Taylor Guitars has rallied more than 50 Taylor artists, including Zac Brown, KT Tunstall, Jason Mraz and Keith Goodwin, to release an original song titled “I Know What Love Is.” A philanthropic project that aims to raise money to support members of the music industry whose art and careers were put on hold by the pandemic, “I know What Love Is” will be available on Jan. 21 for download and streaming across multiple music platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.
The song, written by Keith Goodwin and co-produced by Jay Parkin of Taylor Guitars and audio engineer Gabriel O’Brien, will also feature a music video with footage of all involved artists. Net proceeds from the song will benefit MusiCares, a charity founded by the Recording Academy, which provides a support system of health and human services for music people across a spectrum of needs, including physical and mental health, addiction recovery, hearing clinics, unforeseen personal emergencies and disaster relief. Taylor has also partnered with music organizations The NAMM Foundation and Nettwerk Music Group to help promote the song and its positive message. Various Taylor artists will give an exclusive live performance of “I Know What Love Is” on Jan. 21 at 9:30 a.m. PST as part of NAMM’s Believe In Music Week.
The music community has been acutely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspension of live music performances has created a domino effect, throttling the livelihoods of working musicians, road crews, staff at music venues and many others who contribute to the industry’s ecosystem.
Yet music has always played an essential role in helping people get through tough times and creating a deeper sense of connection to others and the world around them. According to Keith Goodwin, singer, guitarist and songwriter from the indie folk band Good Old War, that’s exactly the spirit that was channeled when he wrote the lyrics and melody for “I Know What Love Is.” Goodwin’s music was underscored with added poignancy when, soon after the recording of the song, he lost his grandmother, Madeline Lanni, from COVID-19 complications.
“During lockdown one of the most challenging things for me was trying to adapt to not having my friends around to play music with,” said Goodwin. “This project really helped keep me focused on making music when everything else in life had changed so drastically. I’m grateful for this opportunity to connect and collaborate with such great artists and for a good cause. We are all lucky to be able to share our love of music together.”
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