Daily News (Bowling Green, KY)

Grammy winners teaming to make album for charity
Alicia Carmichael, acarmichael@bgdailynews.com -- 270-783-3234
 Published: October 25, 2003
Grammy Award winners Curtis Burch, a legendary dobro player; Sam Bush, a former member, with Burch, of Newgrass Revival; and Greg Martin, a Kentucky Headhunter, are just a few of the southcentral Kentucky musicians recording a CD called "Jambodians." But what makes the musicians' efforts special is that the album of original songs is being produced to raise money for The Son Rhea Foundation, which provides cash, instruments and art supplies to school children in the area.

Tony Lindsey of Bowling Green, founder of the non-profit foundation, is thrilled that the CD is being made. "I feel honored that all of these friends of mine - stars and Grammy Award winners - are willing to work with me on this," he said. When the CD is completed, probably by the second week of December, it will be "a sampler of music from this area," Lindsey said.

There will be rock, Bluegrass, Americana, R&B, maybe some jazz and other genres. It's all being put together by Richard Adler, a four-time Grammy-winning Nashville producer who has produced Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Natalie Cole and many others.

"We are lucky to have Richard Adler working with us on that," said David Dorris, who grew up in Bowling Green, is on the Son Rhea board and played in the band TyBarc, of which Tony Lindsey was a member when the band had regional success here in the '70s.

Lindsey said Dorris is his right-hand man when it comes to The Son Rhea Foundation; Dorris had a hand in getting the "Jambodians" album made, thanks to his friendship with Suzahn Fiering, a Nashville jazz musician who works as an independent engineer and producer at Adler's Soundwave Recording.

Fiering said Thursday that she first became aware of Son Rhea after Dorris asked her to play at the foundation's annual fund-raiser - Jambodian Holiday Bash - in Bowling Green two years ago. Fiering said she was surprised to see Grammy winners and other great musicians who had strong ties to southcentral Kentucky playing at the concert to raise money here. "Bowling Green has this real homegrown talent," she said.

Dorris, who now lives in Nashville and works as a media consultant, is also helping organize the musicians who are making "Jambodians." He said it has been a fun process, and one that has been well worth the time spent. But he's hoping more will come from it. We're hoping to get a distributor through a label so we can distribute it nationwide," he said.

National attention could mean untold amounts of money benefitting southcentral Kentucky children who are interested in the arts. Lindsey hopes local residents will come out to support Son Rhea on Dec. 27, when another Jambodian Holiday Bash will be held at Ellis Place in Bowling Green. "We're hoping to do a CD release party before it at the Capitol (Arts Center)," he said, "and continue the jam at Ellis Place."