Who We Are

About The Musicians Project

We are the Musicians Project. We are an independent group of musicians, film makers and health care advocates who are making a film about a very special segment of the American population – your favorite Musician.

The Musicians Project is about giving a voice to Musicians who have been affected by the American health care system. Musicians and their families are dying preventable deaths, at a rate faster than the average working population in the US.

There are beautiful, poignant and heart breaking stories in this country, stories that this Project is allowing musicians or their surviving family members, to tell in their own words. Musicians are being so inspired by this project, that they are donating their own original music, about health care, the pain of loss, the human experience of hope. We are finding that Musicians are a metaphor for what families are suffering all over this country, in this time in America's history. We are finding that we are getting young people to care about health care, because they care about their favorite musician, in a way they have not payed attention to before.

Danny Rongo - Singer/Songwriter, Activist, Mentor, board member of the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation, New Jersey.

www.myspace.com/dannyrongo
www.vetwork.org

Joseph Hughes - Singer/Songwriter, lead singer for the band Goldenseal, attorney, philanthropist, musician with Mad Skills.
www.goldensealtheband.com

Gene Howard - Musician, administrator for the Musicians Project Facebook page

MP Facebook

Joshua Lowe – Singer/Songwriter, artist, film maker, New Jersey.
www.joshua121.com

Marianne Hoynes - Founder of the Musicians Project, disabled American advocating for health care reform for all Americans, as a basic human right.

Healthcare.Joshua121

Special thanks to Ken McGee of Master Mix Audio Media
www.mastermixaudiomedia.com

Special thanks to all of the musicians who share their stories and opinions with us, all of the great original music that has been donated by them, for this film.

Special thanks to musicians everywhere, who are the first to donate their time and talent doing benefit concerts to help raise money to offset the devastating costs of medical bills, for a fellow musician or a musician's family.

Our Inspiration

Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner

Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner, died on December 13, 2001 at the age of 33. He was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and musical genre innovator. Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, rhythm and lead guitarist of the band Death. He is often referred to as "The Father of Death Metal", though he was modest about his role in being a musical innovator. He was quoted as saying, 'I don’t think I should take the credit for this death metal stuff. I’m just a guy from a band, and I think Death is a metal band'.
Schuldiner was born on May 13, 1967 on Long Island, New York to a Jewish father of Austrian descent and a mother from the American South.
On his birthday in 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed with a brain cancer that invades the brain stem. The Schuldiner family was struggling financially. The total costs of the operations would come to $70,000, a price the Schuldiner‘s could not afford. Schuldiner had gotten medical insurance after his first surgery, but the insurer had refused to pay because the tumor existed before he had gotten the insurance.
In May 2001, the cancer returned and Schuldiner fell ill again. He was originally denied surgery (which he needed immediately) due to lack of funds.
Many fundraisers, auctions, and benefit concerts took place to help cover the costs. The metal community and the Schuldiner family showed deep concern because Schuldiner could lose his life, because he did not have the money to pay for medical care. Many artists, including Kid Rock, Korn and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, got together in Summer 2001 to auction off personal items with the funds assisting Schuldiner's medical expenses.
He died on December 13, 2001.
Chuck once described himself as "a lover of life", "friendship", and "animals”.