FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 3, 2023
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Camille Jewell
202-248-5460
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Farm Aid Congratulates Founder Willie Nelson on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction
2023 Inductee Inspires America with Music and Activism
BOSTON — Willie Nelson, Farm Aid founder and board member, will join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tonight at the 38th annual induction ceremony.
“With his singular sound and diverse musical collaborations, Willie Nelson defies categorization. He’s beloved and an extraordinary example of the power of music to bring people together and inspire change,” said Carolyn Mugar, Farm Aid executive director.
Beyond his legendary music career, Nelson has been a relentless advocate for family farmers and sustainable agriculture in the United States. Through his work with Farm Aid for nearly four decades, Nelson has raised the profile of family farmers, issued bold challenges to elected officials, and called for an agricultural system that values family farmers, good food, soil and water, and strong communities. Nelson brought a rock and roll spirit as he rallied with family farmers protesting farm foreclosures during the Farm Crisis of the 1980s and against the rise of corporate agribusiness since that time.
In September 1985, Nelson called on his friends John Mellencamp and Neil Young to help him organize the first Farm Aid concert, featuring 78 musical artists. The dedication of these three co-founders, now joined by Dave Matthews and Margo Price on Farm Aid’s Board of Directors, has produced a 38-year record of standing with family farmers, who represent solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face, including climate change. The annual music and food festival remains the longest-running concert with a mission.
To learn more about Nelson’s work with Farm Aid, visit www.farmaid.org and follow Farm Aid on X (formerly known as Twitter) (@FarmAid), Facebook (facebook.com/farmaid) and Instagram (instagram.com/farmaid).
Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price host an annual festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. For more than 35 years, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $70 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.
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