Rock icon Richie Sambora and music legend Stevie Wonder performed a surprise duet of “Silent Night” during last night’s 82nd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade. Richie also performed a soulful rendition of “Lean on Me” and his hit song “Livin’ on a Prayer,” lending his powerful vocals to the evening’s festivities which benefitted the Marine Toys for Tots and saluted Disabled American Veterans.
One of Los Angeles’ biggest and longest-running Christmas traditions, The Hollywood Christmas Parade took over Tinsel Town on December 1st as the stars came out to celebrate the holiday season. Richie was joined by an incredible line-up of performers, including the Goo Goo Dolls, Daughtry, Kenny Loggins, Leann Rimes, William Shatner, Billy Ray Cyrus and more, in addition to Wonder.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin was the grand marshal and the evening was hosted by Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain and Montel Williams. Many notable names also made an appearance including Valerie Harper, Susan Lucci, Wayne Brady, Marie Osmond, Larry King, Joe Mantegna with the cast of Criminal Minds, and stars of The Young and the Restless. The Parade will be broadcasted as a two-hour primetime special on the Hallmark Channel on December 11th and will air again on the Hallmark Movie Channel on December 20th and 24th. The parade will also broadcast by more than 350 stations around the country on December 20th from 8-10pm and will air to more than 1 million American servicemen and women worldwide on American Forces Television Network.
Richie’s appearance at the Hollywood Christmas Parade rounds out a year that has once again seen Richie continuously contributing his talents to important causes that resonate deeply with him. He gave inspiring performances during Vice President Al Gore's ‘24 Hours of Reality: The Cost of Carbon’ (a live-stream event exploring the cost of carbon pollution), Dream Foundation’s 12th Annual Celebration of Dreams Gala (a wish-granting organization that serves those battling life-threatening illnesses), and the grand opening of Step Up On Vine (a supportive housing project in Hollywood that fight chronic homelessness, made possible by The Clinton Global Initiative in partnership with The Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.)
Richie Sambora performs "Dead or Alive" for The Dream Foundation.
On 9/11, Richie released a heartfelt tribute song, co-written with the illustrious Bernie Taupin, called “Engine 19” to honor the hard work and dedication of the brave men and women of the Fire Department, and all of the first responders around the country.
Check out "Engine 19" here.
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Earlier this year Sambora also took part in CBS.com’s music performance series Tip Cup to help support MusiCares, which provides assistance to music people in times of need.
Sambora recently released his latest solo album Aftermath of the Lowdown. You can watch Richie’s new video for song “Come Back As Me” here.
Acoustic Nation is written by Laura B. Whitmore, a music industry marketing veteran, music journalist and editor, who has contributed to Parade.com, Guitar World, and others. She has interviewed hundreds of musicians and hosts the She Rocks Podcast. As the founder of the Women’s International Music Network, she advocates for women in the music industry and produces the annual She Rocks Awards. She is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Positive Grid, making the world safe for guitar exploration everywhere! A guitarist and singer/songwriter, Laura is currently co-writing an album of pop songs that empower and energize girls.
