The bottom has fallen out of the live music industry. Concerts, tours, and festivals have been canceled. Clubs, bars, and restaurants have closed. Our jazz and blues community is one of the earliest to be hit and one of the least equipped to endure such a disruption. The Jazz Foundation of America is helping with #TheNewGig, a COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund Concert that will take place on Thursday, May 14th, at 8 PM (EDT). Stepping up to take part is multi-GRAMMY winning artist Sheryl Crow, who combines rock, pop, country, folk, soul, blues, and Americana into her music.
In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jazz Foundation of America continues to connect with hundreds of jazz and blues musicians to provide compassionate counsel and offer direct financial support.
A growing number of clients rely on them due to illness, old age, lack of work, or other circumstances. These artists live precariously even in good economic times, with no job security and minimal savings. Now they face an indefinite period of financial free fall, with months of gigs lost already.
A nine-time GRAMMY recipient, Sheryl Crow is an American music icon. Her nine studio albums have sold 35 million copies worldwide; seven of them charted in the Top 10 and five were certified for Multi-Platinum sales. Her latest single, “Lonely Town, Lonely Street,” feat. Citizen Cope, is a tribute to Bill Withers.
In addition to such No. 1 hits as “All I Wanna Do,” “Soak Up the Sun” and “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” Crow has lofted 40 singles into the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Top 40, Adult Contemporary, Mainstream Top 40 and Hot Country Songs charts, with more No. 1 singles in the Triple A listings than any other female artist.
Many artists have collaborated with her on special projects, including the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Smokey Robinson, Citizen Cope and Tony Bennett.
For #TheNewGig, Crow will be joined by a star-studded cast of entertainers including Blues Hall of Fame inductees Bettye LaVette, and Robert Cray. Shemekia Copeland & Ronnie Baker Brooks, Ivan Neville, Kim Wilson, Elvis Costello and more will also be taking part as well as special appearances from Bootsy Collins, Steve Jordan, Jeffrey Wright and many others.
#TheNewGig is hosted by Keegan-Michael Key and sponsored by Jazz Foundation of America and Relix.
#TheNewGig
Sheryl Crow
Jazz Foundation of America
Relix
*Feature image via Bandsintown
