Secretary of State Ken Detzner Inducts Recording Artists The Bellamy Brothers and Visual Artist Purvis Young into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner inducted recording artists The Bellamy Brothers and visual artist Purvis Young into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame yesterday in a ceremony on the Capitol’s 22^nd Floor Observation Deck.

"Induction into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed upon artists by the State of Florida," said Secretary Detzner. "We are fortunate to have these artists call Florida home as they have brought tremendous distinction to our state through their tireless devotion to their craft. Their work has touched and inspired countless people, and it is fitting that we honor them for their influence, achievements and brilliance."

The Bellamy Brothers

Pasco County natives David and Howard Bellamy, collectively known as The Bellamy Brothers, are multi-award winning recording artists and performers spanning genres from pop and blues to gospel. Beginning with their first number one hit record in 1976, “Let Your Love Flow,” their success in the pop and country arenas has included more duo nominations in both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Awards than any other artists, two Dove nominations, and a GRAMMY® AWARD nomination. They have twenty number one hit country singles, along with more than fifty hits overall on the charts. Their international releases include more than 95 albums.

Purvis Young (1943 - 2010)

A native of Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, self-taught artist Purvis Young frequently worked in a mixture of collage and painting. A prolific creator, Young served three years in prison as a teenager, where he began drawing and studying art books from the prison library. His work, highly influenced by Western art history, is colorful and vibrant, often serving as social critique and a call to action for social justice. His works are found in the collections of private collectors including Damon Wayans and Dan Ackroyd, as well as museums including the American Folk Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida.

For more information on the Division of Cultural Affairs, please visit dos.myflorida.com/cultural.

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About the Florida Artists Hall of Fame
Established by the Florida Legislature in 1986, the Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognizes persons, living or deceased, who have made significant contributions to the arts in Florida either as performing or practicing artists in their disciplines. These individuals contribute to Florida's national and international reputation as a state with a sustained commitment to the development of cultural excellence. The Florida Artists Hall of Fame currently consists of more than 50 inductees, including musician and performer Ray Charles, actor and director Burt Reynolds, writers Zora Neale Hurston, Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway, filmmaker Victor Nunez, and visual artists Duane Hanson, Robert Rauschenberg and James Rosenquist. For more information about the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, visit dos.myflorida.com/cultural/programs/florida-artists-hall-of-fame/.

About the Division of Cultural Affairs
The Florida Department of State’s Division of Cultural Affairs is Florida’s legislatively designated state arts agency. The Division promotes the arts and culture as essential to quality of life for all Floridians. To achieve its mission, the Division funds and supports cultural programs that provide artistic excellence, diversity, education, access and economic vitality for Florida’s communities. For more information, visit dos.myflorida.com/cultural.