Brian May & Kerry Ellis 'Born Free' Tour & charity single is sure to warm & tug at your heart!

One of my lioness friends,  a true beauty, as nature intended -Photo: Marilyn Michaels

Queen's legendary guitarist Brian May is currently on a unique tour with acclaimed actress/singer Kerry Ellis.

These wonderfully special and intimate shows will provide the chance to see Ellis and May close-up, and are being especially performed to raise awareness of the work of the Born Free Foundation, the global organisation which works to protect and conserve threatened species, particularly Africa’s magnificent Lions, which across much of Africa, are sadly now in serious decline.

The tour started on November 5th but there are still dates left so be sure to get to one! (you will find the remaining dates below) I saw them at The Sunflower Jam in September and they really were fantastic.

With the Holly Daze festivals of Christmas & Chanukah etc soon upon us, are you struggling to find the perfect present? Well here is an idea , a lovely digital download stocking filler  for anyone, or treat yourself. Brian May & Kerry Ellis have released a single of their hauntingly beautiful version of Born Free, the following text is from a press release at www.brianmay.com:

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QUEEN LEGEND BRIAN MAY AND SINGING SENSATION KERRY ELLIS
RE-RECORD EPIC ‘BORN FREE’ SONG
Today sees the worldwide release of the Oscar-winning song ‘Born Free’ re-recorded by legendary Queen guitarist Brian May and West End and Broadway songstress Kerry Ellis.

The classic hit single will be sold in aid of international wildlife charity, the Born Free Foundation.

‘Born Free’ was first recorded by Matt Monro in 1966 as the title song to the classic wildlife film of the same name, starring Virginia McKenna OBE and the late Bill Travers, which told the story of George and Joy Adamson’s successful release of Elsa, an orphaned lioness, to the wild. Inspired by their experiences in Kenya, Virginia and Bill went on to establish the Born Free Foundation.
The music and lyrics to ‘Born Free’ combined the extraordinary talents, John Barry (Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves) and Don Black (Diamonds are Forever, The Man with the Golden Gun), collaborators on some of the most enduring film scores of our time.

With May’s driving guitar riffs and Kerry’s power-packed vocals, this is very much a new and exciting evolution of ‘Born Free’ the song.

Brian said; “We paid a lot of respect to this iconic song and were fortunate to have Don Black himself write some special new lyrics as we put our own mark on this awesome and moving track. We hope that people will really like what we have done and that it will contribute to the long-lasting legacy of this great piece of music.”
‘Born Free’ is widely recognised and loved all over the world and has been covered by some of the greats such as Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams.

The single was recorded by Brian and Kerry following a recent visit to South Africa to see the work of the Born Free Foundation first-hand. There they were involved in the relocation of two rescued lions at the Born Free Centres at the Shamwari Wildlife Reserve and went on to perform at the launch of Pride of Cape Town, a massive public arts exhibition of fibreglass lions, scheduled for Spring 2013.

Kerry said; “Seeing Born Free’s invaluable welfare and conservation work to help Africa’s lions really moved us to re-record a song which means so much to so many people. We hope we have done it proud and that the funds raised by the downloads will help the charity continue to protect fragile populations of lions in the wild.”

Throughout the years ‘Born Free’ has remained an enduring anthem that magically tugs at the heart strings; a powerful legacy of a film that told the story of a lioness named Elsa and her journey to freedom, made possible by two great conservationists, George and Joy Adamson.

The release of the single ties in with Brian and Kerry performing a series of intimate UK concert tour dates, also in support of the Born Free Foundation (for full listing of dates see below). The single is accompanied by a powerful promotional video focussing on the plight of lions, filmed in South Africa by the award-winning director Mike Slee (Flight of the Butterflies, 2012) and featuring Virginia McKenna.

Virginia is clearly delighted by this new version and said, “'Born Free' is reborn! Brian, Kerry, and Don have brought a new energy and a new meaning to a song, known and loved all over the world. Mike has made a magical film. If 'Born Free' can touch the ' of a new generation then maybe there is still time to save Africa’s wild lions. How fortunate we are at Born Free to receive this priceless support from people such as Brian and Kerry, who share our deep concern and love for wild animals and their place in the world.”

Members of the public are urged to alert the global online community about the song and to sign Born Free’s online Petition where they can pledge their support for lion protection and conservation. Visit www.bornfree.org.uk/bfsingle

Available in three formats, including a large-scale production and acoustic version, the ‘Born Free’ single is a digital only release and is available Monday 5th November to download, the day May and Ellis start their 11-date Born Free Tour.

DOWNLOAD DETAILS:
SINGLE 1 Born Free – Large scale version - Audio
SINGLE 2 Born Free – Acoustic Version – Audio
BUNDLE 3
Born Free – Large scale version - Audio
Born Free – Video

Born Free: Brian May | Format: MP3 Download - and Video
Release Date: 6 Nov 2012 | Label: Universal Music Group International

 About the Born Free Foundation

The Born Free Foundation is a dynamic international wildlife charity, devoted to compassionate conservation and animal welfare. Born Free takes action worldwide to protect threatened species and stop individual animal suffering. Born Free believes wildlife belongs in the wild and works to phase out zoos. Born Free rescue animals from lives of misery in tiny cages and give them lifetime care.

Born Free protects lions, elephants, tigers, gorillas, wolves, polar bears, dolphins, marine turtles and many more species in their natural habitat, working with local communities to help people and wildlife live together without conflict. Our high-profile campaigns change public attitudes, persuade decision-makers and get results. Every year, Born Free helps hundreds of thousands of animals worldwide. For more information about Born Free please visit: www.bornfree.org.uk
© brianmay.com

There you have it folks, great track for a great cause, fill your boots! You will also find the single  on Amazon &   ITunes.  Spread the word! Also look  here: Born Free - Brian May & Kerry Ellis - videohttp://youtu.be/RmLkdBC9qD8    Now back to those remaining tourdates

Remaining shows are:
***Friday 9 November Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre***
***Saturday 10 November Brighton, St. Georges Church***
*** Sunday 11 November London, Union Chapel***
*** Monday 12 November St. Albans, Alban Arena***
*** Thursday 15 November Crawley, The Hawth***
*** Friday 16 November Portsmouth, New Theatre Royal***
*** Saturday 17 November Salisbury, City Hall***
*** Monday 19 November High Wycombe, Swan Theatre***

 To book tickets please call the Credit Card Hotline on 0844 758 758 or book online at www.ticketzone.co.uk

Be sure to keep up with Brian and Kerry on their Twitter accounts via @DrBrianMay and @kerryjaneellis1 (remember to spread the hashtag #BornFree ) and of course be sure to visit their websites www.brianmay.com & www.kerryellis.com

Born Free Tour

A regal lion, living free (as nature intended) in South Africa - Photo: Marilyn Michaels




 

Marilyn Michaels