Look To The Stars News: Roger Daltrey

Michael J. Fox Rocks For A Cure

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Michael J. Fox proved that he can still rock like Marty McFly during the weekend when he appeared on stage at his annual A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson’s gala at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Saturday.

The gala benefited his Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research, and the evening saw Fox join rockers such as Roger Daltrey, Steven Tyler and Elvis Costello on stage for a jam. The event was emceed by Denis Leary, and guests such as Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Scorsese and Ben Stiller were spotted enjoying the evening.

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991. The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease within the decade through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.

Robert Plant Campaigns For Cancer Treatment

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant has given his support to a cancer charity campaigning for a new type of treatment to be made available in Britian.

Killing Cancer is a charity that is aiming to raise £50m to fund further trials into Photodynamic Therapy, a treatment that can help cure some forms of cancer by killing cells through a combination of drugs and light.

“It really is an injustice that this form of treatment is not available to everyone in the UK,” said Plant. “I have friends currently receiving PDT, but only because we pushed to get it.”

Plant is not alone in his support – he has been joined by a host of other celebrities such as The Who’s Roger Daltrey, Alex Fergusson, Chris Tarrant and Sir David Frost, among others.

“Both my mother and father died of cancer,” said Sir Alex Fergusson, manager of Manchester United. “I think PDT is an amazing first-step option before resorting to surgery. More patients should have access to it in our hospitals and the NHS should accept the charity’s offer of equipment and training without delay.”

To find out more about the therapy and how you can help, visit the Killing Cancer website.

The Who To Play At Charity Ball

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Legendary rockers The Who are to perform an acoustic set at the Teenage Cancer Trust Legends & Youth Ball on May 21.

Hosted by British comedian Matt Lucas, the event will be attended by high profile supporters including the Arsenal First Team.

The evening will kick off in the Woolwich Suite at Emirates Stadium. The Legends & Youth bars will mix delicious cocktails before a menu designed by celebrity chef James Martin is served.

The event will feature live performances by one of Britain’s brightest young stars, soul sensation V V Brown, and iconic music legends, The Who – featuring Pete Townshend.

To start the evening’s fundraising, there will be the chance to test your football knowledge with sporting heads and tails, take part in an exclusive auction, and dance the night away to music brought to you by international DJ Judge Jules.

“We’re honored to be playing at the Legends And Youth Ball to celebrate Arsenal’s fantastic support of Teenage Cancer Trust throughout this season,” said The Who’s Roger Daltrey, a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust. “I have been fighting for this cause for many years and I’m thrilled that this partnership has made and will continue to make a huge difference to young people with cancer.”

Funds raised from the Legends & Youth Ball will be split 80% to Teenage Cancer Trust and 20% to The Arsenal Charitable Trust. A limited number of tickets to the ball, priced at £1,200 per pair, are available. For more information, click here.

Roger Daltrey Plans To Pass The Charity Torch

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Singer Roger Daltrey reportedly plans to step down from his role as organizer of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust concerts and pass the torch to musicians of a younger generation.

Daltrey – singer for The Who – has been behind the concerts since 2000, and has asked Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher and Stereophonics singer Kelly Jones to take on the responsibility.

“I would like to take the model of what we’ve done here and concentrate on getting it started in other countries now,” said Daltrey. “It does take an awful lot of energy. I call it my ‘yearly breakdown’. I would love to find someone from a younger generation to take over from me.”

Kelly Jones from The Stereophonics – who headlined a Teenage Cancer Trust concert at the Royal Albert Hall last week – is enthusiastic about the challenge.

“He asked me and Noel a couple of times to our faces. If you’re in a band and you can help people who are worse off, it’s not much to ask for,” he said. “It’s a big job and we’re like, ‘Come on Roger, you’d do it a lot better than us’, and he carries on doing it. I’ve never really given it as much thought as answering it with a serious tone. We’ll see. You see what happens in life.”

The Who To Rock Grand Prix For Fire Relief

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Classic rockers The Who may have missed last weekend’s Sound Relief concerts in Sydney and Melbourne, but they will be doing their bit to raise money for the victims of the Australian bush fires in a special concert later this month.

The band is booked to play at the Melbourne Grand Prix on March 29, with a portion of ticket sales to go to fire relief funds. A limited number of tickets – named Silver Reserve, My Generation Platinum & Who Are You Gold tickets – will be available in three premium general admission areas at the front of the stage for $125, $175 and $225 respectively, including general admission access to the circuit on the Sunday. $25 from every ticket sold will go towards funds set up to help the thousands of families left homeless by the bush fires that raged through Victoria over the last month.

‘The Who could not be here to take part in the Sound Relief Concerts, but we sincerely hope this new ticket initiative will add some well-needed funds to the appeal,’ said tour promoter Andrew McManus. “After the tremendous success of last year I wanted to present a band that was just as exciting and dynamic on stage, so we can continue the momentum of the spectacular F1 race straight into one of the world’s leading acts. I had the opportunity of watching The Who headline the O2 festival in Ireland last year and was blown away by not only [”Roger Daltrey’s":http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/1462-roger-daltrey] vocals, but just the sheer magic coming off the stage from Pete Townshend and the rest of the band. The 2009 Australian Grand Prix can only get bigger and better with the inclusion of The Who!""

Tickets are available here.

Robin Gibb To Headline Heritage Ball

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Former Bee Gee Robin Gibb has announced that he will headline the Heritage Foundation’s annual Awards and Summer Ball in June.

The singer will perform with Bill Wyman and The Rhythm Kings at the event, to be held at the Millenium Hotel in London on June 20.

Gibb is a longtime supporter of the Heritage Foundation, an organization that aims to combine paying tribute to Britain’s wealth of talent who have bought pleasure and joy to millions through their performances or technical skills with raising funds for good causes. He is also the 2009 president of the organization, a position that in the past has been held by celebrities such as Phil Collins, Norman Wisdom, and Ernie Wise.

As part of his duties as president, Gibb will attend a special plaque unveiling this Sunday, March 8, to honor legendary The Who drummer Keith Moon. The event will take place at 90 Wardour Street, London – the site of the former Marquee Club – and will be followed by a star-studded lunch at the Grosvenor House Hotel. The Who members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are also expected to attend.

Tickets to the Summer Ball in June cost £110. More information can be found at the Heritage Foundation website.

Kasabian To Headline Teenage Cancer Trust Gigs

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The Teenage Cancer Trust has announced the lineup for their annual concert season at the Royal Albert Hall in London in March.

Among the acts to perform this year – the ninth year the concerts have been held – are Kasabian and the Stereophonics. The concerts will culminate in a night of comedy hosted by Matthew Horne and James Corden, the stars of British TV series Gavin and Stacey.

“It’s great we can continue to support Teenage Cancer Trust and help them make a difference,” said Kasabian lead singer, Tom Meighan. “We were inspired after meeting some of the teenagers with cancer at our gigs last year and it really made us want to do more for the charity.”

The concerts are the brainchild of Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who and patron of the charity.

“At a time when your body is changing, your social life is everything and you’re trying to figure out who you are, getting cancer can seem like an impossible blow to take,” said Daltrey when he announced the lineup for the 2009 shows. "But thanks to The Teenage Cancer Trust, thousands of teenagers are taking it and coming out fighting.

“Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall raises essential funds to support the charity’s work. There will be seven completely new units built between now and the end of 2009. Everything about these specialist units has been designed to give teenagers the very best chance of a positive outcome. So show your support by coming to one of the gigs or making a donation.”

The 2009 Teenage Cancer Trust shows are as follows:

Tuesday March 24th – Antony and the Johnsons with Florence and the Machine
Thursday March 26th: Stereophonics plus special guests
Friday March 27th: Kasabian plus special guests
Sunday March 29th: An evening of comedy hosted by Mathew Horne and James Corden

Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 13. Information about where to buy them can be found at the Teenage Cancer Trust website.

Roger Daltrey Joins Pete Doherty For Charity Concert

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Rock legend Roger Daltrey – frontman for The Who – was joined by a special guest on stage in Bristol on Monday night for charity.

The singer shared the spotlight with Pete Doherty at the O2 Academy on January 12 in a one-off gig to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust, of which Daltrey is patron. The 64-year-old Who legend asked Doherty – lead singer for Babyshambles – to perform with him after Doherty sang at the funeral of Daniel Squires, a teenage cancer sufferer he had struck up a friendship with.

According to NME, the pair traded vocals throughout the concert on over 10 Who classics, such as Magic Bus, My Generation, and Behind Blue Eyes.

Pete Doherty To Join The Who For A Day

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Rocker Pete Doherty is to join The Who’s Roger Daltrey on stage for charity.

The 64-year-old Who legend asked Doherty – lead singer for Babyshambles – to perform with him after Doherty sang at the funeral of Daniel Squires, a teenage cancer sufferer he had struck up a friendship with.

“Roger was really impressed and touched when Pete performed for Daniel,” a source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper. “He has told Pete to choose a list of Who songs and they will perform them together. They are both really excited.”

Proceeds from the concert – to be held at the Bristol Academy in the UK on January 12 – will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity supported by Doherty and of which Daltrey is patron.

Roger Daltrey Rocks Village With Charity Gig

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Roger Daltrey rocked a field of fans at a small charity gig last week.

Frontman for The Who, Daltrey played to 400 people who packed themselves into a huge tent at West Well Farm in the sleepy English village of Tingewick – about 20 miles from Oxford – to raise money for some local charities, including MacMillan Cancer Support, Florence Nightingale House, and the Oxford Kidney Unit.

The singer performed for 75 minutes in a lineup of musicians that included members of Deep Purple, Ringo Starr’s son, Zac, and famed session musician Robbie McIntosh.

The annual event – known as the Party in the Paddock and held every year since 2006 – has raised over US$100,000 for charity.

Roger Daltrey Launches Arsenal's New Charity Partner

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

English football club Arsenal has kicked off their new charity partnership with a little help from a famous rocker.

The Who’s frontman Roger Daltrey joined the club earlier this week at a special event to launch the Teenage Cancer Trust as the club’s new Charity of the Season. The Trust replaces TreeHouse, who reaped the benfits of being their chosen charity last year.

The partnership was launched at the charity’s specialist unit at University College Hospital in Euston, and the club hopes to raise £300,000 (US$600,000) to go towards a new education zone in the hospital.

“It was great to kick-off the partnership today and give the teenagers a chance to meet their idols,” said Daltrey, who is patron of the Trust. “I have been fighting for this cause for many years and I can’t think of a better partnership.”

He was joined at the launch by Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who was also excited at the possibilities the partnership represents.

“We look forward to working with Teenage Cancer Trust this year and raising vital funds to help… teenagers fight cancer,” he said.

The club will hold a series of fundraising events over the course of the upcoming football season, including a designated match day and the Annual Arsenal Charity Ball.

Who Wants To Be A Roadie For The Who?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Following last week’s announcement that they are to donate the proceeds from an upcoming concert to charity, classic British rockers The Who are offering one lucky fan the chance to roadie for them on their new tour in a special online auction to raise money for a charity that inspires at-risk youth with the assistance of homeless shelter dogs.

Fans are already bidding over $20,000 for the opportunity to join the band on the road and hang out with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend on their US tour. But that’s not all that’s on offer: bidders also have the chance to pick up signed memorabilia from Bob Dylan, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Harrison Ford, David Gray, Robert Plant, Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks, Hilary Duff, Justin Long, Tori Spelling, and Hayden Panettiere.

The auction, which runs until August 24 and can be accessed through Ebay Giving Works, is raising money for K9 Connection, a charity that allows at-risk 12- to 18-year-old children train homeless shelter dogs in basic obedience, assisting the dogs to develop the skills to become adoptable. The organization aims to empower high-risk youth to apply the lessons they teach the dogs to their own lives: to develop an awareness of the risks of uncontrolled and impulsive behavior, and to believe in the power of positive reinforcement as an alternative to force and violence.

“Be a Who roadie for a day,” said Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who, known for their habit of destroying their equipment onstage. “And if you get the job – good luck… you’re gonna need it!”

The Who To Donate Concert Proceeds

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Classic rock band The Who will donate all of the proceeds from an upcoming concert to charity.

According to their website, the band’s October 21 show at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan will benefit Detroit charities Gleaners Community Food Bank and Focus: Hope.

“The first gig we ever played in the U.S. was in Detroit and we have always had an affinity with this part of the country,” said singer Roger Daltrey. “[”Pete Townshend":http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/984-pete-townshend] and I are very aware of the problems people are having in Michigan and feel we should give something back for all the support we have had over the last 40 years."

The Who are well known for their charity work. In the past they have raised almost £3 million (US$6 million) for the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT), which has been used to build specialist cancer units.

“Seventy per cent of young people with cancer still don’t have access to a TCT Unit,” said Daltrey. “I am working with other members of The Who to break through red tape and get specialist cancer wards built for teenagers suffering from this terrible disease. These units are a right, not a privilege. We all know that without teenagers, without their energy and their passion for music, we wouldn’t have rock and roll as we know it. It is our duty to fight for this group and give them a voice within the National Health Service.”

The band also established Double O – a charity focused mainly on drug and alcohol damage, domestic violence, sexual abuse, music education, emergency relief for International disasters, and young people’s prison reform – in 1976.

Tickets for the Michigan concert are available now from Ticketmaster.

Pete Doherty Inspires Young Cancer Sufferer

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The press sometimes gives celebrities a hard time, concentrating on their problems rather than celebrating the good things that they do. One recent victim has been singer Pete Doherty, who has been quietly helping sick teenagers – such as 16-year-old British schoolboy Dan Squires, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer last November – without any publicity. Doherty not only invited the boy to one of his Babyshambles gigs, but also struck up a friendship with him.

“I only expected a meet-and-greet, but I got my own dressing room, watched the whole gig from the stage, hung out with the band afterwards and then got taken to the after-show party,” said Squires, who suffered a stroke last month and is now confined to a wheelchair. “It was incredible what they did because they didn’t need to do that.”

Squires, who has also met Oasis star Noel Gallagher and The Who’s Roger Daltrey, took gifts to one of Doherty’s gigs last week, and was surprised at the band’s response.

“I took them each a friendship bracelet for what they’ve done for me, and Pete just took off the bracelet he was wearing and gave it to me,” he told Journal Live. “He had also brought a book and signed the inside cover with a special message. It’s just lovely. I couldn’t believe it. I feel very privileged.”

Doherty also dedicated a recent concert to Squires and pledged to help raise more funds for his treatment.

“All of us have just been incredibly inspired by the Squires family’s stoicism and Dan’s bravery,” said the band’s manager, Adrian Hunter. “And [also] how well he is dealing with the card that life has dealt him.”

Doherty also surprised concert-goers at a Teenage Cancer Trust concert two weeks ago, when his band took to the stage unannounced in London. He had designed a pair of sneakers that were auctioned by the charity, and rushed straight to the gig from Sweden.

“Teenage Cancer Trust has seen on a number of occasions how musicians can really have a positive impact on young people going through a hard time,” said a spokesperson for the charity. “Babyshambles have really helped Daniel through this very difficult period and have been such an inspiration to him. We’re grateful to Babyshambles for deciding to donate to us through their guest lists.”

And Daniel hopes to hear more from his new friend.

“Pete and the band have just been absolutely amazing and hopefully I will be able to stay well enough to see them play again,” he said. “They have given me the goal to stay well. They’ve given me hope and something to look forward to.”

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