| From the Daily Express, July 12: EXPRESS Newspapers owner Richard Desmond is planning to drum up £1million for charity by performing two gigs with The Who frontman Roger Daltrey. The keen musician has teamed up with Daltrey,
Thin Lizzy's Gary Mr Desmond, who plays drums, will take to the stage at two top London venues on a Sunday and Monday in October. The chairman of Northern and Shell told of
his plans when he was Mr Desmond and his wife Janet are hoping to hit the £1million mark after raising £400,000 at a charity gig he played last year. The couple are raising money for the Teenage
Cancer Trust and The group of star-studded musicians will
play jazz club Ronnie Mr Desmond, who has a drum kit in his office, said: "It really helps me relax. My walls aren't sound-proofed so the staff often get to enjoy me playing!" He also has a drum kit at home but Janet revealed she has banished him to the garage. She quipped: "I close all the windows and shut the garage door and then he sounds pretty good. There is nothing he likes more than playing them really loud. He is a massive fan of The Who and plays a lot of that stuff." Mr Desmond recalled: "The first publication I owned was International Musician in 1974. I'm looking forward to playing with such
great musicians but the main thing is to hit that £1million
mark. I donated £2million to Mr Desmond was invited to open the two-day
fair by friend and .................. And from the IGTC Who newsgroup, paraphrased from news item on totallyjewish.com: Desmond's Charity Gig Media mogul Richard Desmond is set to perform with an all-star line up of rock legends to raise funds for Norwood. Describing the welfare charity's work as “fantastic”, Desmond told TJ on Wednesday: “I really like the charity and when I gave a donation they asked me if I would host cocktail parties. I thought that would be a bit dull and it would be more fun to put on a concert.” With the Express newspapers owner on the drums, the supergroup will include Who front man Roger Daltrey, Gary Moore from Thin Lizzy and Greg Lake from Emerson Lake and Palmer. They will be jamming at two west end gigs later this year in aid of Norwood and the teenage cancer trust. The money raised at the performance will be used to help pay for Norwood’s new £16m home to be built in Hertfordshire. Desmond, a member of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in St John’s Wood, has been involved with the charity for more than 20 years. He said: “I have visited the Ravenswood village many times. I like the people there very much and like the way they look after the people I think the concept of Ravenswood village is fantastic.” Last year Desmond performed with Daltry, Townsend and Lake at a similar concert at jazz club Ronnie Scotts. The event raised more than £400,000 for the teenage cancer trust and Desmond hopes to raise a similar amount for Norwood. The 52-year-old’s long-time interest in music led him to launch his first magazine International Musician in 1974. Norwood chief executive Norma Brier said: “We're delighted and indebted to Richard Desmond and Richard Loftus for extending their generous support to Norwood and hosting this special concert. “It’s a wonderful gesture by both men and I am sure that it will be a memorable evening which will raise vital funds for the building our state-of-the-art new school for children with profound learning disabilities, which is due to be open in 2006.” Tickets for the concert cost £750, including a fully kosher meal, and are available from Norwood by calling 020 8420 6856 or emailing "theconcert at express.co.uk". |
