GRAMMY WINNER AND R&B ICON CHARLIE WILSON TO RECEIVE SPIRIT OF LOS ANGELES AWARD

R&B Icon and P Music/RCA Recording artist Charlie Wilson will receive the 2014 Spirit of Los Angeles Award from Mayor Eric Garcetti at the city's African American Heritage Month Celebration on February 11, 2014.

Wilson, a seven-time Grammy nominee, and a three-time NAACP Image Award nominee, has been honored throughout his four decade career including the 2013 BET Lifetime Achievement Award, a 2013 Trumpet Foundation Award, a 2009 Soul Train Icon Award and a 2005 BMI Icon Award.

"Charlie Wilson is a role model because he is an example of the success you can have through faith and determination. He is one of the hardest working vocalists in America, working 75 to 100 shows a year, and he is certainly one of the most talented," revealed Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcett1

Wilson is currently on tour with a SOLD OUT date at the Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York City during Super Bowl weekend on Saturday, February 1, 2014. He will also be in concert on Valentine's Day weekend at the Nokia Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles and the Paramount Theatre In Oakland, California on Sunday, February 16, 2014.

The Spirit of Los Angeles Award not only acknowledges Wilson's phenomenal music career, it honors his spirit and his ability to overcome his addictions and being homeless for a few years on the streets of Los Angeles.

"I fell to my lowest point during my addiction to drugs and alcohol that left me homeless," stated Wilson. "By the grace of God, and an incredible family, I was able to pick myself up and begin a second career as a solo artist. People told me I couldn't do it, but my faith has led me to heights I could not have imagined."

That faith was shared in Wilson's 2014 Grammy-nominated song, "If I Believe.""My wife had a dream about this song. She woke up grabbed a pen and paper and began to write the lyrics," Wilson continues. "She is the biggest blessing in my life and continues to support me as I celebrate 20 years of sobriety."

Wilson has also been nominated for two 2014 NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Male Artist and Outstanding Album.

A survivor of prostate cancer, Wilson remains committed to promoting awareness and educating men and their families about this disease. "When I learned that one in six American men -- and one in three African American men -- would be diagnosed with this disease, I knew I had to share my story."

His commitment led to him becoming a spokesman for the Prostate Cancer Foundation in 2008 and then joining Janssen Biotech in 2012 to launch their Making Awareness A Priority (M.A.P.) campaign.

He sums up the title of his current CD, Love, Charlie, in one sentence, "The whole world needs inspiration and I will continue to make music that helps me share that message."