Don Imus w/Superstar Benefit LP

Includes Lucinda, Willie, Patty, Delbert, John Hiatt, Little Richard and those annoying Republicans from Big & Rich.

By Fred Mills

Didn’t we get rid of this motherfucker? Don Imus, that is. Well, say what you will of that nappy headed redneck ho Imus (and some of do say a lot about shock jock bigots such as Imus, including my late mom, who would have taken him over her knee and then washed his mouth out with soap if she’d had the chance), he still has a long, admirable history of helping out children via his Imus Ranch. Maybe eventually there wil be a spot in heaven for him some day, in fact: judge a man more by his deeds and actions than his ill-considered words, perhaps.

So without further editorializing, here’s an official announcement of the impending Sept. 16 release of The Imus Ranch Record (New West Records), a 13-track album designed to benefit the Imus Ranch (run by Imus and his wife Deirdre Imus), which hosts children who are afflicted with cancer or other serious blood diseases.

Here’s the scoop:

The album boasts eight Grammy^® Award winning artists including Patty Loveless, singing the Stevie Nicks penned “Silver Springs,” Dwight Yoakam putting his signature sound to “Give Back The Key To My Heart,” and Lucinda Williams singing “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” which was made famous by Waylon Jennings.  Big & Rich cover the Beastie Boys classic “Fight For Your Right To Party” playing with the lyrics to work in a line about the Ranch. Little Richard, Delbert McClinton, Willie Nelson and Randy Travis all recorded standards.

The compilation was produced by Imus along with Kyle Lehning (Randy Travis, George Jones) and Tracy Gershon (well known A & R executive). Imus selected each song and matched it to a specific artist. A complete list of the tracks follows:

Tracks & Artist List:

Silver Springs – Patty Loveless

Lay Down Sally – Delbert McClinton

Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys – Lucinda Williams

You Better Move On – Levon Helm

Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs – Raul Malo

I Ain’t Never – Little Richard

I Don’t See Me In Your Eyes Anymore – Randy Travis

You’ve Got To Fight For Your Right To Party – Big & Rich

What A Difference A Day Makes – Willie Nelson

Give Back The Key To My Heart – Dwight Yoakam

What Happened – Bekka Bramlett

Welfare Music – John Hiatt

A Satisfied Mind – Vince Gill

About The Imus Ranch: 

“Imus Ranch is an authentic working cattle ranch nestled beneath a majestic mesa in the rolling hills near Ribera, New Mexico, fifty miles northeast of Santa Fe.  The ranch was conceived and designed with the sole purpose of providing the experience of the great American cowboy to children suffering from cancer or serious blood disorders, and children who’ve lost brothers and sisters to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  The objective is to encourage in them a sense of achievement, responsibility and self-esteem and to instill pride and restore their dignity as they become aware of just how much they are able to accomplish.  The Imus Ranch is totally and completely organic, serving a strict vegan diet and using cleaning agents that are non-toxic, biodegradable, naturally derived materials.  They use no pesticides of synthetic chemicals of any kind in their gardening, farming, or infrastructure and plant maintances. For more information visit: www.imusranchfoods.com.”