 |
 |
Tribute Disc Delivers Springsteen Songs For Good Cause Double Compact Disc Features 37 Musical Artists POSTED: 12:34 p.m. EDT September 26, 2003 UPDATED: 12:54 p.m. EDT September 26, 2003 Without picking up his guitar, Bruce Springsteen has sounded a chord for charity. A double-CD of classic Springsteen songs, featuring cover versions from 37 artists spanning the New Jersey rock Hall of Famer's 30-year career, was released this month to raise funds for two charities close to the Boss' heart. Organizers say 100 percent of the net proceeds and the artists' royalties from "Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen" will be evenly divided between the Parkinson's disease Foundation and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund. "It's really a terrific record," said Springsteen pal Garland Jeffreys, who contributed a moving version of the Boss' Oscar-winning "Philadelphia." "It's nice to be a part of something like this -- a good thing." Veteran musician Jeffreys brought something personal to his track: a close friend suffers from Parkinson's. But personal connections were an integral part of this project. The Kristen Ann Carr Fund was started in 1993 by Carr's parents: Barbara Carr, Springsteen's co-manager, and Dave Marsh, Springsteen's biographer and rock journalist. Springsteen visited Kristen, 21, in the hospital before she died of sarcoma, a rare and deadly type of cancer; the fund was launched with a Springsteen benefit show at Madison Square Garden and has since raised more than $3.5 million. "Kristen knew Bruce from early childhood," Marsh wrote in the "Light of Day" liner notes. "She loved his music intensely." The Parkinson's Foundation is tied to Bob Benjamin, a Jersey shore music scene fixture who first met Springsteen in Buffalo, N.Y., before a 1978 concert. Seven years ago, Benjamin, 44, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. This year, he became one of the driving forces behind the tribute CD. When the disc was finished this summer, Benjamin managed to slip a copy to Springsteen. The two later crossed paths before Springsteen's September shows at Fenway Park in Boston. "I saw him a couple of weeks ago, and he said that he liked it a lot," Benjamin said. "He knew that I'd been working on it for a year." Springsteen put his musical imprimatur on the project in May. After hearing Elliott Murphy's version of "Better Days," a track from 1992's "Lucky Town," Springsteen invited Murphy -- a friend of 30 years -- onstage to play the song in Madrid, Spain. The contributing artists include an assortment of the New Jersey native's prominent friends: Elvis Costello does a countrified version of "Brilliant Disguise," fellow Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci provides a doo-wop "Book of Dreams," and bandmate Nils Lofgren contributes the rarity "Man at the Top." There's some Jersey boys featured too: Joe D'Urso & Stone Caravan bring a ska flavor to "Badlands," one-time Stone Pony regulars John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band handle "E Street Shuffle," and Pete Yorn does an acoustic "New York City Serenade." Joe Grushecky, a sometimes Springsteen collaborator, offered a swing-style take on "Light of Day" -- and he had a personal interest, too. Benjamin manages Grushecky and his band, the Houserockers. There are other links in the disc's chain. Singer-songwriter Cindy Bullens covered "If I Should Fall Behind," a song that Springsteen did at a memorial service for Kristen Carr. Bullens, too, lost a daughter to cancer. While some of the stories are sad, the music is never anything but uplifting. Several of the artists involved in the disc will play Nov. 1 at the fourth annual "Light of Day" fund-raising concert at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J. Benjamin is the event's organizer. Springsteen has yet to miss one. Related Resources: Kristin Ann Carr Fund http://www.sarcoma.com/ Parkinson's Disease Foundation http://www.pdf.org Light of Day Organization http://www.lightofday.org SOURCE: The Associated Press / NBC http://www.nbc10.com/entertainment/2513882/detail.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn