As a 16-year-old junior at Staples High School in Westport, CT, Charlie Karp was hand-picked by Buddy Miles to join Buddy's band for the recording of the renowned "Them Changes Album" and for an international tour, which started with a shared bill with Jimi Hendrix at the LA Forum.
43 years later, Karp has changed roles and has now tapped another 16-year-old Staples High School talent, Amanda Horowitz, who has had leading roles in several stage productions of the highly regarded Staples Players program, to sing the lead vocals in a new iTunes release, "We're Givin' It All We've Got."
Staples Players alumni include Broadway actors Michael Hayden and the late Kevin Gray, film director/actor Daryl Wein, actor/producer David Marshall Grant, composer Justin Paul, and playwright/screenwriter Leslye Headland. The Staples Players program has won the Moss Hart Award on multiple occasions.
Karp, who wrote the music for "We're Givin' It All We've Got" and also plays lead guitar on the song, stated: "Amanda is a truly distinctive young talent who has a very promising future. I hope this song helps launch her career in the same manner that working with Buddy Miles was the major stepping stone for me."
Karp's perspective was echoed by the song's executive producer, Fred Cantor, who added: "When I produced 'All Good Things' at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival, our director David Roth told me to keep my eye on a young NYU student in a supporting role who David believed had enormous promise and was going places. That student was Daryl Wein, and we hope Amanda has the same kind of success."
Amanda Horowitz's previous recording experience involved singing with the group, "From the Heart," on the album, "Heart and Music," conceived and produced by Justin Paul's brother, Tyler.
15 percent of the artists' royalties from sales on iTunes of "We're Givin' It All We've Got" are being donated to three Staples HS programs, including the Staples Players.
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