| COMMUNITY |
| Message Boards Chat Feedback |
| SITE SOURCES |
| Contents Help! Search CNN Networks |
| SPECIALS |
| Quick News Almanac Video Vault News Quiz |
|
Roberta Flack (left) and Madonna (right) "twist and shout" during the ninth annual benefit for the Rainforest Foundation Celebrities sing to save rain forests
April 28, 1998
Web posted at: 5:13 p.m. EDT (1713 GMT)(CNN) -- Sting, Madonna, Billy Joel, and Elton John were among the celebrity singers at the ninth annual benefit for the Rainforest Foundation.
The Monday night concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall raised money to help indigenous people save the rainforests in which they live. The foundation, co-founded and headed by Sting's wife Trudie Styler, has raised over $10 million since 1989, including an estimated $2 million from Monday's event.
The musicians enjoyed being a part of it.
"It's fun to work with other musicians you admire," Joel said. "And the cause is a good one."
Sting, James Taylor and Billy Joel sing to Trudie Styler
704k QuickTime movieMedley of tunes performed at the concert
512k WAV audio file
John agreed. "It's an event that, once you've done it, you want to do it every year because it's so much fun," he said.
Joel performed the Beatles hit, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," and John sang his 1980s single, "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues."
In 1994, the late Tammy Wynette participated in the Rainforest Foundation benefit. This year, her passing was noted by John and Emmy Lou Harris. "I put my hand up and said, 'I'll do 'Stand By Your Man,' which I knew she would have loved," John said. "She would've giggled at that."
Sting played a jazzy version of "Roxanne," and Madonna -- making a surprise appearance -- joined in for the group finale as they sang the foundation's theme song, "With a Little Help from My Friends."
New York City played the agreeable host by temporarily renaming the street outside Carnegie Hall "Rainforest Way." The city also lit up the Empire State Building in green light.
Correspondent Mark Scheerer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related stories:
Related sites:
Note: Related sites will open in a new browser window.
|
Sound off on our message boards & chat |
|
© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.