The music I use in my video projects comes from a few sources: Fisher, Martin Page, David Hodges, Jason Mraz, Jim Gaven and Cristina Lynn. I blogged about their support recently. (I only use music which is legally cleared to prevent copyright issues for the non-profit organizations and shelters I help).
Kathy Fisher and Ron Wasserman (formerly Fisher) wrote, recorded, produced and published their own music, having escaped the trappings of the traditional music industry and ventured out on their own. My heartfelt thanks go out to Kathy and Ron.
Martin Page hails from Southampton, England. He first gained recognition as a songwriter in the early 80’s with Top-40 hits for Kim Carnes and Earth, Wind & Fire, among others. His list of song credits is hundreds of titles long. He has written for, produced, and had his songs cut by, and/or otherwise worked with such artists as The Commodores, Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones, Paul Young, Earth, Wind & Fire, Brian Ferry, Phil Collins, Josh Groban, Colin Bluntsone, Robbie Williams and Elaine Paige, among many others. I cannot thank Martin and his manager, Diane Poncher, enough for their help and their generosity.
David Hodges is a multi-platinum, Grammy, and BMI award winning writer and producer. He was a founding member of Evanescence and has been penning hits with and for artists for over a decade. Selling over 70 million records, his #1 singles include "My Immortal" (Evanescence), "A Thousand Years" (Christina Perri for Twilight), "Because of You" (Kelly Clarkson), “Dear Hate” (Maren Morris and Vince Gill) and "See You Again" (Carrie Underwood). David has recently had songs released by Keith Urban, Blink 182, 5 Seconds of Summer, Ben Rector, Kelsea Ballerini, Jason Mraz, and many more. Huge thanks to David, to Lucas Keller of Milk & Honey Music and to the team at Kobalt for allowing me to use the music.
Jason Mraz is a California-based singer/songwriter (originally from San Diego) who first achieved wide recognition for his 2002 song "The Remedy" (Don't Worry). Mraza has won two Grammy Awards and received two additional nominations, and has also won two Teen Choice Awards, a People's Choice Award and the Hal David Songwriters Hall of Fame Award. He has earned Platinum and multi-Platinum certifications in over 20 countries, and has toured in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. Jason co-wrote "A Song for Us" with David Hodges which I cleared with the help of David's folks at Kobalt.
Jim Gaven is the founder and CEO of Key of Awesome Music. He describes himself as a singer/songwriter from New Jersey who is on a mission to make the world a better place through peace, hope, and love. In addition to creating wonderful music, Jim leads a nonprofit organization called Key of Awesome Music, Inc. which improves the quality of life for people with disabilities, addiction, the elderly, and children - with music.
Cristina Lynn and I met through a common contact. I had heard she was a singer-songwriter from my area and thought it would be interesting to connect with someone local. After I lost my parents to cancer, I ended up with some songs in my head, one of which was from the perspective of a rescued animal called, "Just No Looking Back." I knew it was not a chart topper, but also thought it might be able to help some animals. I reached out to Cristina and she graciously agreed to record the song for us both after improving on the lyrics and melody. I've used in in a few different projects and each time I learn she will perform locally, I make a request for her to "sing our song." Cristina is a wonderful talent and I look forward to a very bright future for her in the music industry!