A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer takes place Aug 21st
On Joe Strummer’s birthday, Friday, August 21st at 3 pm ET/noon PT, the music and arts community is coming together for a global event to celebrate Joe Strummer’s legacy as a solo musician and singer of The Clash. Produced by Jesse Malin, Jeff Raspe and Joe Strummer estate manager, David Zonshine, A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer will be a two-hour event that will stream for free at JoeStrummer.com, with all donations benefiting Save Our Stages.
The night will be hosted by Jesse Malin and will feature never before seen live footage of Strummer, alongside special performances and testimonials by many of the former Clash frontman’s friends and peers. Bob Weir, Bruce Springsteen, Dropkick Murphys, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Lucinda Williams, Steve Buscemi, Tom Morello and others will make appearances.
“To see so many musicians and artists come forward to honor Joe is really touching,” says Stummer’s wife Lucinda Tait. “Community was always important to him. Whether it was playing music with friends, organizing all night campfires, or hijacking festivals, Joe was always focused on bringing people together. Even though we can’t all be in the same room together, I cannot think of a better way for us all to feel united. Joe would have loved this.”
“This tribute to Joe is not only a great way to honor him, but to also remind people how important his message is right now,” adds Malin.
Punk poet, musician, composer, actor and style icon, Joe Strummer spent his life smashing musical and cultural boundaries both as the singer of The Clash and as a solo artist. Songs like “Know Your Rights,” “London Calling,” “Rock The Casbah,” “Straight To Hell,” and “Coma Girl” engulfed the global masses and sound as urgent and vital today as when they were written. It was Strummer’s politically charged lyrics that helped bring punk to the masses. Calling out social injustices and giving a voice to the struggles of the working class, his lyrics struck a chord with legions of fans and the press alike, with Rolling Stone calling The Clash “the greatest rock and roll band in the world.” He once famously said, “People can change anything they want to, and that means everything in the world.” And through his art Strummer played his part in shaping the musical landscape of the world and with it left an unrivaled and timeless legacy.
