Country Stars Unite For New Charity Album

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0000

A group of country music’s biggest names feature on a new album to raise funds for a farm that hosts children affected by cancer.

Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, Big & Rich, Patty Loveless, Randy Travis, Levon Helm, John Hiatt, and Lucinda Williams are just some of the stars who have donated songs to the Imus Ranch Record, which will be released on September 16.

Imus Ranch is a working cattle ranch in New Mexico, founded in 1999 by long-time radio personality Don Imus as a charitable organization that seeks to ensure the continuity of the lives of children who are afflicted with cancer. The charity’s goal is to provide children with an experience of living life on a functioning cattle ranch and build up their self-confidence and sense of accomplishment, in the company of similar children facing serious illness. It has also recently opened its doors to siblings of SIDS victims.

The 13 tracks on the album boast no less than 8 Grammy winning artists, each singing a cover of a song that means something special to them. One of the most beautiful songs is Patty Loveless’ version of Stevie Nicks' Silver Springs, and Lucinda Williams’ cover of Mama Don’t Let Your Babies grow Up To Be Cowboys is also an instant classic. However, it is Big & Rich’s rollicking version of the Beastie Boys' You’ve Got to Fight For Your Right to Party that makes the album a collector’s piece.

The album will be available on iTunes and wherever good music is sold.

Fox Raises Millions At Parkinson's Fundraiser

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:05:12 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Actor Michael J. Fox received an exciting surprise after his 7th annual “A Funny (Groovy) Thing Happened on the Way to the Cure for Parkinson’s” fundraiser last month – the Woodstock-themed event raised an incredible $5.5 million.

Over 1000 guests, including Julianne Moore, Bart Freundlich, Katrina Bowden and Masi Oka, were in attendance, as well as New York’s Governor Eliot Spitzer and Newark’s Mayor Cory A Booker. Stephen Colbert was the comedic host, while musical performances from John Mayer, Joan Osborne, Levon Helm, Gavin DeGraw, and The Soul Ramblers created a psychedelic groove. Even Michael couldn’t resist grabbing his guitar and jamming on stage with the band, performing “Summertime Blues”, “Up On Cripple Creek”, and “Love the One You’re With”.

“He lives in the moment so much,” said Fox’s wife, Tracy Pollan. “I find that a real inspiration.”

Proceeds from the gala will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which researches treatments and cures for Parkinson’s disease. The Foundation has raised almost $100 million since Fox established it in 2000, 10 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s himself.

The degenerative neurological disorder affects the central nervous system. Obvious symptoms include resting tremors, slowness of movement, imbalance, rigidity, and loss of coordination. Other symptoms range from mild memory difficulties to dementia, depression and anxiety, sleep difficulties, a loss of the sense of smell, speech and swallowing problems, and unexplained pains. One out of every hundred people over 60 are affected by this disease, and there are currently over six million sufferers around the world.

“We want to be that point for people who wake up in the morning and think, ’Who’s finding a cure for this?‘. It’s us. We wake up every day and that’s our mission,” said Fox.

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Country Stars Unite For New Charity Album

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