On September 15, members of Britain's pop royalty, including Elton John, Sting, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney joined together for Music for Montserrat, a benefit concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London to aid the people of the Caribbean island that has been devastated by volcanic eruption.

At the request of Sir George Martin, legendary producer of the Beatles and proprietor of Air Studios on Montserrat, Slingerland donated a one-of-a-kind drum kit for use in the concert and to be auctioned off (to further raise money) by Sotheby's at the Hard Rock Cafe in London on September 16th.

Many of the artists on the show had worked in Sir George's studio. "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder is among the many hits recorded there. The video for the Police single "Everything She Does Is Magic," was filmed at Air and in the nearby village of Salem, which is now threatened with destruction.

Slingerland's world renowned finish artist Pat Foley designed and painted the kit, which features a Caribbean Sunset motif and silhouette of the island. The kick drum head sports an island scene along with the concert logo.

"This kit was designed and built to dress up the stage and add a Caribbean flavor to the event." Foley said

With London session ace Ian Thomas (George Michael, Seal etc.) manning the skins, every song of the three-hour-plus concert was played on this kit, which included classics like "Money for Nothing," "Golden Slumbers" and the finale "Hey Jude."

"The concert itself was absolutely awesome," Foley said. "The amount of talent on that stage was overwhelming. Paul McCartney played the long medley from Abbey Road and sent shivers through the crowd. I have never felt so proud to be a member of the Gibson family as when Phil Collins thanked us publicly in the middle of the show for our generous contribution."

The show raised over $1.5 million to be used to help the people of Montserrat rebuild their lives.

Sir George's Montserrat Foundation is one of several charities active in providing relief for Montserrat. For a list, please visit the Montserrat Information Center home page at http://members.aol.com/MontsIAC/montseri.html.