When Rolling Stone published a special issue in 2004 featuring its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, helping kids in Georgia hospitals was not part of the package. But local music promoter and band manager Josh Rifkind had the vision to do both, and his brainchild benefit, 500 Songs for Kids, is now rocking through its fourth year.
Having hosted Open Mic Madness, which served as a launching pad for many local musicians for six years at Smith’s Olde Bar, Rifkind realized that a similar event could help more than just local artists.
“I just wanted to bring together two major elements in my life,” he says. “All these people I love who play music and the influence of my dad, who has been a doctor his entire life. And I just got to a point in my life where I wanted to make a difference and do my small part to do something that would really mean something to the Atlanta community.”
Rifkind put together an event four years ago in which different local and national bands performed each of Rolling Stone’s top 500 songs over the course of several nights at Smith’s Olde Bar. He had already been thinking of creating a foundation to help children’s hospitals. And so the Songs for Kids Foundation was born and 500 Songs for Kids became an annual event.
“That was going to be our big kickoff event,” he recalls. “Now it’s become an institution in Atlanta, which is really cool.”
The event kicked off April 29 and continues through Saturday. It features the foundation’s own list of the 500 greatest era-defining songs of all time.
This year’s list redefines “eclectic”; for example, No. 23 is “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC; No. 22 is “Star Wars” by John Williams; No. 21 is Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”’; and No. 20 is Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” It puts Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in the No. 1 spot; followed by Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”; “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones; “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye; and “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson.
View the full list of 500 and the nightly set list at songsforkidsfoundation .org/countdown.asp .
The event has grown each year, and Rifkind says this year has been the most successful to date. He expects this weekend’s conclusion to be quite a spectacle.
“It’s been packed every night and the energy in the room has been great,” he says. “I think that since it has been around for four years and it’s become an institution, it’s something that people look forward to and it’s a rally point for the city and what we do for the kids.”
Event preview
500 Songs for Kids: The 500 Greatest Era-Defining Songs of All Time
6:45 p.m. Through Saturday, May 8. $10 Friday, $20 Saturday (additional donations accepted).
Smith's Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta. 404-875-1522. www.songs forkidsfoundation.org , www.smithsoldebar.com
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