Amnesty International’s Chimes of Freedom DC Showcases Diverse Talents and Genres, from Hip Hop and Jazz to Rock and Blues

African American/Diversity Newswire
(413) 221-7931

Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150
strimel@aiusa.org

(New York) – Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International, which released Tuesday, January 24 in North America through Fontana Distribution, presents more than 80 diverse artists across the musical spectrum, from jazz, rap and hip hop to pop, rock and blues

Featuring what The New York Times described as “a genre-busting, cross-generational cast,” the collection will be available in several configurations. The 4-disc CD set contains a total of 73 tracks while 76 tracks are available via individual digital download and a bundled digital album. The album can be purchased at: http://www.amnestyusa.org/chimes.

The huge collection attests to Amnesty International’s depth of support among musicians – a 40-year history of engagement with this community – as well as the universal appeal of the core message of human rights and the breadth of Dylan’s impact on culture.

The collection includes tracks by artists of color including K’NAAN, Seal, Ziggy Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Taj Mahal, Bettye LaVette, and others.
K’NAAN interprets Dylan’s “With God on Our Side,” adding language that focuses on the tragic history of his homeland, Somalia.
“Diversity is a prevailing theme with artists from different cultural backgrounds and influences from around the world,” said Karen Scott, Amnesty International’s manager of music relations. “Each of these extraordinary talents put their own spin on Dylan. Nonetheless, the messages found in Dylan’s lyrics resonant regardless of the genre.”
Amnesty International campaigns on pressing human rights needs worldwide and fights for individuals like death row prisoner Reggie Clemmons, an African American man in Missouri convicted as an accomplice to murder, although no physical evidence ties him to crime or the events leading to it and the prosecution conceded he neither killed the victims nor planned the crime. To take action on behalf of Clemmons and others, visit:http://www.amnestyusa.org/chimes.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than three million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. For more information, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org
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