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NEW ORLEANS— The very first Essence Festival poster, designed by New Orleans artist  Douglass Redd listed a who’s who of premiere African American talent and for 25 years the fest has delivered the same.

Keith Spera of Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate says, “If you look back the Essence Fest Hall of Fame would certainly have people like Luther Vandross, Mary J. Blige, Charlie Wilson, obviously Frankie Beverly and Maze, that would kind of be like their Hall of Fame for Essence”

Spreading over the main stage on the floor of the Superdome and 3 smaller rooms dubbed ‘Superlounges’, Essence Fest has been 25 years of an annual music explosion in our city, with very discerning concertgoers.

Spera explains, “Back in the old days the Essence audience would tell you whether or not that was working. people would sit on their hands and be stone cold silent the first time Alicia Keys played, Maxwell it was like crickets in the whole dome.

For the record, both of those artists made triumphant returns to the fest.

Essence 25 on WGNO-TV is brought to you by Rouses Markets.