NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 22, 2006) – Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs provided an
S90ES keyboard and an
MPC7 piano for the all-star JCPenney Jam: The Concert for America's Kids. The event was held June 14 at Los Angeles' historic Shrine Auditorium and featured performances by Yamaha artist
David Foster, who also served as the show's music director, and Yamaha artist
John Legend.
The impressive line-up also included country superstars Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, and Martina McBride, jazz musician Chris Botti, rock group 3 Doors Down, legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli, Latin pop star Alejandro Sands and teen vocalist Renee Olstead. The evening was hosted by Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw.
The special event was billed by JCPenney as the largest project ever undertaken in America to raise awareness about the need for working families to have access to quality afterschool programs.
"We are always delighted to provide instruments to our artists no matter what the occasion, but it is especially gratifying when our artists and others are working so hard to raise awareness for such a wonderful charitable cause," comments Chris Gero, corporate director of Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs.
The concert was taped in high-definition for a CBS network television special to air on August 22. It will also be produced as a special two-disc DVD/CD combo package that will include clips from behind the scenes and the making of the concert. The twin-pack DVD/CD combo will be available exclusively at JCPenney stores and online at jcp.com and aol.com in August.
JCPenney created the JCPenney Afterschool Fund in 2001, which is a charitable organization committed to providing access to safe and enriching afterschool programs for America’s underserved youth. Recent studies show that 14.3 million children in the U.S. are unsupervised after school, and they are at a higher risk to become involved in crime, drug abuse and other destructive behaviors during these hours.
