I WAS one of the many invited VIP guests to make their way to the island of Bermuda on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Transport, led by Dr. Ewart F. Brown, for the island's 11th Annual Bermuda Music Festival. Some of the best and brightest international and Bermudian entertainers filled the island with beautiful people from every ethnic background from around the world.

Despite the very heavy downpours of rain during our stay, I found the people of Bermuda to be some of the most well spoken and upbeat people I've every encountered.

The Who's Who of the entertainment world was on the island to celebrate the festival. Seen on scene were musical duo Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson; gospel sensation Yolanda Adams; actress Lynn Whitfield; Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick; music legend Dionne Warwick; opera diva extraordinaire Kathleen Battle; former WMAQ-TV/Ch. 5 intern and now VH1 Celebrity Fit Club fitness expert and ABC's The View medical adviser, Dr. Ian Smith; actress Tichina Arnold; and Bermuda's very own Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The Bermuda Music Festival had a dazzling line-up that included Grammy Award-winning Gladys Knight; Frankie Beverly featuring Maze; Harold Melvin's Blue Notes; and the original Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston & Blue Lovett; India.Arie; Charlie Wilson; Anthony Hamilton; and Teena Marie.

The high point of the music festival were performances by one of the industries most proven legend in her own right. Very few singers can boast 50 years of unassailable artistry like Gladys Knight, who had the crowd rocking to her songs Neither One of Us, Midnight Train to Georgia and Love Overboard. Gladys stole the show. Here's to you, Bermuda, for such a great event.