Posted by: Carol
in MyBlog on Nov 23, 2009
The following is an excerpt from the Special Olympics website
"Through bold innovation and enormous generosity, the record industry has made beautiful music for Special Olympics athletes since 1987. The benefit recording series has become the largest financial source in Special Olympics' history, enabling the organization to respond with hope in areas around the world where people... with intellectual disabilities are still perceived as less than worthy, less than capable, even less than human.
The founding idea for the A Very Special Christmas series came from producer Jimmy Iovine as a way to memorialize his father, who had passed away during the holiday season. Iovine’s wife, Vicki, suggested the record benefit Special Olympics, the organization for which she was working as a volunteer. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the “A” and “M” of the albums’ label, A&M Records, along with Bobby Shriver, made the first album possible.
