Watch Rush's Geddy Lee sing on charity cover of Bill Withers' 'Lean On Me'
ArtistsCAN are raising money for coronavirus relief
Rush’s Geddy Lee is one of 25 Canadian musicians who have recorded a charity cover of Bill Withers’ defining anthem ‘Lean On Me’ to raise money for coronavirus relief.
Under the collective banner ArtistsCAN, the Canadian musicians all recorded their parts for the song while self-isolating in recent weeks.
Produced by Jon Levine, other musically diverse performers on the charity track include Bryan Adams, Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé and Avril Lavigne. Geddy Lee performs his vocals for the track from his home studio with his pet dog on his lap.
All proceeds from the streams of ‘Lean On Me’ will help The Canadian Red Cross for COVID-19 Related Expenses. 100% of any donations pledged will go to the Canadian Emergencies & COVID-19 Response Fund.
Paying homage to American soul legend Bill Withers, who passed away on 30th March aged 81, ArtistsCAN said in a collective statement: “To the late, great Bill Withers. Thank you for your lyrics and inspiring message. We are grateful to lean on music during our time of need. Your musical legacy lives on through us.”
Canadian singer Tyler Shaw, who co-devised ArtistsCan alongside Fefe Dobson, said: "When I heard of Bill Withers's passing, I was listening to all his legendary music, and I really dove into the lyrics of 'Lean On Me', a song I've heard hundreds of times, but now in this current climate, the lyrics seem more profound than ever.
“I wanted to cover it; I wanted to help. I called Fefe, we called more people, and more people. And in a really short time we had this incredible song, with a message I think people need to hear right now, all while raising money for something every single one of us is affected by."
Fefe Dobson adds: "ArtistsCAN is true artist-to-artist connection. We've come together to help how we can. We know there a lot of people who are struggling, who have lost their jobs, who can't financially contribute.
So, this is a way to help because by just streaming the song, or watching the video, the proceeds go directly to the Canadian Red Cross to help fight this virus."
The full list of ArtistsCAN performers is as follows:
Avril Lavigne
Bad Child
Bryan Adams
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Command Sisters
Dan Kanter
Desiire
Donovan Woods
Fefe Dobson
Geddy Lee
Jann Arden
Johnny Orlando
Josh Ramsay
Jules Halpern
Justin Bieber
Marie-Mai
Michael Bublé
Olivia Lunny
Ryland James
Sarah McLachlan
Scott Helman
Serena Ryder
Shawn Hook
TIKA
The Tenors
Tyler Shaw
Walk Off The Earth