The 7TH ANNUAL 'ROOTS JAM SESSION' Sets the Bar With Another Legendary Night of Music, Presented by Hennessy Artistry & Hosted by Jimmy Fallon

CELEBRATING LAUNCH OF OPPORTUNITY NATION, GROUNDBREAKING JAM SESSIONS INCLUDED THE ROOTS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS FROM NE-YO, ESTELLE, WILL.I.AM, ASHER ROTH & SARA BAREILLES, TO LALAH HATHAWAY, ANTHONY HAMILTON, MELANIE FIONA, DOUG E FRESH, TROMBONE SHORTY & CHAKA KAHN

"On Saturday night, the eve of the 53rd Grammy Awards, The Roots were unstoppable, unpredictable and unprecedented as they took the stage to perform their seventh annual Pre-Grammy Jam Session" - MTV

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Feb 16, 2011, 08:30 ET

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Legendary Roots Crew, named one of the greatest live bands around by both Spin and Rolling Stone, once again provided the recipe for one of the most coveted and exclusive experiences of award season. The 7TH ANNUAL ROOTS JAM SESSION, hosted by Jimmy Fallon and presented by Hennessy Artistry & newly launched non-profit OpportunityNation, returned on the eve of the 2011 GRAMMY Awards show, Saturday, February 12th. With an audience packed full of musicians and talent from every area of the entertainment industry, the ROOTS JAM SESSION once again set the bar featuring never before seen mash-ups and groundbreaking musical performances by: Jimmy Fallon, Sara Bareilles, Donnis, Trombone Shorty, Too Short, Asher Roth, Melanie Fiona, Ana Tijoux, Betty Wright, Lalah Hathaway, Young Chris, Estelle, Anthony Hamilton, Taj Mahal, Chaka Kahn, Booker T., Doug E. Fresh, Will.i.am, Ne-Yo and DJ J.Period. Not only was the musical power felt on stage but also in the audience, with attendees like Prince, K'NAAN, MC Lite, David Banner, Lil Mama, Tyga, Jeremih, India Arie, Zac Brown Band, Chamillionaire and Mario as well as Hollywood stars Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Orlando Jones, Kat Graham, Sway, Tristan Wilds, Jesse Williams and Seth Rogan.

The legendary weekend continued the following night with The Roots securing three GRAMMY wins for their collaboration with John Legend on Wake Up!

Besides the one-of kind musical experience, guests of this year's RootsJam, again produced by Kevin Seldon of Keldof Marketing & Tina Farris of TFT, enjoyed signature Hennessy cocktails while creating customized screen-printed clothing, taking photos in the popchips photo booth as well as watching commissioned artists create a customized graffiti wall based on 2011 RootsJam theme: #Opportunity. Annually, the ROOTS JAM SESSION is interwoven with themes of social awareness, partnering with top organizations dedicated to creating global change. This year's cause partner is OpportunityNation, whose goal is to focus on the revitalization of the American Dream. "Too often the zip code in which a child is born determines their opportunities in life, which is not what the 'American Dream' is. OpportunityNation is a people-powered movement to bring communities and their leaders together to create the kind of change so that everyone in this country of ours has a chance to fulfill their dreams, said the organization's executive director, Mark Edwards. OpportunityNation joins an illustrious group of organizations that the ROOTS JAM SESSION has previous partnered with, including Save Darfur, Green Music Group and Rock the Vote.

In addition to the launch of a new non-profit, the 7th annual Jam also celebrated two other exciting announcements. The 2011 Jam marked the second year of a limited edition poster with opportunities for fans to receive one of the 550 hand-pulled serigraph prints available at facebook.com/RootsJamSession.

Furthermore, the Grammy Winners will serve as Curators for the 2011 Hennessy Artistry tour series, headlining tours across the U.S., bringing a truly unique experience that blends the world's best music, culture and art.

See exclusive photos from the evening HERE!

About 'The Roots Jam Session'

The Roots Jam Session, occurring annually the night before the Grammys, has become an industry staple through the years and has become one of the most anticipated experiences of award season. Having been covered in everything from The Washington Post to People Magazine, the annual Jam is produced by Keldof Marketing and Tina Farris Tours. The Roots are Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), Kamal Gray (keyboards), Kirk "Captain Kirk" Douglas (guitar), Owen Biddle (bass), Frank Knuckles (percussion), Damon "Tuba Gooding" Bryson (sousaphone), and Tarik "Black Thought" Trotter (emcee). www.rootsjamsession.com

About 'OpportunityNation'

OpportunityNation is a coalition campaign to refresh and rebuild the American Dream by bringing equal opportunities to every man, woman and child in the United States. The organization uses a two-pronged approach to achieve its goal of a country that allows every individual the resources to live their dreams with efforts with both policy change and uniting communities to take action on a non-governmental level. In Fall of 2011, OpportunityNation will host a national coalition summit for its members and organizations to further boost opportunities, equality and freedom for everyone in America. www.opportunitynation.org

About 'Hennessy'

Hennessy is imported and distributed in the U.S. by Moët Hennessy USA, Inc. and is produced by Jas Hennessy & Co., a subsidiary of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A. Hennessy distills, ages and blends a full range of marques, including Hennessy V.S, Privilege V.S.O.P, Hennessy Black, X.O, Paradis and Richard Hennessy.

SOURCE Hennessy