IMN - International Music Network
2.jpg)
2.jpg)
1.jpg)
1-1313417092.jpg)
-68297_T.jpg)
Playing For Change Spread Love Around the World
< Back
Thursday January 26, 2012
From Spinner
Playing for Change Spread Love Around the World, One Heart and Song at a Time
By: Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson is the co-creator of Playing for Change, the organization best known for creating the viral video of street musicians from around the world performing ‘Stand by Me.’ The multimedia project has also expanded into the non-profit world, launching music schools and programs in several developing nations, and the Playing for Change Band will kick off a tour on Feb. 12 in St. Paul, Minn. Johnson was gracious enough to pen the following essay for Spinner, explaining the roots of Playing for Change, its impact and its future.
Music is our greatest tool for healing broken countries, cultures and hearts. The worldwide movement of Playing For Change began seven years ago on the streets of Santa Monica, Calif., with one man and his guitar. The musician’s name was Roger Ridley and he was singing the timeless classic, ‘Stand by Me.’ I asked Roger why, with so much talent, he was singing on the streets. He replied, “Because I’m in the joy business, I come out here and bring joy to the people.”
Shortly after recording and filming Roger, we headed to New Orleans to see what music we could find after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. We met another street legend named Grandpa Elliott and asked him to participate in the PFC project. Grandpa had been performing on the streets for 60 years! He added his soulful voice and harmonica to our ‘Stand by Me’ recording and video. We then headed to New Mexico to record the Zuni Indians and add their drums to ‘Stand by Me’ as well as some other of our songs. They added such a unique dimension to the music and taught us that no matter who we are or where we come from, we are all united through music.
To read more click here
Subscribe to the News RSS Feed for Playing For Change
Subscribe to the Tourdates RSS Feed for Playing For Change
| Higher Ground | 4:46 | Playing For Change |
| Redemption Song | 4:10 | Playing For Change |
| Stand By Me | 6:04 | Playing For Change |
Watch what's on
| Imagine | |
| Live Trailer | |
| PFC Foundation | |
| *One Love - LIVE | |
| Stand By Me |
Happy International Jazz Day!
from unesco.org About the Day What: In November 2011, during the UNESCO General Conference, the international community proclaimed 30 April as “International Jazz Day”....
Posted Apr 30th, 2012
Oscar Castro-Neves "Offers the Best of Old and New"
From The Birmingham Times Review: Oscar Castro-Neves, Live at the Blue Note Tokyo By: Esther Callens There are very few live recordings that deliver...
Posted Apr 26th, 2012
Jazz gestator: The Falcon and the Inexplicable Local Miracle
from hudsonvalleyalmanacweekly.com Jazz gestator: The Falcon and the Inexplicable Local Miracle By: John Burdick There’s a joke out there among musicians: Folk/rockers play three...
Posted Mar 8th, 2012
