soul hitmakers The Spinners are among the stars to be honored.
In the Las Vegas community, Pompey Entertainment’s Damian Costa, vocal group Honey Cone, model/actress Kathleen Bradley and Ané Marshall are set to be awarded. Las Vegas comic actor John Di Domenico and the terrific vocalist Christine Shebeck are co-hosts.
A special tribute to the late Quincy Jones, Clive Davis and Peabo Bryson is also on the bill. So are about a dozen performers, including Tyriq Johnson of the EWF tribute Serpentine Fire, the inspirationally dexterous singer Lannie Counts, retired Clark County School District Police Department division captain and R&B/jazz vocalist Ken Young, and longtime Vegas lounge favorite Miss Melanie Moore.
This is where we say, “How will this show run in less than three hours?”
I’d not wager on it.
The annual event is a noble affair headed up by Mabel Buckner of Chicago, founder of Harrison Entertainment Group. The night of awards and entertainment was a dream of Buckner’s late husband, Jimmy Payton, the the first Black entertainment director on the Strip when he worked at the Aladdin in the ’90s.
The show has drawn an impressive array of performers since it was established in 2017. In 2024, Ray Parker Jr., Bubba Knight from Gladys Knight and the Pips, Jeffrey Osborne, Little Anthony, The Whispers, Evelyn Champagne King and Sherry Gordy (who is the daughter of Motown founder Berry Gordy) were honored.
Smokey Robinson and Johnny Gill introduced Osborne. And as a matter of disclosure, yours truly was honored, introduced by Antonio Fargas, forever Huggy Bear on the ’70s action series “Starsky & Hutch.”
In bringing the show to Vegas, Buckner says, “I want to honor my husband as well as a lot of deserving people in Las Vegas. He wanted a great show, and if he were here he would make sure everybody dressed up, because he was known for dressing up.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.