Music for Montserrat
Music for Montserrat was a benefit concert held on 15 September 1997 at the Royal Albert Hall. The event was organised by Sir George Martin, former producer for The Beatles and founder of Associated Independent Recording, to raise funds for the Caribbean island of Montserrat after a major volcanic eruption by the Soufrière Hills volcano earlier that year.
Music for Montserrat
The concert was arranged and produced by Martin, and starred many iconic British and American rock musicians such as Phil Collins, Ray Cooper, Carl Perkins, Jimmy Buffett, Mark Knopfler, Sting, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Midge Ure, Arrow and many more, all of whom had once recorded or produced on the island. A DVD was released with the most famous songs from the concert, such as "Your Song", "Layla", "Brothers in Arms", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Money for Nothing", "Yesterday", "Hey Jude", and "Message in a Bottle".[1]
Proceeds from ticket sales and DVD copies went towards restoration and support of the island. The concert raised £1.5 million.[2] Proceeds from the show and DVD were used for immediate relief and also helped fund the building of a new cultural centre in Montserrat. On its completion in 2006, George Martin gifted the centre to the local community, which is still in operation today.
Fundraising was focused on revenues from:
Ticket sales from the 15th September 1997 concert, television and radio appearances and DVD sales amounted to raising £1,500,000 for Sir George Martin's Montserrat Foundation. The use of these proceeds was for immediate short-term relief for the islanders whose homes had been destroyed, as well as to fund a new cultural and community Montserrat Cultural Centre.
Sir George Martin has been quoted by both Sting and Paul McCartney as saying to press following the fundraising effort,
Legacy[edit]
The funds raised by 'Music for Montserrat' went to immediate use in supporting the local Montserratian community in the reconstruction of homes, as well as the first funds towards the new Montserrat Cultural Centre.
Following from the concert and the public focus it brought to the devastation caused by the Soufrière Hills eruption, George Martin's next fundraising effort was the release of five hundred 'limited edition' lithographs, featuring his score for the iconic 1965 song "Yesterday" by the Beatles. Signed by both Sir George Martin and Sir Paul McCartney, the proceeds of this sale generated another US$1.4 million which went towards the cultural and community center. In total, the Montserrat Cultural Centre cost nearly US$3 million[14] to construct.
The centre remains in use today, located in Little Bay to the north of the island, as a conference venue and multi-purpose performing arts centre.
Trivia[edit]
For Carl Perkins, this was his last major live performance; he died just over four months later on 19 January 1998.[15]