The concept is fairly simple: you have two genuine people who care passionately about life on our planet and together with their love of music what they produce is magical.
Brian May is the legendary guitarist from the rock group Queen, and he has a connection with his acoustic and electric guitars that is amazing to listen to. He also has a damn cool singing voice. Singing most of the vocals is the extremely talented Broadway and West End star Kerry Ellis.
The music produced by the two of them is beautiful. “Born Free” is the touching opening and closing number, but the music of the evening spans many genres, including musical theatre!
Supporting them on stage is Jeff Leach on keyboard and Brian May’s ‘right-hand’ technical man, Pete. Also joining them for a few of the songs tonight was the West Sussex County Youth Choir, who in particular added a beautiful harmony to “In The Bleak Midwinter”.
The focus of the evening is listening to two fabulous musicians and having a great time. But don’t be mistaken into thinking that this is the main reason for the tour, as it isn’t. The music of Brian May and Kerry Ellis brings people together for a purpose, and that is to pass on a message of doing something to help save the wildlife on our planet. All credit to both of them for the hard work they have put in on this tour and I am sure elsewhere. Thanks in no small part to the efforts of Brian May the recently proposed national badger cull was postponed.
There are only three concerts left in this tour and if you can get a ticket for any one of them then you really should, as you will not only get to witness two extremely talented artists, but also be a part of the journey of doing something about saving some of the wildlife on our planet.
PORTSMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL Fri 16/11/12 1930 hrs
SALISBURY CITY HALL Sat 17/11/12 1930 hrs
SWAN THEATRE WYCOMBE Mon 19/11/12 1930 hrs
Booking link on www.brianmay.com
You can also follow Brian May on Twitter @DrBrianMay and Kerry Ellis @kerryjaneellis1
Born Free – Brian May & Kerry Ellis
November 2012 saw the worldwide release of the Oscar-winning song ‘Born Free’ re-recorded by legendary Queen guitarist Brian May and West End and Broadway star Kerry Ellis. Their interpretation of the classic song is being sold in aid of the Born Free Foundation and available to download in a variety of formats.
Itunes download:
ACOUSTIC VERSION
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/born-free-acoustic-version/id575096077
FULL VERSION
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/born-free-feat.-kerry-ellis/id575096156
VIDEO eMix Bundle
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/born-free-single/id573214262
All proceeds will be going to the Born Free Foundation and EIA.
The Born Free Foundation
Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers starred together in the 1966 film Born Free which told the story of George and Joy Adamson as they returned Elsa the Lioness to the wilds of Africa. The Born Free Foundation evolved through their work and is a conservation and animal rescue organization, founded in 1984 as the “Zoo Check Campaign”.
“From small beginnings, the Born Free Foundation has grown into a global force for wildlife. But a personal passion for wild animals and desire for positive change remain at our heart. Described by The Times as ‘Big enough to make a difference, but small enough to care,’ Born Free is not a big anonymous organisation, but a family of like-minded people who share the same goals. Our work to prevent individual animal suffering, protect threatened species and keep wildlife in the wild sets us apart from the rest.”
“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.” – Brian May
“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.” – Kerry Ellis
Find out about and support The Born Free Foundation at www.bornfree.org.uk/
Article by Neil Cheesman who you can follow on Twitter @LondonTheatre1
