[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYq725Gfnb0[/youtube]
On the eve of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, kicking off tomorrow in Manchester, Tennessee, festival organizers Superfly Productions announced an “official” theme song, “Bonnaroo (Feel the Magic),” newly and jointly written by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Del McCoury Band. The announcement comes on a good day for Preservation Hall, celebrating its 50th anniversary tonight with Pres Fest. According to Pres Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe, the song was written at 3 a.m. on a tour bus during the two bands’ “American Legacies” tour, with the core melody and lyrics written by Hall singer Clint Maedgen. According to Superfly, Mannie Fresh is working on a hip-hop remix.
If this is the official theme song, then the unofficial theme album must still be Dr. John’s 1974 Desitively Bonnaroo. This Saturday, Dr. John will be performing the entire album live at the festival along with the album’s original producer, Allen Toussaint, and its original backing band: The Meters.