Free Press wire reports

ATLANTA

Iconic crooner Peabo Bryson and New Edition, the band of young men that took the country by storm in the 1980s and 1990s, are among the winners of the 2017 Trumpet Awards, which recognize the accomplishments of African-Americans and others who have succeeded against great odds and inspired success in others.

Mr. Bryson, a Grammy Award-winning singer known for such duets as “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” with Roberta Flack, “Beauty and the Beast” with Celine Dion and “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle, received the Legend Trumpet.

Along with the award, he was showered with a musical serenade from Ms. Belle, The Chicago Kids and Kenny Lattimore.

New Edition, which produced such hits as “Candy Girl,” “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man,” received the Lifetime Achievement Trumpet and a musical tribute from R&B bands Jagged Edge, Silk and The Transitions.

Original members Ricky Bell, Ron DeVoe and Mike Bivins accepted the award, along with Johnny Gill, who replaced Bobby Brown. Mr. Brown and Ralph Tresvant, another of the group’s first five, did not attend.

Writer and actor Deon Cole and actress Nicole Ari Parker served as co-hosts of the taped 25th anniversary show Jan. 25 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

The honorees included the award’s creator and leader of the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Xerona Clayton, who received the Gold Trumpet Award from actor Louis Gossett Jr.

Other award winners include: Author, fashion designer and TV show host Wendy Williams, Entertainment Trumpet; former NBA great Dikembe Mutombo, Humanitarian Trumpet; civil rights activist Martin Luther King III, son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Impact Trumpet; and fashion writer Gabi Gregg, Trailblazer Trumpet for her pioneering blog.