Published on December 5, 2010 by Cocorioko News · 3 Comments
Cocorioko Newspaper© would like to congratulate Grammy® nominated artist and author Freddy Will, along with fellow nominees Ken Cowle, CEO of Soul Asylum Poetry and Publishing/Double K Records, the entire production team at the East Coast Recording Company in New York and the rest of the Healthy Foods Coalitionmembers and artists on their recent 2010 Grammy® Award nomination on December 1, 2010!!!
Freddy Will might be the first and only Sierra Leonean artist to enjoy such a prestigious opportunity as well as an international recognition of this magnitude. In today’s world, it’s not often that hard work and perseverance is acknowledged and genuinely applauded. In most instances, hard work is met with dry criticism or buoyant ignorance. It takes an authentic calling for one to press on even when others do not immediately see their vision. It takes confidence, yet good luck and preparation, to heed success when opportunity comes knocking.
In 2009, Freddy Will was asked to participate in a very important CD project entitled, ‘Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough to Eat’ which is supported by the philanthropic organizationNew York Coalition for Healthy School Foods (NYCHSF). The NYCHSF were embarking on a statewide not-for-profit collaboration with Grammy® award winning artists and children’s artists to promote healthy eating in New York.
Childhood obesity and Type-2 diabetes rates have been rising at an alarming rate in North America especially among children under 12 years of age. The NYCHSF identified that part of the cause of these issues may be rooted in the meals being served at schools as well as unhealthy junk foods, soft drinks and snacks sold in school vending machines. They decided to produce an educational children’s CD comprising a mix of spoken word and music that would serve as an aide memoir and encourage healthy eating among children. Their intent is also to persuade the New York State School Board to change their nutrition plan at schools and replace sugary and fatty meals with a healthy balanced diet containing more protein, vegetables, fruits, vitamins and less processed foods. The NYCHSF believe that healthy nutrition can boost learning and the education process.
The star studded double CD album, Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat was nominated under the category of Best Spoken Word Album For Children at the 2010Grammy Awards nominations the Nokia Club in Los Angeles California on December 1, 2010. The CD was expertly produced by Jim Cravero, Kevin Mackie, Paula Lizzi and Steve Pullaraof the East Coast Recording Company located in Manhattan, New York where many artists and legends have recorded there.
The album, which was only released this past September, has also been nominated for Best Children’s Album at the Lehigh Valley Music Awards which will be held on December 12th, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To date, it has received favorable reviews from the media and generated the awareness for change which the New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods is seeking to mandate
On the NYCHSF website, Kathy O’Connell, who is a contributing writer to MetroKids and host of the Peabody-award-winning Kids Corner, weekdays 7-8pm on WXPN 88.5 FM wrote an article on the CD:
“On Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough to Eat, the song “We Love Raw Veggies and Greens” explains “we’re from New York State, we didn’t like what was on our plate” to introduce the New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods and its two-disc collection of songs and poetry about healthy eating. Comparisons to the Marlo Thomas classic Free to Be You and Me are warranted by the collection’s humorous approach to its healthy eating agenda and its multi-generational ability to please…The project provides a bountiful crop of resources for teachers and parents to plant ideas about good food in their kids’ minds.”
The artists featured on the CD comprises of many Grammy® Award winners and entertainment notables such as Julian Lennon (the son of legendry Beatle John Lennon), multi-platinum techno guru Moby, internationally revered music, fashion and philanthropic legend Russell Simmons, the world renowned Rock ‘n’ Roll band Sweet Honey In the Rock, country and Rock singer Amy Otey, Tom Chapin, Jessica Harper, Justin Roberts, Travis Knapp, Nate Silas Richardson, James Jones-Rounds, Robert Miles, Tim Gleeson, Jim Rowland, Tony Repicci, Amie Hamlin, Jay Mankita,Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, Uncle Floyd, John Simon and Sara Hickman. Some may not be aware of these entertainers but they are all well known musicians, actors, authors, music producers, philanthropists and influencial radio and television personalities in the United States and worldwide.
Right among this amazing array of artists is Sierra Leone’s own – Freddy Will. He made his contribution on this Grammy® nominated CD with his smash song entitled, ‘Future.’ I am proud to say that a Sierra Leonean is listed among this mega talented group of people who are all dedicated to this cause of ‘healthy eating.’
Freddy Will was born in Brookfields, Freetown, Sierra Leone and raised in Monrovia and Kakata, Liberia. He attended elementary schools such as St. Mary’s Catholic School in Monrovia and St. Christopher Catholic School in Kakata Liberia. Among several secondary schools attended in Sierra Leone, his main alma meters are Christ the King College (CKC) in Bo and Methodist Boys High School in Freetown. Freddy Will also lived in Senegal and the Gambia where he attended Ice High School. In the United States, he studied at Edison Job Corps Academy, Raritan Valley College, and Villanova University and was an international exchange student at the Beijing University in China. Freddy Will is a Sierra Leonean/American author and artist who resides in Philadelphia and New Jersey in the United States and Toronto in Canada.
On October 10th 2010, the Grammy® nominated artist and author Freddy Will released his current album entitled; Dark Horse from Romarong …a city of kings. This album comes with an accompanying book (his second published book) entitled, The Dark Road From Romarong. The album & book were both released and launched worldwide through Double K Records and GBEnt on the SAME DAY. They sold out within the first two weeks of their releases.
This highly anticipated album and book combo is the most recent in a slew of noteworthy albums, singles and publications by Freddy Will. Even though the album is performed in Krio, its western supporters have been overwhelming as the majority of fans who turned out to buy the book and album so far are Caucasian Americans, Canadians and Europeans. It will soon be made available to outlets in Freetown, Sierra Leone and other African markets.
This Sierra Leone born, international recording and now Grammy® nominated artist and published author has become commercially successful in the United States and Canada where he runs his own independent imprint company, Freddy Will Industries. Freddy Will Industries is the parent imprint to his subsidiary companies which include a record label, a distribution company, a publishing company, a jacket line and a charitable foundation. For more information on Freddy Will or to order his albums and books visit www.freddywill.com
The Grammy® Awards will be broadcasted live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Californiaon February 13th, 2011 at 8pm (EST).
EDITOR’S NOTE : FREDDY WILL IS THE SON OF SIERRA LEONE’S UN DIPLOMAT, MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY LEEROY WILFRED KABS-KANU
View the complete list of artists on this Grammy® nominated album: http://www.healthyfoodforthought.com/healthyfoodforthought.com/Musical_Artists.html
Visit the official Grammy® website page to view the official list of nominees for the album/category: http://www.grammy.com/nominees?year=2010&genre=4/
By FWI Publicist
