Singer to help others with CD
by John K. Ward
[Benton Review, Nov. 27]

Jim Gardner of Fowler is using his love for music to help others. A musician since his youth, he has just produced a CD of contemporary music and is donating $5 from every sale to the Benton County branch of the American Cancer Society. The CD, titled My Ever Swingin' Moods, contains 13 songs written by Jim and played by him and several local area musicians who comprise the band, Red Almighty Mars: Brad Estes of Fowler, and Ron Coffman and Michael Kelsey from Lafayette.

"I really enjoyed making this CD," Jim said. "I've been involved with music since I was a kid and have been in a few working bands over the years, including some with Brad and Ron. However, I haven't had much time to devote to it in recent years because my family, my work, and graduate studies took precedence."

The idea of doing an album actually came from Jim's wife, Melinda, who urged him to get back into music, knowing how much it meant to him. "If Melinda had not been so encouraging and supportive, I would never have gotten this accomplished," Jim said.

Making money from the CD was not Jim's main objective; in fact, he doubts he will recuperate his investment in recording and manufacturing the disc. Getting back into a field he loved was his goal.

At the same time, he had seen first-hand how cancer ravages lives in practically every family, including his own. His father had had the illness. A promising young graduate student he knew recently died from an inoperable tumor. A beloved family pet also succumbed this fall, because of cancer. Thus, Jim decided to donate part of any earnings from the sale of his CD to the local branch of the American Cancer Society. "The organization does not engage in fund-raising activities and is dependent on contributions. I figured that I could help them carry on their good work with whatever I could raise from my music," he said.

"After all, I got such a great reward from just writing, playing, and producing my music, with this great group of friends, that I hope we can benefit others in some meaningful way."

Jim's only regret at this point is that next year will probably not be as crammed with memorable achievements as recent ones. In addition to releasing his own CD and receiving a Master's degree from Purdue University, he has also been contributing music and book reviews to the All Music Guide (www.allmusic.com), the world's largest online music resource.

Jim's CD is on sale directly from him; e-mail: gardner@NOSPAMlocalline.com (remove NOSPAM to e-mail).