A diverse group of blues, rock, rap, country and jazz artists--among them B.B. King [ tickets ], Bonnie Raitt [ tickets ], Lyle Lovett [ tickets ], Chuck D and Vernon Reid [ tickets ]--will perform at "Salute to the Blues," a Feb. 7 benefit concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

"There's no better place than New York City to host 'Salute to the Blues,'" legendary bluesman B.B. King said in a statement. "The city has always been supportive of blues music and the arts, and many blues legends have performed at Radio City over the years. It just seems like a natural fit and is a way to give back to the blues in general and the New York community."

Organizers said tickets to the show--which will also feature Robert Cray, Aaron Neville, Dr. John, Mavis Staples, Keb' Mo', David Johansen and others to be announced--are priced from $50 to $1,250, and are tax-deductible. (Tickets are subject to a facility charge and a Ticketmaster service charge).

Net concert proceeds will benefit the non-profit Blues Music Foundation, a group dedicated to preserving blues history, supporting music education (particularly the blues), and providing financial assistance to needy and worthy individuals who have made contributions to the blues, organizers said.

The concert will be filmed for a movie to be directed by Antoine Furqua ("Training Day"). Martin Scosese, who is presenting the concert, will be the film's executive producer.

The U.S. Congress has declared 2003 the Year of the Blues, and the genre will be celebrated around the country with a series of blues events, multimedia projects, concerts, festivals and education initiatives. Seattle-based Experience Music Project and the Memphis-based Blues Foundation spearheaded the events.

In conjunction with the Year of the Blues, event-sponsor Volkswagen of America is backing a seven-part television series to be presented this fall on PBS, a 13-part public radio series, educational initiatives, a traveling museum exhibit produced by Experience Music Project, and other endeavors.