FreeWorld - "D-Up (Here's To Diversity)"

Synopsis

Diversity. One of the foremost qualities in nature that defines our planet. Without it, all flowers would smell the same, every creature would look the same, and all people would be the same. Life would not only be incredibly boring, but virtually impossible without the multitude of diverse beings populating our world. The endless variety of colors, thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, styles, desires, hopes, and dreams just within humanity alone is astounding.

It was this reality that inspired Richard Cushing, leader of the Memphis-based musical ensemble, FreeWorld, to envision the re-recording of their song, “D-Up (Here’s to Diversity)” in the fall of 2020.

The song (with lyrics written by David Skypeck) and accompanying video (produced by Justin Jaggers), came bursting forth with new life through the amazing production talents of Niko Lyras, along with the instrumental & vocal contributions of over three dozen established entertainers, talented newcomers, and legacy artists, who all came together and donated their time and talents to create a work of art that celebrates and exemplifies the musical, cultural, emotional, intellectual, and Spiritual unity and diversity inherent in our city and the world beyond.

This project was not conceived to raise money for any cause. It was brought to fruition to raise awareness of our deep need as a people to appreciate the ever-expanding palate of our diverse reality here on planet Earth, to celebrate our racial and cultural differences, and to help us all embrace the true worth of our uniqueness and individuality.

As the lyrics of the song say, ”There is power in our differences / So maybe we can use it to further our existences / With Communication, Respect, and Harmony / Here’s to Diversity (D-UP!)”

Director's Biography

Richard Cushing Director

b. May 1, 1963; Memphis, Tennessee. Professional musician since 1981. Executive producer, lead vocalist, bassist, co-songwriter, musical director, bandleader, & business manager for “FreeWorld” since 1987. Lead vocalist, 12-string guitarist, bassist, mandolinist, sitarist, harmonica player, & songwriter for "Kaleidoscope" since 1991. One of several bassists for the “Herman Green & the Green Machine” jazz quintet since 1992, and Heartsong Church bassist, vocalist & multi-instrumentalist since 2006. (Musical Director since 2017). Official endorsee of Modulus Graphite Basses, Taylor Acoustic Guitars, DR Strings, SWR Bass Amplification Systems, & DigiTech Effects Processors. CEO - SwirlDisc Records & Déjà Vudu Music. Appointed by Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton to the Board of the Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission in 2005. Re-appointed by Mayor Mark Luttrell; February, 2011 & February, 2013. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) member since 1991. Elected to the Board of Governors and served as 1st Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, Membership Committee Chair, and Premier Player Awards Committee Chair. Eighteen time NARAS Premier Player Award nominee in the following categories: Premier Bassist (winner, 2003), Premier Band, Premier Harmonica Player, Premier Multi-Instrumentalist, & Premier Producer. “FreeWorld” full length CDs released and distributed by Select-O-Hits nationally & internationally in July, 1994 (“FreeWorld”); July, 1996 (“You Are Here”); August, 1999 (“Diversity”); January, 2003 (“Live from Memphis”); October, 2008 (“From The Bluff”); October, 2012 (“Yesterday, Today… Tomorrow” CD, w/ “Eventually Everything Will Happen” companion DVD); January, 2017 (“Back To Memphis” w/ Levon Helm); & October 2017 (“What It Is”). Honors for FreeWorld “What It Is”: L.A. Music Critic’s #1 Best Indie Album of 2017; #1 on WUMR 91.7 FM Top 20 Jazz Countdown; #1 on the Roots Music Report's Top 50 Blues Rock Song Chart; National, international, Terrestrial, and online radio airplay to over 50 million listeners; Featured in a global Intradexx spotlight article, August, 2019. FreeWorld video “D-Up (Here’s to Diversity)” all-star video project released to worldwide acclaim in January, 2021. “FreeWorld” received a coveted Brass Note on the Beale Street Walk of Fame, and had October 6, 2012, declared as “FreeWorld Day” in the city of Memphis by Mayor A.C. Wharton. Four "FreeWorld" songs included on the soundtrack for the independent film "Nothing But Flowers"; and “Paco T.” used in the Indie Film Shorts Festival presented by Last Train to Memphis Entertainment for the Library Channel, WYPL-18. Live FreeWorld performances featured on the internationally syndicated radio program “Beale Street Caravan” (2.4 million weekly listeners). FreeWorld songs & interviews included in WKNO-TV “Live from Beale St. New Year’s Eve”. “FreeWorld” performed on the nationally syndicated Food Network TV program “The Bobby Flay Show”, appeared on ESPN’s “50 States in 50 Days” series, and performed on the Travel Channel’s syndicated TV series “5 Takes - USA”, as well as numerous appearances on local TV & radio shows, including “Live at 9”, “Good Morning Memphis”, George Klein’s “Memphis Sounds”, & Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton’s “ACTV”. FreeWorld’s 25th Anniversary Rockumentary DVD “Eventually Everything Will Happen” featured in regular primetime rotation on WKNO-TV Memphis (+ simulcast statewide). FreeWorld and other ‘Musicians for Le Bonheur’ featured in “Healing Music” (2019) & “Le Bonheroo” (2020) on Amazon Prime Video. FreeWorld & RCC featured on the 92.9FM ESPN Radio program “Giannotto & Jeffery”, November, 2020. Main Stage Festival appearances: Fools’ Ball & Fall Ball, Schwagstock, Bele Chere, Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest, Southern Hotwings Fest, Cooper-Young Festival, & Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival. Selected to serve on the Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame Committee; March 2009-present. Founding Board Member of the 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization “Memphis Music Matters”; April, 2009-present. Beale Street Merchant’s Association Special Merit Award given to FreeWorld honoring 20 years of Performing Memphis Music on Historic Beale Street; December, 2007. BSMA “Entertainer of the Year” Award won by FreeWorld; December, 2010. Performed or recorded with such notables as: Levon Helm, Little Feat, The Memphis Horns, Billy Preston, Richie Havens, The Meters, Bootsy Collins, Merl Saunders, Dr. John, Timothy Leary, John Sinclair, James Cotton, Willie Mitchell, Jim Gaines, Jim Dickinson, Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens & Richard Rosebrough (Big Star), Roland Janes, Dave Aron (Snoop Dogg, U2, Sublime, TI), Mojo Buford, Ace Cannon, Ivan Neville, Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady (Hot Tuna), Blues Traveler, Jon Fishman & Page McConnell (Phish), Widespread Panic, Rob Wasserman, The Derek Trucks Band, The Radiators, Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band), The Grandmothers (formerly Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention), Stephen Perkins & Tony Franklin (Banyan), Los Lobos, John Blackwell (Prince), David Bryan (Bon Jovi), John Avila (Oingo Boingo), Eric Garcia (Bob Dylan), Fran McKendree (McKendree Spring), Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm, James Burton, Stan Perkins, Chad Taylor (Live), Tomasito Cruz (Arturo Sandoval), Bruce McCleave (Brian McKnight), The Record Company, Needtobreathe, Mark Doyle (Little Richard), Rolando Briceno, The Bar-Kays, Ann Peebles, Don Bryant, Syl Johnson, Steve Cropper, J. Blackfoot, Marvell, Vaneese & Carla Thomas, The Masqueraders, Terryl Saffold (The Platters), Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd), “Jim Dandy” Mangrum (Black Oak Arkansas), Jeremy “JB” Bustillos (Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band), George Porter Jr. & His Runnin' Pardners, String Cheese Incident, Vince Herman & Leftover Salmon, Colonel Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue Unit, Todd Smallie (JJ Grey & Mofro), Greensky Bluegrass, Brian Stoltz, The North Mississippi Allstars, Galactic, Drivin' & Cryin', Marc Bolin (T-Rex), Elliott Ives & The Regiment Horns (Justin Timberlake), Ty Taylor (Vintage Trouble), Buddy Davis (Target), Afroman, Henry Gross, Wes Studi, The Grass Roots, Big Ass Truck, Deep Banana Blackout, Shawn Lane, Phineas Jr. & Calvin Newborn, George Coleman, Samurai Celestial, Charlton Johnson (Count Basie Big Band), Gerard Harris (Kool & the Gang), Angelo Earl (Bar-Kays, George Clinton), Damian J. Sanchez & Gregory Fallis (Glenn Miller Orchestra), Teenie Hodges, Howard Grimes, Ben Cauley, Astral Project, The Rebirth Brass Band, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, The Schwag, Robert Palmer, Jimmie Vaughan & Double Trouble, Susan Tedeschi, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Stacy Mitchhart, Little Jimmy King, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Sonny Burgess & The Pacers, Pete Pederson, The Cate Brothers, Todd Snider, Lonnie Shields, Kenny Neal, Charles Bradley & his Extraordinaires, Rodd Bland (son of Bobby “Blue” Bland), Devon Allman (son of Gregg), Jimmy Pryor, Blind Willie Dineen, Eric Gales, Ana Popovic, Alexis Grace & Trenyce (American Idol), Patrick Dodd & Sarah Simmons (The Voice), Connor Vance (The Dustbowl Revival), Preston Shannon, Ruby Wilson (the “Queen of Beale Street”), Toni Green, Earl “the Pearl” Banks, Willie Covington, Ross Rice & Peter Hyrka (Human Radio), Steve Selvidge (The Hold Steady), Paul Brown (Ann Peebles, The Waterboys), Rick Steff (Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Lucero), John Kilzer, Billy Gibson, Fred Sanders, Eric Hughes, Brandon Santini, James Govan & the Boogie Blues Band, Tony Thomas, Tom Lonardo, Jothan Callins, Inner Circle, Anthony Kearns (The Irish Tenors), & touring members of the Broadway musical productions of “Jersey Boys”, “Wicked”, "Stomp", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Grease", "Cats", "Chicago", "Celtic Women", "All Shook Up", “Wizard of Oz”, “The Drowsy Chaperone”, “Young Frankenstein”, “Shrek”, “Madagascar”, “War Horse”, “Spamalot”, "Hair", “The Buddy Holly Story”, “Memphis”, “The Bodyguard”, “Cirque Du Soleil Corteo”, “Trolls”, “Dirty Dancing” & “Aladdin”. 1981 Graduate of Christian Brother’s High School, Memphis, TN. 1986 Magna Cum Laude Graduate from Memphis State University. Richard is a proud & loving husband to Lori (for 34 years), & an active father to both Oliver (22) & Ian (20). Contact Info: P.O. Box 820149 Memphis, TN 38182-0149