Music and children: The essence of Country Roads
View(s):By Duvindi Illankoon
Country Roads celebrates a grand 25 years on February 17, at the Hilton Colombo Grand Ballroom. From its humble beginnings in 1988 as a one-off concert to an annual extravaganza much looked forward to by Sri Lanka’s country music community, this is one of those rare shows with a genuine conscience.
The first-ever Country Roads show was organised by Feizal Samath and Jury Majid of the Country Music Foundation for the upliftment of children in society while fostering a sense of belonging among local country music fans. 25 years on, this has not changed. “Our show is still about two main things-the music, and the amazing children that we help with the proceeds every year,” says President of the Country Music Foundation, Feizal Samath.
Mariazelle: Singing country for the cause
Mariazelle and the Cosmic Rays, crowd favourites from the very first concert 25 years ago will return to the stage this time too. Known for her baila renditions at the time, Mariazelle embraced a new genre with the first Country Roads concert in ’88. Since then she has been a regular performer at the concert, along with the Cosmic Rays, a well known country band.
Though Country Roads started off as a platform for local artists, it soon attracted international artists. In 1992, just four years into the venture, Feizal wrote to a US country music magazine about the concert and was bemused to receive a Telex from a German band. So began The Mavericks long history of performing at the Country Roads concert.
Bob Livingstone, a Texas cowboy with a passion for music and children, was next on board. “I’m honoured to have been asked to perform once again at the Country Roads concert,” he enthuses. “Feizal is a good friend who loves country music with a passion and when he asked me to do it I said, ‘I’m in!’ I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in your neck of the woods so, in a way, it’s like coming home. My son and his little family are living in South India right now and I’ll get to have a good visit with him before I get to Colombo.”
Bob says he will be playing songs from his new CD, Gypsy Alibi, which won the “Album of the Year” at the Texas Music Awards in 2011. “Anything that helps the future of children is high on my list of priorities, so I can’t wait to meet and play for the kids too.” Expect the triumphant return of Bob’s famous attempt to blend the Eastern and the Western (literally) this year as well, when he is joined by a tabla player during his performance!
Also returning to a country she loves is Astrid Brooke. “I feel proud to have been invited back to play at Country Roads this year, especially as it’s the 25th anniversary of the concert so it promises to be a very special evening,” says the singer with the haunting voice. She’s looking forward to seeing the ‘loyal fans’ who return every year to support the cause and the music. “This year, I’ll be singing a collection of timeless country songs by popular artists including the wonderful Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Dan Fogelberg. There are others but you will have to come to the concert to find out what they are! I very much look forward to performing on the evening to help raise much needed funds for the charity.”
There are many anecdotes that the organisers remember fondly, but one that always stands out for Feizal is taking the performers to see the kids that their work benefits. “The local and international stars perform completely free of charge,” he smiles. “With the international performers, we arrange accommodation and try to make it a longer trip for them so they can meet their beneficiaries.
It’s always nice to see them interact so well with the kids despite the language barrier.” One missed opportunity, he recalls is that in the early 90’s, he was contacted by an international artist who offered to bring a relatively obscure singer with him to perform at the concert. Due to financial and other restrictions, the organisers had to turn the offer down. “And so Shania Twain missed out on launching her career in Sri Lanka,” says Feizal ruefully.
But the many wonderful opportunities created for the kids and musicians they work with are what make Country Roads such a success. “We profile country music to make it all about the people,” says Feizal. “Jury and I grew up with this music and so did many of our audience members. It’s very nostalgic.”
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