Local Memphis musicians offer "Message" of hope to Haiti
Dozens of local musicians including "American Idol" performer Alexis Grace and members of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra came together recently to record "A Message from Memphis," a song to raise funds for Haiti earthquake relief.
It's a bit like the song "We are the World," which Michael Jackson and other stars recorded in 1985 to help African famine victims, said Larry Dodson, the 59-year-old lead singer of R&B group The Bar-Kays.
There's one key difference.
"Everything about this is Memphis," said Dodson, who co-wrote the song with Archie Love and organized the project with his son, Larry Dodson Jr.
It was impossible to get all the musicians together at the same time, so over a period of six weeks, they used multiple studios to record tracks by artists from a wide range of genres, said the younger Dodson.
He said he wasn't sure exactly how many musicians participated.
"We've got two choirs and a section of kids from the Stax Academy," he said. "That from itself is about 70 people."
The credits list several dozen performers, including blues singer Ruby Wilson and rapper Gyft.
The song also has spoken-word sections by ministers including Craig Strickland, pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church.
Dodson Jr. said his father got the idea after coming home from church one day and seeing news coverage of a similar fundraising effort led by gospel singer Kirk Franklin.
Walmart stores in the greater Memphis area have agreed to sell the $6.99 recording, which has four versions of the song plus a "making of" DVD. The music will also be available online.
The Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission has agreed to handle proceeds from sales of the single and distribute them to Haiti charities including the American Red Cross, said Johnnie Walker, the commission's executive director.
"It certainly will make a powerful statement, if nothing else, just to show the power of the music that rests right here in Memphis," she said.
The release will come on May 18, more than four months after an earthquake struck Haiti. Shoddy building standards contributed to widespread destruction and death in a Caribbean nation that was already the poorest in the western Hemisphere.
The Dodsons went to a Shelby County Commission meeting Monday to ask for $10,000 to cover some costs related to the project, such as manufacturing the discs.
The elder Dodson cut a colorful figure with his short dyed blond hair, an earring and a purple suit with shimmering reflectors sewn into the fabric.
The commissioners gave them a friendly reception. Commissioner George Flinn, who owns broadcast stations, promised to put the song on the air.
The commission didn't commit to the support immediately and the matter is likely to come up again at a future meeting, said Assistant County Atty. Christy Kinard. The Dodsons are also also seeking city funds.
The song itself is a mix of gospel and R&B. Artists sing just a few lines apiece to maximize the number of participants.
The message to Haitians is not to give up:
"So we're sending you a message, a message from Memphis /
"Haiti, God's going to see you through /
"Keep the faith, he's watching over you!"
-- Daniel Connolly: 529-5296
