Hootie and The Blowfish Donate Rights to Best-selling Song 'Hold My Hand' to Help the Working Poor

COLUMBIA, S.C., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy award winning artists Hootie and The Blowfish are taking their charity work to a new level by donating the rights to their best-selling song "Hold My Hand" to aid the working poor. Leading the effort for the band is songwriter and drummer Jim "Soni" Sonefeld who teamed with the nationally-ranked Benedict College Gospel Choir to produce a new recording of the song that is now available for download on music sites including iTunes.

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All artist proceeds from the sale of the song will benefit The Cooperative Ministry, a non-profit organization that serves the working poor in the band's hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.

Taking its cue from the song's lyrics, organizers are calling the project, With A Little Love. The idea came about last year as non-profits across South Carolina and the country struggled to raise money during the recession. The Cooperative Ministry was determined to meet the growing demand for its services and needed a powerful way to inspire its community. They teamed with Hootie and The Blowfish, already well-known for its commitment to local charities. The message behind "Hold My Hand", first recorded in 1994, was a perfect fit for the current day struggles of many working poor.

"I was blown away by the choir's a capella interpretation of the song and decided — right then and there — to find a way to make it available for download, and give away the proceeds," said Jim Sonefeld. "With A Little Love represents the coming together of many talented folks to help this often overlooked population and we are thrilled to be a part of it."

To download the song and watch the video documentary about the Gospel-style recording, please visit www.withalittlelove.org.

About Hootie & The Blowfish

Originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan, the band has recorded seven studio albums, and has charted sixteen singles on various Billboard singles charts. Their 1994 debut album, Cracked Rear View, is one of the best selling albums of all time, going platinum sixteen times. 

About the Benedict College Gospel Choir

Founded in 1870, Benedict College is a private, co-educational liberal arts institution located in Columbia, SC. Benedict was recently named one of the top 100 institutions in the nation graduating African-American scholars by Diverse Magazine. For the second consecutive year, the award-winning Benedict College Gospel Choir (BCGC), under the direction of Mr. Darryl Izzard, won the top award at the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation's Annual Black College Choir Competition.

About The Cooperative Ministry

For more than 25 years, The Cooperative Ministry has assisted individuals and families in Columbia, South Carolina and surrounding communities in financial and spiritual crisis and helped them regain their independence. The organization is a unique ministry created to provide a coordinated charitable response to assist the working poor. With a Little Love represents a unique gift to the organization and is made possible in part from the support of The Knight Foundation.

SOURCE The Cooperative Ministry