The JD Donnelly Memorial Scholarship

[alitivity]

Three years ago One of my best friends JD Donnelly
died of a degenerative heart condition at the age of
40. JD was a friend and a mentor to me on many levels.
He was also one of the finest Bass players I have ever
had the pleasure of performing with. He truly loved
his instrument, and wanted nothing more than to play
the Bass. This year at The Al Diamond Phillips Rockin
Christmas Spectacular III Dec 15th at Williams on the
lake in Medina, OH, I will be giving away the first
JD Donnelly Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Bass
Players. The Scholarship will include a Starter Bass
Package with all the essentials to get started, as
well as initial lessons. The Scholarship is open to
anyone who would love to play the Bass. To apply for
the Scholarship you will need to send your Name, Age,
Address, and Phone # along with a short essay on the
Topic "Why I want to play the Bass" to

admin@aldiamondphillips.com

Essays will be forwarded to the Donnelly family. Three
finalists will be picked and will have a personal
interview with Al Diamond Phillips to determine the
recipient. The scholarship will be awarded live on
stage Dec 15th during the Al Diamond Phillips Rockin
Christmas Spectacular. Please pass this on to anyone
who might be interested.

Good Luck!

Al

For show info go to www.aldiamondphillips.com
_________________
Check out Al Diamond Phillips/Nevermet on the web
http://www.reverbnation.com/nevermet

[alitivity]

Congratulations to Justin Hamer of Medina Ohio. Justin is the First recipient of the JD Donnelly Memorial Scholarship. He is Twelve, and very excited to start playing the Bass. I will be giving him the award tonight at my SOLD OUT Christmas show
_________________
Check out Al Diamond Phillips/Nevermet on the web
http://www.reverbnation.com/nevermet

[Rockerbob]

Kick some ass bro!
_________________
The world is full of kings and queens,
Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams
Its heaven and hell!

[alitivity]

We had a huge snow storm the Day of the show, I ended up not having three performers due to the weather. People however showwed up to be entertained. We only had five empty seats in the place. So the show went on and we made the bestwith what we had. People were happy and we had a great time. My sponsor gave me an extra thousand dollars to give to the performers as a bonus. So I guess We Rocked \m/ Now I have to go o the Nevermet post and ask GG where the tracks are for When I Die. its time to get back to work guys.

As far as the Bass Scholarship goes. I was very proud to be able to do this. I got a little choked up when explaining it to the audience, and had to rush through it a little. Hopefully Justin will get the pleasure from making music that so many of us musicians get and love.
_________________
Check out Al Diamond Phillips/Nevermet on the web
http://www.reverbnation.com/nevermet

[alitivity]

This story appeared in the Medina Post on Sunday Dec 30th, it is a very nice article, and I am very pleased with the response.

Rock on
Singer finds music and tragedy to be strange bedfellows, awards scholarship


by Jake Poole write the author

12/30/2007 - Musicians often thrive on tragedy.

While seemingly oxymoronic, the statement proves true. Tragedy in the life of a musician often breeds new music as an outlet, as a memorial, as a way to ease the pain. Singer Al Diamond Phillips knows that all too well.

In the winter of 2004, Phillips, a resident of Lafayette Township, was recording an album in the Medina area. In need of a bass player, he called on an old friend from the Detroit area, J.D. Donnelly.

"I had gone through a couple bass players on my project, and I had called him up and he was more than happy to do it," Phillips said. "I talked to him and he was like, 'I'll come down next month sometime.' ... But it didn't work out that way."

A few weeks after Phillips spoke with him, Donnelly died of a degenerative heart condition.

Broken-hearted, Phillips set out to ensure Donnelly would be remembered, deciding to memorialize his friend using music, not through lyric or verse, but through passing on Donnelly's love for the bass.

"Over the last few years, I was trying to figure out a nice way to honor my friend," Phillips said. "Because he was a great bass player, I wanted to give someone the opportunity to enjoy (the instrument)."

Phillips, who grew up in a self-described "poor" household, never had the money to buy an instrument. In turn, driven by his own misfortunes, Phillips decided to provide a child with the opportunity that he never received. He created the J.D. Donnelly Memorial Bass Scholarship, which includes a full bass guitar package (guitar, amp, strap, cord) and a month's-worth of payments to start lessons, all bought with money from Phillips' own pocket.

When applicants submitted essays for the scholarship, the words of Justin Hamer, a 12-year-old boy from Medina, struck a chord with Phillips.

"Some of the things that he said, you know, he understood that the bass was a rhythm instrument," Phillips said. "And he even said that it was the backbone of the band, which is true.

"He fit right into the prime age where kids start to pick music up.

"It just struck me as the one I wanted to choose."

Phillips awarded Hamer the scholarship on Dec. 15 at his third annual Christmas show, The Al Diamond Phillips Rockin' Christmas Spectacular.

Through the scholarship, Phillips used music to memorialize his friend. He has passed on the instrument that Donnelly loved. And now, it's Hamer's turn.

"I'm hoping that he's able to pick up and run with it and get a lot of enjoyment," Phillips explained. "And hopefully, if we can get it rolling, I'll have him back to the show next year to play a song with me."

While that would be great progress, Hamer's dreaming a little bigger.

In his essay to Phillips, he wrote, "I think music should come from the heart, regardless of the money. And, with that being said, I hope to make it among great bassist like Gene Simmons."

Phillips plans to give away The J.D. Donnelly Memorial Bass Scholarship yearly at his annual Christmas show. For more information on the J.D. Donnelly Memorial Bass Scholarship or Phillips' music, visit his web site at www.aldiamondphillips.com/.
_________________
Check out Al Diamond Phillips/Nevermet on the web
http://www.reverbnation.com/nevermet