BILLBOARD MAGAZINE
December 23, 2003
http://www.billboard.com

Simon & Garfunkel, Phish Feeling Charitable

The recently reunited duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel today (Dec. 23) made a joint $1 million donation to the Children’s Health Fund. Half the money will go to CHF’s national network for poor and homeless children; the other half will go to a pediatric preparedness program run by CHF at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

“Paul and Artie are American icons, and their actions today show that they are committed to improving the quality of life and opportunities for all of America’s children,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener, president of the fund.

Redlener and Simon co-founded the Children’s Health Fund in 1987 to provide medical help for New York’s homeless children. The nonprofit organization has since expanded to cover 16 communities nationwide.

Meanwhile, jam band Phish has announced that effective Jan. 1, the group will donate net proceeds from its personal digital download service, LivePhish.com, to the Mockingbird Foundation. The organization was founded by Phish fans to promote music education for children. According to the band, LivePhish.com has generated more than $2 million in sales of live concert material.

“Playing live music has always been a source of indescribable joy for me, and everyday I count my blessings that I’m able to make my living doing something that I so deeply love,” says Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio. “It’s exciting then to think that a person can come to a Phish concert, and know that all the profits from the subsequent downloads of our music will go directly into children’s music programs. The fact that the Mockingbird Foundation was created by Phish fans makes it all the more inspirational to us.”

— AP & Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.