Blue King Brown Records With Keith Richards

Blue King Brown's Natalie Pa'apa'a has inadvertently found herself appearing on a Keith Richards recording, thanks to the musical collective Playing For Change, who make their way to Australia later this month for Bluesfest and sideshows. The track will appear on the third Playing For Change record, which is due for release in September.

The Human Riff laid down guitar tracks and vocals on one of his songs and Pa'apa'a's vocals have been added.

"We took a song of his called Words of Wonder and the Bob Marley song Get Up Stand Up, and merged them together," says Playing For Change founder and Grammy Award winning producer Mark Johnson.

"We started with Keith on guitar and voice along with Aztec Indians in Mexico and musicians across the Favelas in Brazil, along with the Playing For Change band and that was kind of the start. We've just been adding different artists from around the world including members of Blue King Brown."

The Playing For Change project brings amazing street musicians from around the world together with some of the world's foremost recording artists, buskers and rockstars rubbing shoulders on some very cool recordings.

Pa'apa'a is not the only Aussie who appears with Richards on the cover of the Bob Marley classic, Johnson reveals. A gentleman by the name of Norm is featured on the track as well.

"It's so exciting we have so many great musicians, I think around 150 artists. We also have a didge player from the Sydney Harbour, "Norm" who is featured on the Get Up Stand Up track with Keith and Natalie.

And three more Aussies get together to contribute to another, somewhat more contemporary cover.

"William Barton (Didge Master), Genevieve Chadwick and Kim Churchill are all featured on another new Song Around The World from Nirvana, Come As You Are, which will appear on PFC 3 as well."

You'll read more about Playing For Change in March's edition of Muso, released in a couple of weeks.

Playing For Change are playing the following Australian dates over the next few weeks:

Monday 25 March - Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Tuesday 26 March - Entertainment Centre, Adelaide (with Robert Plant)
Thursday 28 March - Entertainment Centre, Sydney (with Robert Plant)
Friday 29 March - Bluesfest, Tyagarah
Saturday 30 March - Bluesfest, Tyagarah
Sunday 31 March - Hope Estate, Hunter Valley
Monday 1 April - The Factory, Sydney
Wednesday 3 April - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (with Robert Plant)

Reporting by Greg Phillips