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Neil Diamond
Photo: Ari Michelson |
GRAMMY-winning recording artist Neil Diamond will be honored as the 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year, it was announced by Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the MusiCares Foundation and The Recording Academy, and John Branca, Board Chair of the MusiCares Foundation.
Person of the Year highlights video | The annual GRAMMY Week gala dinner and concert — now in its 19th year — will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2009, two days prior to the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards. Proceeds will provide essential support for MusiCares, which ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need.
For information on purchasing tables and tickets to the event, please contact Dana Tomarken at 310.392.3777 or click here. For additional event information, click here.
Older members of the music community often have no place to turn when they can no longer live independently or require ongoing nursing care. Recognizing that need, MusiCares has partnered with the Actors Fund as part of its long-standing efforts to ensure that affordable, quality care exists when elderly entertainment and performing professionals need supportive living arrangements.
In the past year, MusiCares' donation of $500,000 has enabled the Actors Fund to renovate the Great Room inside their Lillian Booth Home, an assisted-living and skilled nursing facility located in Englewood, N.J. This renovation, part of an overall remodeling and expansion of the facility, will equip the Great Room with a stage, a state-of-the-art sound system, new furnishings and other accoutrements. The room is currently used by residents for live music performances, movie viewing, large house meetings and other social and educational functions. MusiCares is also working with the Actors Fund to ensure that one-fourth of the residents admitted to the facility have professional music industry experience.
This important collaboration of resources has been a key component of MusiCares' commitment to making sure that our aging music industry population receives quality and compassionate health and assisted-living services.
Jack Black's custom-designed Rotolog |
For the fifth consecutive year, Nixon will release one-of-a-kind watches benefiting the MusiCares MAP Fund. This year Nixon will feature its signature model, the Rotolog, with custom designs created by celebrities including Jack Black, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ozomatli, Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx, Ringo Starr and Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz. Released under the LTD Collection, each participating artist was charged with creating artwork on a 14-inch square of maple wood that was subsequently inlaid into watch bands. Since each square was enough for only five to seven watches, numbers are limited and these watches are an exclusive way to stay timely and benefit MusiCares. Click
here for more information.
Christian Audigier, owner of Ed Hardy, created an exclusive special T-shirt/collectors item for the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to Aretha Franklin. MusiCares provides funds for music people in need, and 100 percent of the proceeds from the shirt sales support this cause.
The official 2008 MusiCares T-shirt costs $100. Along with Audigier, Philip Simon and John Berenbaum of PSDI USA, the license owners for Ed Hardy Shoes, designed a charitable sneaker/tennis shoe for the event for $125.
Both of these limited edition items are pictured here (click to enlarge). To purchase the sneakers or T-shirt, visit the newly launched GRAMMY Charity Online Store at www.ebay.com/grammy. More information about the collectable t-shirt and sneakers can also be found at www.donedhardy.com and www.psdiusa.net.
A satisfied dental client courtesy of MusiCares
Photo: Melba Williams |
MusiCares held a two-day dental clinic in Nashville on April 24–25. More than 30 clients received an oral exam/consultation, X-rays, and a cleaning from Dr. Decolibus D.D.S of American Mobile Dental. If follow-up care was recommended, clients received a detailed treatment plan. MusiCares is working with American Mobile Dental to provide another clinic in the near future.
Celebrating a great win for MusiCares (l-r): MusiCares MAP Fund's Senior Director Harold Owens, MusiCares' Board Chair John Branca,
REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin and MusiCares' Senior Vice President Kristen Madsen
Photo: Jacky Sallow ©2008/JackySallowPhotography.com |
Singer Kevin Cronin recently took some time out of REO Speedwagon's rehearsal schedule to participate in FOX-TV's all-new, all-star show "Don't Forget The Lyrics!" During his segment, which aired on March 27, Cronin was competing for a chance to win $1 million. Playing for MusiCares, he competed and won a contribution of $350,000.
 Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP — an intellectual property law firm of 350 lawyers — is set to release Interlude, a charity CD to benefit musicians through MusiCares. Celebrating 10 years of musical performances at its annual International Trademark Association reception, Finnegan created this commemorative CD to support musicians in need through a donation to the MusiCares Foundation. Featured artists on the CD include folk singer/songwriter/guitarist Jonatha Brooke, folk/pop singer Catie Curtis, folk singer/songwriter Ana Egge, classically-trained singer/songwriter/violinist Amy Farris, singer/songwriter Terri Hendrix, singer/songwriter Sara Hickman, country rock band Last Train Home, folk singer/songwriter Michelle Malone, singer/songwriter Eleni Mandell, folk rock duo Utah Carol, and country artist Kelly Willis. Legendary roots rocker Chuck Prophet also contributed the previously unreleased track "Bring On The Love" to the project. Visit www.finnegan.com for more information.
A partnership has been formed by the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares with the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Starkey Hearing Foundation's team, led by founder William Austin, joined us for GRAMMY Career Day on Feb. 7 at the University of Southern California. They donated approximately 300 hearing instruments (with a retail value of more than $900,000) to an estimated 150 Los Angeles-area children experiencing hearing loss. Starkey Hearing Foundation will also support MusiCares by providing hearing tests, screenings and information at health fairs and clinics around the country.
On May 6, 2007, nearly 300 jazz musicians who make up the rich scene of local jazz music in Seattle gathered on the steps of Seattle City Hall for a historic photograph. The photo, taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Daniel Sheehan, replicates the now famous "A Great Day in Harlem" shot in 1958 of many of New York's finest jazz musicians that went on to become an important
historical artifact in the history of jazz music. The results of the Seattle photo, "A Great Day in Seattle," are now available in the form of limited-edition posters sold for $20 each at www.agreatdayinseattle.com. The posters, along with 20 original framed prints signed by all of the artists in the photo and signed and numbered by Sheehan, are being sold for $2,500 each, with all proceeds going to MusiCares.
MusiCares and the MusiCares MAP Fund have produced a compelling new series of informational videos with artists. These short pieces cover a variety of topics — from addiction and the challenges of getting sober to life on the road and the benefits of sobriety — and offer intimate portraits of successful music people dealing with their own recovery or that of their band members. The videos feature Bob Forrest, Dave Kushner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Slash, as well as manager Bill Siddons. In addition, the page features Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney with Metallica's James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo performing "Them Bones" at the 2006 MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert. Click here to watch.
The Liquid Experience Group, a division of Beverage Concepts LLC, has designated MusiCares as a beneficiary of their new product line of energy drinks. Liquid Experience was founded in 2007 to encourage people to become involved in a movement of charitable living, and for every case sold a portion of the proceeds will support MusiCares.
The Celebrity Vault, preeminent purveyors of celebrity fine art, is now open in Beverly Hills, featuring artwork by: Malcolm Farley, Danny Clinch, Gered Mankowitz, Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Freeman,  Elliott Landy, Robert Knight and Richard Aaron with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the GRAMMY Foundation and the MusiCares Foundation. Please visit www.thecelebrityvault.com for more information.
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here
for more information.
Brian Wilson was honored as the 2005 MusiCares Person of the Year because of his remarkable artistic achievements as well as his humanitarian efforts. The DVD is on sale in stores nationwide and retails for $14.98. The running time is 83 minutes.
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