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AC/DC Singer Gives Pediatric Patients the Rock Star Treatment

December 10, 2008

The new Brian Johnson Music Therapy Room in the pediatrics department at Sarasota Memorial Hospital is being dedicated on Monday, December 22, 2008. The musical equipment, memorabilia and room enhancements were donated to Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, Inc. by the John Entwistle Foundation (JEF),which is named for the late bassist of THE WHO.

A press conference and panel discussion will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the auditorium on the first floor of the hospital. Brian Johnson, along with drummer Steve Luongo, formerly of the JOHN ENTWISTLE BAND, and currently the head of the John Entwistle Foundation, will be at the press conference to answer questions and explain the importance of this project. SMH President and CEO Gwen MacKenzie, Healthcare Foundation President, CEO and Trustee Alex Quarles, and Jennifer Mayer, M.D., Medical Director, All Children's at Sarasota Memorial Hospital will also join the panel. At 2:00 p.m., the ribbon-cutting will take place at the room located on the 5th floor in the pediatric department.

The primary mission of the John Entwistle Foundation is to provide free music education and instruments to underserved children. This year the foundation has expanded its mission by including children's hospitals for the delivery of music and its therapeutic benefits. The room has been named in honor of Brian Johnson, lead singer of AC/DC. In 2007 Johnson and AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams joined forces with Luongo and guitarist Mark Hitt to record new material and tour to support the foundation. The Cliff Williams room is located at The Children's Cancer Hospital in Ft. Myers, Florida

John Entwistle rose to stardom during the "British Invasion" of the 1960s with the UK rock group, THE WHO, and later formed the JOHN ENTWISTLE BAND. During his life, he used his celebrity to help raise millions of dollars to help others less fortunate. He especially enjoyed sharing his love of music with younger musicians. John Entwistle died of a heart attack on June 27, 2002, the night before starting a world tour with THE WHO. This music room will help his legacy live on.

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