New York, NY (Top40 Charts) ASCAP and
America SCORES are pleased to announce that hit country songwriter Walt Aldridge, together with Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter
Alonzo "Zo" Lee, will participate in the ASCAP Songwriter Residency, a partnership with
America SCORES. The Residency is a mentorship program that provides a platform for songwriters to engage and inspire elementary and middle school students in under-resourced neighborhoods. The ASCAP Foundation, a public charity dedicated to supporting music education and talent development, funds the program. For more information, visit bit.ly/18XBNmn.
Walt and Zo will co-write a song with
America SCORES students from Barack Obama and Washington Elementary Schools in St. Louis on March 25th and 26th. Walt, Zo, and the students will then record the song at Ex'treme
Institute by
Nelly on March 27th. The finished song will be included on a special compilation album of songs created at this year's six ASCAP Songwriter Residencies. ASCAP produces and distributes this collection to each of the
America SCORES schools involved with the program, as well as to music industry influencers.
"Working with the
America SCORES students and standing with ASCAP in support is important to me because we are nurturing the gift of creation," said Zo, a three-time Residency songwriter. "It's so powerful to take the journey of creation with young writers and show them how to turn an idea into the reality of a song," said Walt, who is returning for the second time. "Great songs can truly change the world."
"The Normandy Schools Collaborative, including Barack Obama and Washington Elementary Schools, serves 275 middle school students who - without the
America SCORES program - would have no after-school opportunities in their communities," commented Tori Fennoy, Executive
Director for
America SCORES. "The ASCAP Songwriter Residency allows our children to voice their feelings and share talents in a positive, productive environment. The ASCAP Songwriter Residency, with some of the most noted chart-topping songwriters in the music industry, will serve as a catalyst for our children in St. Louis to be heard around the world."
To see videos of songs created in previous
America SCORES sessions in St. Louis, visit the ASCAP YouTube channel at bit.ly/1HGatYJ.
A songwriter, singer, musician, engineer and producer, Walt Aldridge has blessed Muscle Shoals and Nashville with his musical skills for more than 30 years. During that time, he has written more than 50 top 40 songs, with seven reaching the #1 spot. His song "No Getting Over Me" was named one of ASCAP's most performed country songs. Walt's work spans a wide spectrum of music, including artists as diverse as Lou Reed,
Peter Cetera and Blessid Union of Souls, while traditional country acts - from Conway Twitty to
Reba McEntire - have also found success with his songs. Walt currently divides his time between songwriting, performing about 50 shows a year and teaching recording technology classes at the University of North Alabama.
Alonzo "Zo" Lee is a two-time GRAMMY award-winning producer, songwriter and engineer from St. Louis. As a part of the production duo The Trak Starz, Zo has sold over 20 million records collectively and worked with artists such as Britney Spears, Usher, Chingy,
Ludacris and
Janet Jackson. Zo is also an active member of ASCAP, The Regional Arts Commission, Nine Networks PBS and
America Scores USA. He is credited with helping to usher the once unknown St. Louis music scene into national prominence with his signing and production of St. Louis native Chingy, whose debut CD sold over five million copies. Zo is an active collaborator with Universal
Music Publishing Group where he signs and develops new songwriters and producers.
This year's ASCAP Songwriter Residencies in other cities featured critically acclaimed composer/songwriter Gabriel Mann (Modern Family, Rectify) in LA; five-time Grammy-winning rapper/producer Malik Yusef (Kanye West, Common) with Golden Globe-winning songwriter
Julie Frost (Pitbull, Beyonce) in Chicago, IL; chart-topping songwriter Dave Berg (Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney) with songwriter/producer Tony Esterly in Portland, OR; Grammy and Emmy-nominated composer/songwriter
David Wolfert (Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand) with acclaimed songwriter/producer Johnny Blk (Daughtry,
Jessie J) in NYC; and R&B songwriter/producer
Andrea Martin (En Vogue,
Leona Lewis) in NYC.
Established in 2006, the ASCAP Songwriter Residency has supported 57 songwriters co-writing songs with students in 14 cities. That's 62 three-day workshops and over 1,430 smiling kids.
About
America SCORES
Founded in 1994 and now in 14 cities,
America SCORES is a national non-profit after school program that serves over 8,000 children in urban public schools. Using teamwork as a unifying value,
America SCORES' mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world. This is accomplished through an innovative model that combines poetry, soccer and service-learning during the school year and in the summer. Year after year, children demonstrate an increase in academic achievements, physical fitness levels and self-confidence -- all critical for developing the next generation of leaders. www.AmericaSCORES.org
About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and public service projects for senior composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org
About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With over 525,000 members representing more than 10 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com
