MAN MADE RE-RECORDS U2'S 'PRIDE' FOR 'KING' SPECIAL
King celebrates the legacy of
the slain civil rights leader and is narrated by veteran NBC News
anchor Tom Brokaw, author of the recently released observation on the
1960's Boom!. The special includes interviews with political leaders and those involved in the civil rights movement.
The new musical arrangement is used prominently throughout the special
and also appeared in History Channel promos leading up to its broadcast
on April 6th.
"I felt so honored to be approached by the network to soundtrack
produce this important tribute to Dr. King, and when I heard that Bono
had offered the use of the classic U2 version for the special, I
immediately thought it would be amazing to have a brand new version to
help tell the story,” Beckerman recalls. “The first artist that came to
mind was John Legend, who graciously accepted the challenge.
“As far as I know, ‘Pride’ has never before been covered by a major
artist,” Beckerman adds. “The new arrangement is so wonderfully simple
and poignant - just John's voice and piano playing. We were both very
happy with how it came out."
Man Made Music also arranged, soundtrack produced and recorded three
classic spirituals that were anthems of the civil rights era. The
tracks were performed by R&B recording artist/Grammy nominee Ryan
Shaw.