Celebrating 40 years, the 3rd annual SOUL TRAIN AWARDS will honor the longstanding careers and musical influences of the renowned group Earth, Wind, and Fire and "Empress of Soul" Gladys Knight.

"We are honored to be celebrating 40 years of Soul Train by bringing the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS back to CENTRIC," stated Paxton Baker, CENTRIC's General Manager and Executive Vice President. "The Soul Train brand has played a fundamental role in shaping American culture. With such a dynamic host and illustrious legends, I am confident that this year's show will be the best yet."

"We are thrilled to have an opportunity to partner with BET/Centric again to produce another SOUL TRAIN AWARDSpresentation," said Soul Train CEO Kenard Gibbs. "These annual awards allow us to celebrate the legacy of the Soul Train brand by showcasing amazing new talent that has been influenced by the music icons who have contributed to the success of the Soul Train series."

Charismatic actor/ comedian Cedric "The Entertainer" is best known for his many crowd-pleasing performances in such hit films as "Barbershop," "Be Cool," "Madagascar," "Intolerable Cruelty," and "The Original Kings of Comedy" to name a few. He most recently co-starred opposite Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks in the comedy feature "Larry Crowne" and will next be seen starring  in the political drama "Grass Roots" directed by Steven Gyllenhaal. He then lends his voice to the animated feature "Madagascar 3." Cedric's universal appeal, versatility, and tremendous career successes spanning television, live performances, and film have solidified his standing as one of the premier entertainers in the world. As a philanthropist, Cedric  founded "The Cedric 'The Entertainer' Charitable Foundation", which provides scholarships and outreach programs to enhance the lives of inner-city youth and their families in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. He plans to extend the foundation nationally. Cedric has awarded over 100 scholarships and countless incentives through his foundation.

The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced by BET Event Productions and Sunseeker Media and directed by Manny Rodriguez. Paxton Baker, CENTRIC Executive Vice President and General Manager, Tami Willis-Arasli, CENTRIC Vice President of Specials and Music and Derek Lewis, Vice President of Production Programming; Bart Phillips, Sunseeker Media; and Soul Train Holdings' Kenard Gibbs will all be the executive producers of the network telecast. The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced in cooperation with the City of Atlanta led by Mayor Kasim Reed and Stacii Jae Johnson, Special Events Director for the Office of the Mayor. For more information, please visit www.centrictv.com.

*All times ET