STEVIE WONDER - WONDER MARKS KATRINA ANNIVERSARY

STEVIE WONDER has lent his support to hurricane-stricken New Orleans, Louisiana, at a star-studded concert to mark the first anniversary of the disaster. The singer was joined by blues singer DR JOHN, Grammy award-winning gospel performer YOLANDA ADAMS and jazz trumpeter WYNTON MARSALIS, whose trust to rebuild the cultural infrastructure of the city was supported by the Tuesday (29AUG06) gig. Despite the strong line-up, organisers admit the turn-out was disappointing. The original plan to have 10,000 seats was reduced to just 6,000. EARTH, WIND AND FIRE were originally scheduled to play at the benefit, but pulled out citing other commitments. At least 1,836 people were killed when Hurricane Katrina lashed the US gulf coast on 29 August 2005.