The project came together after Canadian singer/songwriter Victoria Banks penned the song “City of Dreams” after seeing the flood devastation in her neighbourhood. She posted a simple guitar/vocal slideshow of the damage on YouTube and within days the video had gone viral. Soon Banks was approached by members of the local Nashville music community who were touched by the song. They wanted to make it into a “We Are the World” for Nashville, and offered to donate their talents to record it as a single and a music video.
Over forty artists contributed to the recording, ranging from legendary voices to new faces, Grammy-winning musicians, and hit songwriters. Canadian participants included Victoria Banks, Jason Blaine, Lisa Brokop, George Canyon, Deric Ruttan, Dave & Kortney Wilson, and Michelle Wright. Logo design, recording, engineering and mastering studios and services were also donated, and a production company volunteered to film the event to make a music video for broadcast on CMT and GAC.
“Every participant checked their ego at the door,” commented Victoria Banks. “It was incredibly moving. The whole thing was done in a spirit of community, motivated by our desire to help our Nashville neighbors who have suffered so much loss in this disaster.”
Visit www.CityOfDreamsNashville.com for more information on the participants, to view the video, download the song, and to donate to the Nashville Red Cross.
“City of Dreams” will be available for radio play via DMDS download in the coming days.
