Rockford returns to bring Christmas joy for Battersea Dogs Home

In 2004, a home produced single and animated video released in support of Battersea Dogs Home, entered the UK national charts and, despite stiff competition from Band Aid II, sold out across the country. Due to popular worldwide demand, Christmas Morning (Rockford’s Christmas Song) has now been re-released as part of remarkable new album – www.rockfordsrockopera.com – and has already won over MTV (who are featuring it across their network) and www.hmvdigital.com (who will be championing it as a recommended 49p download single from 15th December 2006).

Rockford is back!

Due to popular demand, “Christmas Morning (Rockford's Christmas Song)” is now available on line and in good high street music stores. Fans can also preview the great CGI video at Rockford's amazing new interactive website: www.rockfordsrockopera.com

To see Rockford’s Christmas video now FREE visit: http://www.rockfordsrockopera.com/video/rockfords-christmas.asp

Rockford and his Christmas song are not the manufactured creation of a multinational record company. The song was originally recorded for fun and with no budget in the home of Matthew Sweetapple to help Battersea Dogs Home at Christmas.

Then a music business legend came calling.

Music business guru (and the man behind bands such like Manfred Mann, Motorhead, Uriah Heep, and, not coincidentally, the immortal Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band), Gerry Bron, originally heard Rockford’s Christmas by chance and was immediately enchanted. “As soon as I heard Rockford’s songs and saw his videos I realised that we were dealing with a major creative force and I immediately wanted to sign him. Rockford however had other ideas – he wanted to star in his own Internet Rock Opera. He drives a hard bargain."

Fiona Healey-Hutchinson, Director of Fundraising at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, says: “We are delighted Rockford is back. Rockford is a fun alternative to the music that traditionally dominates the Christmas charts. Why go for a manufactured ‘Pop Idol’ when you can have an animated, ‘Pup Idol’ instead! Everyone here has fallen for his charms and with all profits going to the Home, we recognise his huge potential for raising funds for the Home.”

Christmas Morning (Rockford’s Christmas) enhanced single CD with two tracks and the video costs £3.99 and is available on-line and in good High Street stores (all profits going directly to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home).

Rockford’s Rock Opera, with many more songs, videos and a narrated hour long story is available as a FREE audio stream and as a FREE podcast from: www.rockfordsrockopera.com.

For an interview with Matthew Sweetapple or Gerry Bron, please contact Sweetapple on + 44 (0) 845 612 1117 rockford@sweetapple.co.uk.

Copies of Rockford’s Christmas CD and images of Rockford/Rockford’s Rock Opera are also available. A limited quantity are also available for prizes and good causes.

Name of the company: Sweetapple

contact: Matthew Sweetapple

Popefield Farm
Hatfield Road
St Albans
AL4 0HW
United Kingdom

tel: + 44 (0) 845 612 1117
fax: + 44 (0) 845 612 1119

email: rockford@sweetapple.co.uk

Note to editors:

About Sweetapple

Matthew and Elaine Sweetapple (Sweetapple) create original ideas – campaigns, products and promotions for charitable causes and for the benefit of society as a whole.

Sweetapple ideas are now being adopted by charities and campaigners around the world.

Some recent Sweetapple campaigns included Peeball, an idea created for The Prostate Cancer Charity (see www.peeball.com) and ‘Remember Me’, the weeping flower roadside memorial sign to raise the profile of the road accident victim’s charity, RoadPeace. (www.roadpeace.org).

www.sweetapple.co.uk

About Gerry Bron

Gene Pitney, The Shadows, Manfred Mann, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Uriah Heep, Motorhead, Queen, D:Ream - the connection? As producer, publisher, manager or recording entrepreneur Gerry Bron has helped shape fifty years of popular music.

A selection of just some of the record’s Gerry’s been involved with:

At the Hop – Danny and the Juniors
24 Hours From Tulsa – Gene Pitney
Pretty Flamingo – Manfred Mann
Mighty Quinn – Manfred Mann
I'm the Urban Spaceman – Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
Very ‘evy, Very ‘umble – Uriah Heap
Ace Of Spades – Motorhead
The James Bond Theme – Monty Norman
And many, many, many more…

About Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home provides temporary shelter, veterinary, behavioural and animal care to lost and abandoned dogs and cats, while finding them new homes, or reuniting lost animals with their owners. The mission of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is to rescue, reunite, rehabilitate and rehome the lost and abandoned dogs and cats which come into its care.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has three centres: Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London, Battersea at Old Windsor in Berkshire and Battersea at Brands Hatch in Kent. For further information on Battersea Dogs Home log on to www.dogshome.org.

This release was published on openPR.