U2 member helps Katrina victims
2005-11-22 10:32
Washington - In the name of music, U2 guitarist The Edge is leading a new bid to help artists who lost instruments when Hurricane Katrina's floodtide engulfed jazz capital New Orleans.
Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin will also take part in the initiative known as Music Rising, which will devote proceeds from sales of a special limited edition Gibson guitar.
"The devastation wrought by the hurricanes of 2005 to the Gulf Coast region has threatened not only the lives and livelihoods of the region's residents, but the area's rich and spirited culture as well," said The Edge on a new Music Rising website.
"Providing replacement instruments through Music Rising will not only help thousands of professional musicians affected by the hurricanes to regain a foothold on their future, but will also ensure one of the Gulf Coast's greatest assets, its music rises again."
U2 famously took part in the Superbowl half-time show at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, in 2002, unfurling a tribute to victims of the September 11 attacks, nearly five months earlier.
The stadium was used as an emergency Hurricane Shelter when Katrina struck on August 29, and its ripped roof and foul conditions became an emblem for the people of New Orleans, left high and dry by local, state and federal governments during the disaster.
Thousands of musicians dispersed from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area in the days after the Hurricane hit, some have since returned, while others have found work in other United States cities.