Everybody knows ain’t no party like an Essence party. Fourteen years ago, ESSENCE, the lifestyle magazine for Black women, launched a one-time celebration to commemorate our 25th anniversary—the Essence Music Festival. Since then, the annual megashow has been hailed as one of the country’s “Top 10 Leading Brand Events,” by Advertising Age and become a cultural staple in New Orleans. The event has come to mean even more to Essence and the resilient people of the city in the post-Hurricane Katrina years. This year, we celebrate the 14th Annual Essence Music Festival presented by Coca-Cola. Thousands are scheduled to attend the three-day event (July 4 through 6) of superstar performances (Patti LaBelle, Rihanna, Jill Scott) and empowering seminars (Bishop T.D. Jakes, Tyler Perry).
In 2004, the O’Jays rocked the Essence Music Festival, singing timeless classics such as “For the Love of Money.”
Each year Essence continues its tradition of bringing folks in the Big Easy some of entertainment’s biggest names. Over the years, some of our favorite artists have taken center stage at the Superdome including Chaka Khan, Destiny’s Child, Gladys Knight, Mary J. Blige, D’Angelo and The O’Jays. Here’s a look back at the most memorable moments of the nation’s largest Black music event.
The ladies wondered how it feels when D’Angelo sang hits from his platinum-selling album Brown Sugar.
More than 30 years ago in New Orleans, Patti LaBelle, along with Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx, recorded their famous hit “Lady Marmalade,” which was produced by legendary musician Allan Toussaint. At the 2001 festival, LaBelle proved she only gets better with time.