In 1994, nearly 5,000 people attended a small, old school music festival in Mobile, AL.
At that time, no one knew how large the event would grow or how long it would last.

Amazingly, more than a decade has passed since that first Funk Fest.  And from those humble beginnings, the event has blossomed into a 5 city annual event that attracts more than 10,000 people in each city and is expected to reach a total of 10 cities by 2008. The cities that Funk Fest can be seen in are Jacksonville, FL., Mobile, AL, Baton Rouge LA., West Palm Beach, FL., and Greenville/Spartanburg SC.

Funk Fest is designed to expose and entertain a diverse audience with a variety of Old-School music.  The categories of music range from Old School R&B, Funk, Old School Hip-Hop, Blues, Jazz and Comedy.  Some of the artist that have performed at Funk Fest are, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Gap Band, New Edition, Whodini, Big Daddy Kane, Betty Wright, Rickey Smiley, Ohio Players, SOS Band, Cameo and many others.

Funk Fest was formed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Old School Music and has grown into a celebration of human expression.  It is the mission of Funk Fest to provide the African – American community access to a means of expression that promotes social consciousness, positive entertainment and personal fulfillment.  Variety Entertainment will create these means of expression through Funk Fest which represent quality, creativity, and uniqueness.

President and CEO - Leo Bennett

Leo Bennett founded VEP Inc. in July 1994.  He is a graduate of Florida A&M University School of Pharmacy and is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
(Upsilon Psi Chapter).   Leo has been promoting events for over 10 years in over 30 different cities across the US.

Stacey Stone Bennett – General Counsel

Stacey Stone Bennett is a graduate of Winston – Salem State University and North Carolina Central University School of Law.  Stacey has expertise in entertainment law having advised and counseled artists in various aspects of the entertainment industry including bands, producers, songwriters, promoters, and comedians.

Derrick Williams – Chief Information Officer

Derrick Williams is a graduate of Alabama State University School of Business.
He has been the technical wizard for VEP for over the last 6 years.

Scooter Collins - Events Coordinator