Amateurs Chance to Record a Song with Grammy Winning Producer

3rd October 2013

Grammy Award-winning producer Eliot Kennedy is offering aspiring musicians a unique recording session at his Sheffield Steelworks Studio in aid of charity.

Eliot won a Grammy Award for -Never Gonna Break My Faith by Aretha Frankiln and Mary J. Blige and an Ivor Novello award for -Picture of You by Boyzone. He has worked with the Spice Girls; Bryan Adams; Take That; Lulu; S Club 7; Five; Delta Goodrem; The Wanted and Janet Devlin and recorded the Queen's Jubilee song -Sing with Gary Barlow last year. He was also in charge of Talent Development for the X Factor. Eliot is now offering an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for amateur singers and musicians to work with him if they make a donation to the city's Women of Steel Statue appeal. The recording session will be offered to whoever makes the biggest donation to the appeal - a charity which has caught the imagination of the stars of the music industry in Sheffield. In support of the Women of Steel Statue appeal, the biggest array of Sheffield pop and rock stars ever assembled for one show are giving their voices for free at a concert at Sheffield City Hall on Saturday, November 9. Eliot; Heaven 17; ABC's Martin Fry; Tony Christie; Baby Bird; John Shuttleworth; John Reilly of Boy on a Dolphin; John Parr; Philippa Hanna; Nat Johnson, Jon McClure of Reverend and the Makers; Dean Andrews, Joann Fletcher and Ray Hearne are already confirmed in the line-up - with more stars planning to join the celebration. Whoever wins the recording session will have their song included on a download album being issued to raise more money for the appeal and they may even take part in the City Hall show. Eliot Kennedy said: -The response from the music industry to the appeal has been awesome, and we thought we could offer another exciting opportunity by giving a chance to some people who think they may be good or who've always wanted to record a single. We'll look at the responses and then decide who we'll record. The Women of Steel appeal is raising money for a £150,000 statue to honour Sheffield's magnificent Women of Steel, who kept the steel mills working while their men went off to fight in both World Wars. Now dwindling in numbers, the surviving Women of Steel are all in their 80s and 90s, and are hoping to see the statue erected next year, the anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. To stand a chance of winning the session, please send a demo song and a Statue Appeal bid to graham.walker@sheffieldnewspapers.co.uk before October 14. Tickets for the City Hall concert on 9 November are £20 and £22, and may be subject to a booking fee. They are available either: In person at the venue, Monday to Saturday, 9.30am - 5.30pm; through the Box Office on 0114 2 789 789, Monday to Saturday 9.30am - 9pm, or on line athttp://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/ VIP packages are available at £1,000 for ten or £100 per person. Anyone can support the Women of Steel appeal with a donation to justgiving.com/womenofsteel  and there will be other fun opportunities to help raise the money as the show date approaches. For further information please contact John Palmer at j.palmer595@btinternet.com or 07881 738029.