Michael McDonald Presents Concert Video Proceeds to Music Charities

(L-R) NAMM Executive Committee: Treasurer Dennis Houlihan of Roland Corporation; Chairman Steve West of West Music Company; Vice Chairman Paul Heid of Heid Music Company; Yamaha Senior Vice President Terry Lewis; artist Michael McDonald; former NAMM Chairman Paul Murphy, and NAMM’s new president and CEO Joe Lamond celebrate McDonald’s $50,000 donation to NAMM.

The echoes of the Yamaha Millennium Concert, a musical tribute to the career of singer-songwriter Michael McDonald that benefited the AMC in Los Angeles February, 2000, may have faded—but the event’s real impact is just beginning.

At a special July 17 gathering in Nashville, McDonald presented a check for $50,000 to NAMM-International Music Products Association President and AMC Executive Director Joe Lamond. The sum, which represents McDonald’s proceeds from the sale of the concert video rights to Image Entertainment, will go to support four NAMM affiliates that promote music and music making: the American Music Conference (AMC), the International Foundation for Music Research (IFMR), the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and the Museum of Making Music. In addition, the concert itself raised $30,000 for these groups, bringing the total benefit to $80,000. The video, titled “Michael McDonald: A Gathering of Friends,” will be released in mid-September.

“It’s a wonderful bonus that after all the enjoyment that evening brought us, it’s also going to help put music in people’s lives,” says Lamond. “I’m very grateful to Michael for this tremendous gesture.”