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Wawa Welcome America
The Philadelphia Welcome America Festival is an annual series of celebrations leading up to Independence Day, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is currently sponsored by convenience store chain Wawa. Coverage of events on July 4th airs on NBC Channel 10 & Telemundo Canal 62. The 6-day festival features multicultural and multigenerational events, including free concerts, fireworks displays, block parties, a parade, and educational activities. History Philadelphia's main Independence Day celebration was started in 1993 by Welcome America, Inc., a non-profit organization. The first event highlighted the opening of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The series of events have relied heavily on corporate sponsorship, which enables the organization to keep all of the events free to attend. In 1995, Sunoco became a title sponsor of the event, and it was referred to as ''Sunoco Welcome America!''. The company continued as the main sponsor until 2010, when Wawa paid $3 million ...
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Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. The Founding Father delegates of the Second Continental Congress declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress voted to approve independence by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the n ...
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Cam Anthony
Cam Anthony (born Camren Anthony Sherman, born August 19, 2001) is an American singer who experienced pre-teen success with viral YouTube videos, and later won the FOX revival of ''Showtime at the Apollo'' in 2018, and the 20th season of ''The Voice'' in 2021, where he was coached by Blake Shelton. Early life and viral video success Born in Philadelphia, Anthony was raised singing in a church choir, and sang in commercials for Folgers Coffee as a child. He became a child YouTube star in 2013 at the age of eleven, when his covers of songs such as "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars and " Royals" by Lorde went viral. In January 2014, he was profiled in ''The Source'', which described him as having a "crisp soulful sound that's advanced way beyond his years", and praised his YouTube cover of the Boys II Men song, "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Anthony was consequently picked to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the Truman Balcony for Barack Obama at the White Hous ...
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The Roots
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'', having served in the same role on ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' from 2009 to 2014. The Roots are known for a jazzy and eclectic approach to hip hop featuring live musical instruments and the group's work has consistently been met with critical acclaim. ThoughtCo ranked the band #7 on its list of the 25 Best Hip-Hop Groups of All-Time, calling them "Hip-hop's first legitimate band." In addition to the band's music, several members of the Roots are involved in side projects, including record production, acting, and regularly serving as guests on other musicians' albums and live shows. Band history 1987–1993: Early years The Roots originated in Philadelphia with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter w ...
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Gamble And Huff
Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as Philly sound) of the 1970s. In addition to forming their own label, Philadelphia International Records, Gamble and Huff have written and produced 175 gold and platinum records, earning them an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category in March 2008. History Early years Gamble's childhood in Philadelphia shaped his adult life: he recorded himself on various arcade recording machines, assisted the morning show DJs on WDAS, operated a record store, and sang with The Romeos. In 1964, before there was "Gamble & Huff" there was "Gamble & Ross". Gamble was discovered and managed by Jerry Ross when Gamble was only 17 years old and they collaborated for many years. Gamble teamed up with Leon Huff (keyboards) for ...
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The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hit "Lonely Drifter" in 1963, but reached their greatest level of success once Gamble & Huff, a team of producers and songwriters, signed them to their Philadelphia International label in 1972. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays (now a trio after the departure of Isles and Massey) emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with " Back Stabbers" (1972), and topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the following year with "Love Train". Several other US R&B hits followed, and the O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Career The group was formed in Canton, Ohio, in 1958 while its members were attending Canton McKinley High School. ...
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Yazz The Greatest
Bryshere Yazuan Gray (born November 28, 1993), also known by the stage name Yazz the Greatest or simply Yazz, is an American actor and rapper, best known for his role as Hakeem Lyon in the Fox primetime musical drama television series '' Empire''. He is also known for his portrayal as Michael Bivins in the 2017 BET miniseries '' The New Edition Story''. Career Since 2013, Gray has performed at a variety of music festivals in the Philadelphia area, including Jay Z’s Made in America Festival, The Roots' Picnic Festival, and Power 99FM's Powerhouse concert. He also has been the opening act for rappers such as Fabolous and 2 Chainz. His debut single "Respect" was released in the same year. In 2015, Gray began his first acting role as Hakeem Lyon on the Fox drama TV series '' Empire'', with co-stars Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, and Jussie Smollett. In March 2015, it was confirmed that both Smollett and Gray had been signed on with Columbia Records as solo acts. In April ...
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Leslie Odom Jr
Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He made his acting debut on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton (musical), Hamilton'', which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, same year. His performance was captured in the Disney+ Hamilton (2020 film), live stage recording of ''Hamilton'' which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Limited Series or Movie nomination. Odom is also known for his roles in the television series ''Smash (TV series), Smash'' (2012–2013) and ''Person of Interest (TV series), Person of Interest'' (2013–2014), as well as the films ''Red Tails'' (2012), ''Murder on th ...
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Leon Bridges
Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges (born July 13, 1989) is an American soul singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2015 song " Coming Home", which received regular airplay and was also a Top 10 Most Viral Track on Spotify. Bridges' debut album, also titled '' Coming Home,'' was released on June 23, 2015, on Columbia Records and subsequently nominated for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Early life Todd Michael Bridges was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 13, 1989. Bridges learned to play the guitar by playing simple chords to accompany his lyrics. While working at Del Frisco's Grille in Fort Worth, he played countless open-mics until he was signed by Columbia Records in December 2014. It was his song "Lisa Sawyer", about his mother's conversion, that first defined his style. Career 2014–2015: ''Coming Home'' Bridges began writing and performing 1950s and '60s-style soul music that was described by Austin 360 as "a transmission straight fro ...
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Tony DeSare
Tony DeSare (born 1976) is an American jazz singer, pianist and songwriter. Early life DeSare was born in Glens Falls, New York in 1976. He began playing the piano as a young child, and had public performances in his late teens. He kept performing locally during his studies at Ithaca College. Later life and career DeSare moved to New York in 1998 and played in a hotel, then performed in an off-Broadway musical. He met guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, who helped his career develop. DeSare's debut album, ''Want You'', was released by Telarc in 2005. The material included standards, covers of lesser-known pieces, and originals. It peaked at No. 43 on the ''Billboard'' jazz albums chart. DeSare's 2007 release ''Last First Kiss'' also included originals and standards, from Prince's "Kiss" and Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move" to " Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You" and " How Deep Is the Ocean?" It was featured on NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an Ame ...
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Mandy Gonzalez
Mandy Gonzalez (born August 22, 1978)Mandy Gonzalez
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is an American actress and singer, best known for her leading roles on . She originated the role of Nina Rosario in the and Broadway productions of the ''

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Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris alongside tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman. During the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, including bass Michael McCary, who left the group in 2003 due to health issues which were eventually diagnosed as multiple sclerosis. During the 1990s, Boyz II Men gained international success, beginning with the release of top 5 singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" in 1991. Their number one single " End of the Road" in was released in 1992, and reached the top of charts worldwide. "End of the Road" set a new record for longevity, holding the number one spot on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for thirteen weeks. Boyz II Men broke this record with the subsequent releases of "I'll Make Love ...
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Mary J
Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blessed Virgin Mary * Mary Magdalene, devoted follower of Jesus * Mary of Bethany, follower of Jesus, considered by Western medieval tradition to be the same person as Mary Magdalene * Mary, mother of James * Mary of Clopas, follower of Jesus * Mary, mother of John Mark * Mary of Egypt, patron saint of penitents * Mary of Rome, a New Testament woman * Mary, mother of Zechariah and sister of Moses and Aaron; mostly known by the Hebrew name: Miriam * Mary the Jewess one of the reputed founders of alchemy, referred to by Zosimus. * Mary 2.0, Roman Catholic women's movement * Maryam (surah) "Mary", 19th surah (chapter) of the Qur'an Royalty * Mary, Countess of Blois (1200–1241), daughter of Walter of Avesnes and Margaret of Blois * ...
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