Jazz Star Branford Marsalis Headlines  "Best NC Fundraiser Ever"

Durham resident Branford Marsalis, a world-renowned saxophonist and three-time Grammy winner, acclaimed Grammy-award winning pianist Joey Calderazzo, and famed Raleigh criminal defense attorney Wade Smith headlined a reception for Hampton Dellinger, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor in Raleigh.

Smith, who was elected to a term as Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party in 1985, said it was the best fundraiser he had ever attended.

Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in the World, and Duke historian Dr. John Hope Franklin, who recently received the Kluge Prize and celebrated his 92nd birthday, headlined an earlier Dellinger reception. "Dr. Franklin, Frances Mayes, Branford Marsalis, and Wade Smith are North Carolinians who are widely known and greatly respected. I am grateful for their support and the support generated by their appearances on behalf of my campaign," said Dellinger.

Hampton Dellinger, with historian and civil rights leader Dr. John Hope Franklin,
his father Walter, and author Frances Mayes