Musician Jim Ibbotson '69 Helps Raise Funds for Community Radio Station
October 3, 2006
October 3, 2006, Greencastle, Ind. - Grammy Award-winning musician Jimmy Ibbotson, a 1969 graduate of DePauw University, was among those who helped raise funds for community radio at KDNK's Guest DJ Day. The station in Carbondale, Colorado called upon local celebrities including Ibbotson and John Oates (of Hall & Oates) to perform live music in a range of genres. Listeners were encouraged to call in pledges to the National Public Radio-affiliated station.
"Jimmy said it was a real pleasure to come down and sing his heart out during the day," Amy Kimberly, KDNK development director, tells the Aspen Times. "The musicians, they've been loving it. People have been coming in and out, and there have been a lot of kids and dogs. This goes to show the amazing community we live in -- it's just an exemplary day with great music, nice people and Sopris gleaming."
A newspaper story notes, "Between songs, guest DJs such as Ibbotson took the time to share a few stories behind the music. He recalled the inspiration behind his song Dance
Little Jean, which he recorded as a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. 'I wrote this to try and win back my teenage bride... and I knew my little daughter Sarah Jean would dance to it,' Ibbotson said. 'This one was a our first Top 10 country hit. Buck Owens wouldn't play it though because he thought it was a about a little girl born out of wedlock.'"
Read the complete article at the Times' Web site. Another story tells of how Ibbotson is helping raise money for "the ongoing effort to reopen the Woody Creek Store as the Woody Creek Community Center."
Jim Ibbotson's voice is also familiar to football fans, as he provides the lead vocal for The Ballad of the Monon Bell, a song created by Ibbotson and Nancy Ford Charles '57 to commemorate the annual Monon Bell Classic, which pits DePauw University versus Wabash College. Access the song, either in video or as an MP# file, here:
[Download Video: "See The Ballad of the Monon Bell" 9346KB] 
[Download Audio: "Hear The Ballad of the Monon Bell" 2900KB].