Leading Musicians Donate Talents to 'Forgotten but Not Gone,' New CD Benefiting Gulf Coast Residents Still Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

November 4, 2009

All Proceeds Earmarked for Two Volunteer Service Organizations in New Orleans and Coastal Mississippi

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Top artists from the worlds of country, folk, blues, gospel and Cajun music have put their talents where their hearts are in "Forgotten but Not Gone" (http://www.forgotten-but-not-gone.org), a new album created to help restore the homes, communities and dignity of tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents still displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Produced and promoted entirely by volunteers, the CD is the brainchild of three friends active in the Nashville music industry -- singer/songwriter Ric Kipp, producer/multi-instrumentalist Phillip Wolfe, and executive producer Rebecca Wolfe.

"Thousands are still living in temporary shelter, and the hardest hit have been the poor, the disabled and the elderly," said Ms. Wolfe. "The more we learned about the barriers to rebuilding, the more we wanted to help." Without record-label backing or other outside funding, the trio formed a nonprofit organization -- Gulf Coast Relief, Inc. -- and worked with dozens of volunteers to create "Forgotten but Not Gone."

The 19-track, limited-edition album showcases performances by leading Americana roots artists, including Grammy winners Steve Earle, Delbert McClinton, and Marty Stuart (with the Fabulous Superlatives), and Americana Music Award winners Buddy and Julie Miller and Mike Farris (with the McCrary Sisters).

Several songs, including the title track by Lee Roy Parnell and bookend anthems by Bonnie Bramlett and Bekka Bramlett, are original compositions written and produced for the album by Kipp and Phillip Wolfe (Wolfe also performs on many of the tracks). Wood Newton, Moses Crow, Tony Joe White, Bruce "Buscayo" Bellott and Carlton Collins perform other original songs.

Additional tracks were donated to the CD by Jon Justice, Chris Knight, Jack Ingram, Radney Foster, Steve Azar, and Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch with Fats Kaplin.

"This album is a totally pro-bono, grassroots project and a testament to the good in human nature," Ms. Wolfe said. "Every penny of sales will go to the two organizations we've selected as our partners."

Those two groups are Episcopal Community Services (ECS) of Louisiana and "LESM on the Bay," a project of Lutheran-Episcopal Services of Mississippi. Both are volunteer organizations that, while faith-based, serve their communities without regard to religious affiliation. Each is actively rebuilding homes in areas ravaged by Katrina.

For more information on "Forgotten but Not Gone" and to sample its songs, visit http://www.forgotten-but-not-gone.org. The album may be purchased through the Web site or from CD Baby (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/various394) for $14.99 plus shipping, handling, and taxes. The album is also available by sending a check or money order for $18 per CD to Gulf Coast Relief, Inc., P.O. Box 597, Hermitage, TN 37076. All proceeds will be equally divided between Episcopal Community Services of New Orleans and LESM on the Bay in Mississippi.

    Contact:

    Cynthia Amorese
    (908) 665-8072
    camorese@comcast.net
    http://www.forgotten-but-not-gone.org

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Gulf Coast Relief, Inc.