> Wednesday November 29 4:27 PM ET > > Stars Headline Paul Robeson Tribute > ========================= > By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer > > NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Whitney Houston joined husband Bobby Brown, James Earl > Jones, Lynn Whitfield and other celebrities in a gala tribute to the late > Paul Robeson. > > ``Paul Robeson: Voice for the Millennium,'' was held Tuesday night at the > New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The New Jersey native was a scholar and > star football player who became a world-renowned actor and singer, then a > civil rights activist. > > Robeson, born the son of a former slave in 1898, was among the premier black entertainers of his time. However, his support of socialism in the late 1940s made him a target of a government crackdown, and his passport was revoked. His popularity declined and he spent his remaining years out of the public spotlight. He died in 1976. > > Among the celebrities who lauded his achievements and social activism > Tuesday were Ossie Davis, Melba Moore and opera star Denyce Graves. > ``Now I understand that why I stand here today is because of Paul Robeson,''said Houston. > > The concert was one of her few public appearances since a marijuana > possession charge against her in Hawaii was resolved earlier this month. She sang two songs - one a cappella - from the play ``Porgy and Bess,'' in which Robeson had starred. > > Rumors of drug use have swirled around Houston for months amid erratic > behavior and last-minute cancellations. Brown, however, who has battled > substance abuse himself, said his wife's performance at the tribute should > dispel such talk. > > ``I don't even want to discuss that, because it's garbage. If you saw her > tonight, then you know ain't nothing wrong with her,'' said Brown. > Brown also performed, in a leather skirt, singing his crowd-pleasing hit > ``Every Little Step,'' backed up by Houston. He was the only artist who did > not perform a song connected to Robeson or his era. > > Davis and Jones read passages from Robeson's speeches. The Dance Theatre of > Harlem also performed. > > > > > -----------------------------------------------------------------------~-~ >
