Legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, Bootsy Collins and wife, Pepperminte Patti Collins co-host Cleveland’s first annual Funk Not Fight Love Fest .
The Love Fest will be a closing finale of Cleveland’s History Days highlighting and benefiting the historic Leo’s Casino now memorialized as the Leo’s Casino Arts & Music Collaboratory (LCAMC) led by Ron and Maria Fuqua and Dr. Fred Wheatt.
Historically, Leo’s Casino was the landmark stage for some of the most well-known entertainment legends to grace Cleveland with performances including Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder and the Four Tops. Comedians included Richard Pryor, Flip Wilson and Redd Foxx. Leo’s Casino was also the last venue where Otis Redding performed before a tragic plane crash took his life in 1967.
Once referred to by Dick Gregory as, "the most fully integrated nightclub in America," Leo’s Casino was established as the venue where music brought people together during civil unrest across the nation in the late 1960s. Even with the violence and destruction just blocks away during the Hough Uprisings, Leo’s Casino was in business with lively crowds and show stopping performances.
Bootsy and Patti Collins kicked off their national Funk Not Fight Movement in Cleveland in May of 2023. Funk Not Fight has become a strong national message with a mission to calm the violence with the power of music. The Funk Not Fight Movement has been adopted in several major cities across the nation with a focus on bringing communities and cultures together through compassion, understanding, positive experiences and a shared love for music.
Leo’s Casino Arts & Music Collaboratory is officially designated Cleveland’s Funk Not Fight Safe Space and hosts a variety of programs for young people designed to escape the violence and explore their passions, from art therapy and mental health services to sports, music, writing and more. Leo’s also connects with senior area organizations to provide music and entertainment by the Collaboratory’s artists.
The Funk Not Fight Love Fest promises to deliver dynamic performances reminiscent of Leo’s Casino’s famous stage and performances. The evening will feature popular Emcee, Delvis Valentine and talented local artists who are members of the LCAMC including The Crew, The Fulla Love Orchestra, Sparrows Fortune, The Bottom Line Band and Motown Magic. Proceeds will benefit Leo’s Casino Arts and Music Collaboratory.
Sponsors include Canal Way Partners, Saber Healthcare, Local American Federation of Musicians (Cleveland), Fox Soul, John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, iTunes, Sweetwater Music, Music Will, Spotify, Coldwell Banker and several others.
For more information, visit www.funknotfight.net