Josh Charles is a musician who is determined to see New Orleans on the mend. Through a new and revolutionary partnership with Amazon and Tunecore, he is donating 100 percent of the revenue from downloads of his post-Katrina song “Healing Time” to The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans to help rebuild, restore, and preserve the city.
Charles was in the process of making New Orleans his home when Katrina devastated New Orleans. He was forced to board one of the last buses out of the city bound for Houston. A brilliant piano player who has studied and played with Dr. John, Wynton Marsalis and The Meters, Charles was scheduled to hit the recording studio the day after Katrina roared through town, claiming lives and flooding homes and businesses. Three months after the storm, Charles made that return trip to begin his scheduled recording with Dr. John’s band. He found the people of New Orleans displaced, heartbroken, and hungry. Troubled by images that will never leave him, and determined to shed light on the city’s plight, he wrote a soulful tune dubbed “Healing Time”.
Charles wants to remind his listeners that the city of New Orleans still needs help and the people of New Orleans still need homes.
“I had to do something,” says Charles. “The spirit of New Orleans is with me wherever I go. Times are still very hard down there, but together we can make a difference. For less than a cup of coffee you get a song, and all of the money goes to rebuilding homes through the PRCNO. It’s a win-win.”
“We are so inspired by Josh’s love for New Orleans — and honored that the Preservation Resource Center is his charity of choice. We will use the proceeds of his song to continue preserving, protecting and rebuilding this city’s homes and neighborhoods. As we celebrate our thirty-fifth birthday in New Orleans, we can add Josh Charles to our long list of blessings.” –Patricia H. Gay, executive director
Since its founding in 1974, the Preservation Resource Center has been working with communities, developing resources, and implementing an array of programs to help preserve the architecture that makes New Orleans unique. Our programs are ever evolving to meet the needs of the present, but our mission remains the same: to promote the preservation, restoration and revitalization of New Orleans’ historic architecture and neighborhoods.
Now in its 35th year, PRC is one of the top historic preservation organizations in the country. Since Hurricane Katrina, PRC has focused its efforts on the hardest-hit of New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods — with a special emphasis on Holy Cross in the Lower Ninth Ward. PRC’s post-Katrina restoration projects are valued at $7.5 million, including over 200 houses completed and 60 more in progress.
Go to JoshCharlesMusic.com and click on the “Buy from Amazon.com” button to download “Healing Time” and contribute to New Orleans’ recovery.
