Bernie Williams and Kris Allen to be Honored at Little Kids Rock 'Right to Rock' Benefit to Restore Music Education to Public Schools

CEDAR GROVE, N.J., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Little Kids Rock (LKR), a leading nonprofit provider of free musical instruments and teacher trainings to U.S. public schools, today announced details for its annual "Right to Rock" Celebration, to be held on Thursday, October 21st at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. New York Yankees icon and Grammy nominated guitarist Bernie Williams will perform and receive the second annual "Big Man of the Year" Award. The "Big Man" Clarence Clemons received the inaugural award at last year's "Right to Rock" Celebration, which raised funds to bring the gift of music to more than 6,000 underprivileged children.

The event will also honor Season 8 American Idol winner, Kris Allen in recognition of his significant contributions to the field of music as well as his philanthropic efforts on behalf of children. Allen became a supporter of Little Kids Rock through "Little Kids Rock Across America," sponsored by the Dr. Phil Foundation.

"Music is a major influence not only to a kid's overall education but also their creativity," says Allen. "I'm excited and honored to be recognized by an organization that contributes so much to this cause."

Other distinguished guests and honorees at the "Right to Rock" Celebration include Andrew Davis, founder of the Music Empowers Foundation, and donors Rob Snyder and Nancy Phillips who, like Allen, have been involved with "Little Kids Rock Across America."

The "Right to Rock" Celebration will also feature live performances by legendary rock band Vanilla Fudge, world-renowned guitarist Muriel Anderson and Little Kids Rock students. Vanilla Fudge drummer, Carmine Appice, sits on Little Kids Rock's honorary board of directors and has been a longtime supporter of the organization.

Tickets include dinner, drinks and souvenirs, and can be purchased online now at: littlekidsrock.org/events.html

Proceeds from the "Right to Rock" event will be used to restore and revitalize music education in underfunded public schools across the country.

"This year's Right to Rock event will celebrate the amazing people who have made it possible for Little Kids Rock to reach more than 100,000 students since the program was born eight years ago," said Dave Wish, Executive Director and Founder of Little Kids Rock. "We are especially excited to recognize two of our newest friends, Bernie Williams and Kris Allen, as an inspiration for their unwavering philanthropic contributions on behalf of children around the world."

"Right to Rock" Auction

The "Right to Rock" Auction will feature a unique array of custom Fender® Stratocasters® that have been decorated and/or autographed by luminaries including Gene Simmons, Stan Lee, Kenny Scharf, Stephen Colbert, James Hetfield and many more to create one-of-a-kind, playable pieces of musical memorabilia. The bidding goes live at 8:15 pm EST on October 21st online and at the "Right to Rock" Celebration in New York City, but bidders can leave absentee bids from now until October 21st. More information is available at: liveauctioneers.com/catalog/22744

Also available for auction are instruments and memorabilia signed by John Mayer, Neil Peart, Toby Keith, Phil Collins, Jimmy Vaughan, and other rock royalty, plus many more items!

Sponsorship Opportunities

Current event sponsors include Paysett Corporation, Andrew Davis, Music Empowers Foundation, GE Capital, Irving Cowan, EAGLEROCK CAPITAL, LLC., ZacFISHER Consulting, Fliptop, REVAL, The Jonathan Krist Foundation, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., iheartradio and TIAA-CREF. Additional support for the event provided by Fender Musical Instrument Corporation, J. D'Addario and Co., Brooklyn Brewery, J. Lohr Vineyard and Wines, GAP, Neubauer Enterprises, LLC., Hot Topic and Live Nation.

To become a sponsor please call (973) 746-8248, ext. 116.

About The "Big Man of the Year" Award

It takes a big person to stand up for the needs and rights of little kids. Clarence Clemons is such a person. Little Kids Rock created the "Big Man of the Year" Award as a symbol of Mr. Clemons' generosity and commitment to children.  Each year, Little Kids Rock honors a musical luminary who contributes time to help Little Kids Rock put transformational music classes and modern musical instruments back into public schools nationwide.

About Little Kids Rock

Little Kids Rock is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that transforms children's lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in underfunded public schools. Little Kids Rock was founded in San Francisco in 2002 by David Wish, an elementary school teacher who had grown frustrated with the lack of music education funding at his school. Today, Little Kids Rock is one of the leading nonprofit providers of free lessons and instruments to underprivileged children in US public schools, and has served more than 100,000 students at over 1,200 schools in 24 cities nationwide. Little Kids Rock Honorary Board Members include Bonnie Raitt, Slash, Paul Simon, B.B. King, Slash, Ziggy Marley and other famous friends in the music industry. More information can be found at: www.littlekidsrock.org.

About Bernie Williams

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Bernie Williams had two loves, classical guitar and baseball, both of which he pursued with an insatiable fervor. Playing center field, Bernie became a core component of the dominant New York Yankees throughout the 1990's and 2000's. The five-time all-star became the first player to win a batting title, Gold Glove award, and World Series ring in the same year. After the 2006 season, the New York hero retired from baseball to pursue his other love -- music.

This classically trained guitarist's first true passion is playing and composing music with influences that include jazz, classical, pop, Brazilian, and Latin sounds. He has

released two major albums, The Journey Within and Moving Forward, which was nominated for a Latin Grammy. Bernie helps fight hunger in New York by supporting The Hillside Food Outreach, assisting others who may not be able to afford food.

About Kris Allen

24-year old Kris Allen never took a guitar lesson - his guitar playing was entirely self-taught. By the time he enrolled in college, he knew he wanted to play music professionally. In an effort to get on TV and get his music recognized, he made his way to the finale of American Idol Season 8 and won! Since the finale, Kris has had multiple songs appear on the Billboard charts.

"Four months before that we were all unknown," he says. "That first moment I knew I had five songs on the Billboard chart was very cool."

At the same time, his finale song "No Boundaries" was No. 1 on the iTunes chart. Kris is currently on tour promoting his self-titled debut album released on 19 Recordings/Jive Records. His first single "Live Like We're Dying" has sold over 1.5 million to date. His second single "The Truth" featuring Pat Monahan of Train, is currently climbing the charts as it hits the airwaves. In February 2010, Kris visited a Little Kids Rock teacher training in Los Angeles to support the teachers' efforts to bring music education to their children, and to inspire the children in attendance by showing them that if they want it bad enough, they can achieve their dreams, just like him.

More information can be found at: http://www.krisallenofficial.com

SOURCE Little Kids Rock