Just Causes

JUST CAUSES owes its conception primarily to two people: the actor Paul Newman and the Australian singer-songwriter Gary Shearston. To my knowledge, they never met but, were it not for Shearston's creation of TOM QUICK - a musical confession to the injustices inflicted on America's indigenous peoples in the morally vacant name of revenge - and Newman's creation of a food distribution system that assigns 100% of its profits to charities, I might not have recognized the opportunity to link these 15 songs (spanning almost 50 years of songwriting and performance) to their relevant nonprofits. It comes perhaps as little or no surprise to recognize music of social change playing such a significant role in the gathering of our hearts and minds around mutually held community concerns. Particularly in an era of misinformation, it is refreshing to reconnect with one another on that deeper emotional level that music provides. It is my hope that this collection might reawaken and reinspire your commitment and support for the charities associated with each song.