The band Foreigner which formed back in 1976 has been a longstanding contributor to supporting and promoting Shriners Hospitals. Led by guitarist Mick Jones and singer Kelly Hansen, Foreigner is one of the top-selling bands of all time, selling more than 80 million recordings since their founding. They have donated money for the Shrine's pediatric hospitals ever since 2008, and have raised $300,000 for them from CD sales at their shows.
Now for 2019, Foreigner has teamed up with the Shrine by creating a new recording and video of their biggest hit song, 1984's I Want To Know What Love Is, featuring a children's choir of young patients from the hospitals singing portions of the lyrics.
From the 96.1 The Rocket website,
A longer excerpt of the video an be seen on the Shriners Facebook page HERE.
And before anyone asks, I have no idea if Jones, Hansen, or any of the band's other members belong to the Masonic fraternity.
While Freemasons are fully aware of the connection, the vast majority of the public don't realize that all Shiners are, in fact, Masons. Shriners International is an appendant body of Freemasonry that requires its members to belong to the Masonic fraternity before joining their well-known red fez-wearing organization. It is the best-known public face of Masonic charitable giving and philanthropy operating twenty-two pediatric hospitals that provide specialty orthopedic and burn care at no cost to patients and their families.
For more information about the Shriners, their hospitals, and membership, see their website HERE.
From the 96.1 The Rocket website,
Jones says the lyrics apply to the resilience and happiness the medical network brings to its patients. "Over time, it kinda went into a more universal feeling, and a lot of people took it as that, and that's fine with me. It's a song of hope and a song of joy and happiness and inspiration."
Hansen adds, "Being involved in this is all really good, but getting to share it with the kids is really the best part for me..."The song's re-release and the video is available on ITunes and GooglePlay as of January 1st (watch it via the link above), but a news story and preview can be seen on the WFTS-TV Tampa Action News website HERE.
A longer excerpt of the video an be seen on the Shriners Facebook page HERE.
And before anyone asks, I have no idea if Jones, Hansen, or any of the band's other members belong to the Masonic fraternity.
While Freemasons are fully aware of the connection, the vast majority of the public don't realize that all Shiners are, in fact, Masons. Shriners International is an appendant body of Freemasonry that requires its members to belong to the Masonic fraternity before joining their well-known red fez-wearing organization. It is the best-known public face of Masonic charitable giving and philanthropy operating twenty-two pediatric hospitals that provide specialty orthopedic and burn care at no cost to patients and their families.
For more information about the Shriners, their hospitals, and membership, see their website HERE.
Wonderful, a BIG Thank you, to Foreigner, for supporting our young patients. "Children and the elderly are the closest to G_d." Sometimes the Shrine gets it right. This is one of those times. Thanks Chris.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year, everyone! Tom, life member, Afifi Shriners, WA.