The torch has been passed to a new generation of superstar talent for A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VOLUME 7, as Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Gloriana, Kellie Pickler and the Carter Twins are joined by young stars Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Kingston, Charice, Colbie Calliat, Kristina DeBarge, Leighton Meester, Mitchel Musso and Ashley Tisdale for the latest edtion of the acclaimed album series which benefits the Special Olympics. A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VOLUME 7, set for release on November 24, through the Universal Music Enterprises, features original recordings of new and traditional Christmas songs which each artist selected especially for this album.
In making the announcement, Timothy Shriver, Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics, said, “This is a fantastic Christmas record created by and for a new generation that wants to make the world a better place. The songs on A Very Special Christmas Volume 7 have all the freshness and energy of the talented artists who recorded them. Through the spirit of their musical performances, these young recording stars bring the same passion and dedication to Special Olympics that our athletes display every day of their lives.”
A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VOLUME 7 and its focus on young entertainers was the brainchild of entertainment attorney Greg Lapidus, a founding partner of Lapidus and Haft who has represented Special Olympics, the (RED) organization, and various entertainment talent and entities. “In a year filled with defining moments for Special Olympics and this country,” Lapidus says, “it’s wonderful to see that the philanthropic impulse of this new generation of stars is strong. They have created an album of great Christmas music, fun, cheery and perfect for their generation of fans.”
Selling one million copies in its first year, the premier album, A Very Special Christmas, released in 1987, and the subsequent albums in the series, have generated more than $l00 million for Special Olympics, the most ever raised by a benefit recording series. Disbursed in grants by the Special Olympics Christmas Records Trust, the monies raised each year by the albums/CDs/DVDs play a crucial role in the lives of the least-advantaged Special Olympics athletes around the world where there are inaccurate and prejudiced views about people with intellectual disabilities.
Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away this year, but her words about the artists on the first volume of Very Special Christmas apply to the artists on A Very Special Christmas Volume 7, too. “I am full of admiration for the many artists who have helped us. It’s a great tribute that these men and women say to themselves, ‘I’ll use my talent to help others.’ It’s not easy because they’ve got so many demands on them and every charity wants them, but they’ve helped us, and I’m very grateful.”
A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS was launched when record executive/producer Jimmy Iovine decided that a Christmas album would be a beautiful memorial to his father. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss (the "A" and "M" of A&M Records) helped make the first A Very Special Christmas album possible with an advance and a commitment to handle the record without taking any royalties, and Bobby Shriver signed on as a producer. Keith Haring, one of the great artists of the 20th century, created the Madonna and child artwork that has appeared on every cover.
Each successive album of the series has honored the quality of its predecessors with timeless recordings of holiday music by some of the most influential and talented artists of the time. U2, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Madonna, Sting, Bon Jovi, Reba McIntyre, Alan Jackson, Wyclef Jean, Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Vanessa Williams and Bryan Adams are among the stars who contributed tracks to the previous albums and whose songs for A Very Special Christmas have become perennial favorites on the radio and at holiday celebrations over the years.
For more information on Special Olympics, go to www.veryspecialchristmas.org
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