''Sweet Relief Musicians Fund'' is a nonprofit

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

that maintains a financial fund from which professional musicians can draw when in need of medical care or financial needs. Initially intended as a one-time CD launch benefit for

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with mul ...

, Sweet Relief has evolved into a charity organization that relies on donations from artists and the public as a general fund to all professional musicians in need. The fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling with their finances while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.

History

Founding and first CD release

The organization was started after musician and singer

was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1993 and had no way to pay for her medical expenses. Money was raised through benefit concerts and the release of a CD,'' Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams'', featuring artists like

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

and

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, ...

Second CD release

A second CD titled '' Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation'' was released in 1996. All of the proceeds went toward Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to aid the organization. A variety of alternative rock artists volunteered their time to perform a variety of songs from

Vic Chesnutt James Victor Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, ''Little'', was released in 1990. His commercial breakthrough came in 1996 with the release of '' Sweet ...

. Some well-known artists including

Garbage Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste prod ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternat ...

Hootie and the Blowfish Hootie & the Blowfish are an American soft rock band that were formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band ...

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chambe ...

Joe Henry Joseph Lee Henry (born December 2, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He has released 15 studio albums and produced multiple recordings for other artists, including three Grammy Award-winning albums. Early life H ...

and Madonna performed for the CD.

Services

Sweet Relief provides service to the music community through financial assistance in the following categories: *Insurance Premiums *Prescriptions *Housing Costs *Food Costs *Alternative Therapies/Treatments not covered by insurance

Criteria for eligibility

Candidacy for assistance depends, among other factors, on the availability of funds and the number of eligible applicants, along with the following criteria: *The applicant must be a musician who has regular public performances, or performed on at least three widely released recordings (audio or audiovisual), or written music that has been performed on three widely released recordings, or published on three occasions. *The applicant must demonstrate financial need. *Older musicians that require short-term assistance for basic needs. *Except for retired or semi-retired older musicians, the applicant must have, or recently have had, a serious medical condition. A condition is considered to be serious when it substantially affects the applicant’s ability to work within or outside the music industry. Exceptions may be made to any individual who does not meet these criteria but believes himself or herself to be eligible for assistance.

Management staff

Executives

*Bill Bennett - President *Aric Steinberg - Vice President of Development & Artist Relations

Board of directors

- Founder, Singer/songwriter and musician *J. Mark Matthews MD *

Ariel Hyatt Ariel Hyatt (born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts) is an American digital marketer, writer, and teacher who develops independent musicians. The author of ''Music Success in 9 Weeks'' (2009), ''Cyber PR For Musicians'' (2013), the crowdfunded ''Cr ...

*David Bournasian *Paul Fox *Martin Kamenski *Matthew Kaplan

Advisory board

*Jared Levy *Mike Rouse *Don Strasburg *Eric Pirritt *Benjamin Myers *Regius Gunawan *Keith Mitchell *Eric Mayers

Notable supporters

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund has worked with many notable musicians. A list of supporters, past and present, is shown below: *

311 311 may refer to: * 311 (number), a natural number * AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD * 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 311 (band), an American band ** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album ...

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* Aerosmith *

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* Ani DiFranco *

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* Beastie Boys *

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* Beyoncé *

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* Celine *

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industr ...

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* Jack Johnson * Jackson Browne *

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* Jewel *

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* Justin Timberlake *

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* Lenny Kravitz *

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* Madonna *

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Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

* Rob Thomas *

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Schoc ...

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* "Weird" Al Yankovic *

Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality. Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...

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Yellowcard Yellowcard is an American rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a violin i ...

Discography (benefit albums)

* '' Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams'' (1993) * '' Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation'' (1996) (Tribute to

) * '' Sweet Relief III: Pennies From Heaven'' (2013) *Party for Joey: Sweet Relief Tribute to Joey Spampinato (2021)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
Charities based in California Music organizations based in the United States