Patti LaBelle and music producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff are sharing a prize named for a pioneering opera singer.
The Marian Anderson Award is given in Philadelphia to “critically acclaimed artists who have impacted society in a positive way.” Anderson was the first black singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.
Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney announced this year’s honorees on Tuesday.
Gamble and Huff are credited with creating the lush acoustics of 1960s and ’70s soul music that came to be known as the Sound of Philadelphia. They worked with artists including LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass and Lou Rawls.
The honorees represent a first-time focus on Philadelphia’s contribution to popular music.
Previous winners include Jazz great Wynton Marsalis and rocker Jon Bon Jovi.
An awards gala is set for November 15.
