This is the third year Dyana Williams will host the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival. She has been very busy since she was last here in 2018.
A music activist, celebrity strategist and broadcaster, she returns as the national host for the 9th Annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival this weekend. Renee Vaughn, morning show host on local radio station WQMG, 97.1 FM joins her colleague as co-host.
Williams will be honored for her career accomplishments at the Living Legends Foundation Gala and Awards Dinner in October. The Living Legends Foundation, Inc. recognizes legendary music and radio industry figures who have distinguished themselves by their contributions as trailblazers, trendsetters, teachers and/or mentors.
Williams has made big news in media circles in her adopted hometown of Philadelphia when she returned to host a daily, 3-7 p.m., afternoon drive slot on Classix 107.9 FM while continuing to host the ever popular Soulful Sundays on WRNB-FM (100.3). She’s been doing Soulful Sundays for 10 years.
Williams has been a commentator for TV One’s award winning music series, Unsung. As the CEO of Influence Entertainment, she has engineered media strategies for her celebrity clients, which have included Rihanna, T.I, Charlie Wilson, Janelle Monae, The Zac Brown Band, A$AP Rocky., two American Idols, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, multiple GRAMMY Award winners, many platinum selling performers, executives, actors, and athletes, among many others.
To top all that, Williams helped establish June, Black Music Month (with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Kenny Gamble) and was recognized for her music activism in the White House by Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. As a co-producer of the Marian Anderson Award, she has orchestrated tributes to Berry Gordy, Jon Bon Jovi, Wynton Marsalis, Patti LaBelle, Gamble & Huff.
Formerly president of the Philadelphia chapter of The Recording Academy also known as the GRAMMY organization, Willaims continues to serve on its board and on several national committees. Williams attended Temple University’s Klein School of Media and Communication, where she graduated cum laude and currently sits on their board.
