Marcus King is making an effort to help those struggling with mental health by launching an online auction to raise money for MusiCares and The Onsite Foundation in honor of National Suicide Prevention Week. The blues guitarist is auctioning off a signed Gibson guitar along with a 45-minute, in-person guitar lesson with the singer himself. The package is valued at $15,500. The auction is open now and ends on September 25 at 5 p.m. ET.
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“I have struggled with depression and anxiety my entire life, as do many others in the arts community and otherwise,” King explained in a press statement. “Mental health often goes overlooked as it resides below the surface and shows itself when we are most vulnerable. My efforts go toward removing the stigma attached to Mental health and speaking about it openly, while also making appropriate treatment more widely available to those who truly need it.”
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“The Well” singer opened up about his struggles with mental health in his 2022 album, Young Blood, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. King released his debut album El Dorado in 2020. Both albums were produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. “This felt the most natural, and for all the shit that I was going through at the time, it was the most natural record for me to cut,” King told American Songwriter about Young Blood. “It felt the most at home [to make], and I think Dan saw that.”
MusiCares is the charitable arm of the Recording Academy that provides health and welfare services to members of the music industry including access to counseling, sober living and more. “MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world,” the mission statement reads. The Onsite Foundation is a nonprofit that, “Provides emotional wellness initiatives that elevate the human experience and reconnect the heart of humanity.” They offer healing resources and programs to survivors of mass shootings, as well as parents who have lost a child.
Photo Credit: Fletcher Moore/Courtesy of Big Feat PR
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