Indie-rocker Joseph Arthur has released an acoustic-guitar version of the Louis Armstrong pop classic “What a Wonderful World” (Real World Records) as a single.
The release is in conjunction with the Food Policy Action Education Fund (FPA-EF)launch of A Place at the Table, a three-year national media campaign to inspire America and its political leaders to make ending hunger in the United States. a national priority.
Backed by $300 million of donated media from major media partners, including broadcast, digital, out-of-home, and print advertising , A Place at the Table kicked off its campaign with a new public service announcement featuring First Lady Michelle Obama with Arthur’s version of the song playing during the spot.
The PSA, which can be viewed here features working Americans struggling with hunger and encourages viewers to fuel the potential of every child by demanding action from our nation’s leaders to fix the problem.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this single will go to FPA-EF.
“Beyond proud to be asked to record this song for the Food Is Fuel campaign PSA with Michelle Obama,” Arthur commented in a written statement.
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Born in Akron, Ohio, and now based in Brooklyn, New York, Arthur has been described by The Guardian as “a driven, visionary character. . . . He might just be a genuine mad genius.”
And NPR Music has called him “a ‘triple threat’ artist since the mid-’90s, bridging music, poetry, and painting with prolific creativity and unyielding inventiveness.”
Discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-’90s, Arthur became the first artist signed to Gabriel’s Real World Records. “It has been great to watch his evolution,” Gabriel says. “Jo is a really unusual, interesting, and talented artist in music and art.”
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In addition to touring as a solo musician, Arthur exhibits his paintings worldwide (they can be found online at his website). Arthur’s music has been covered by Michael Stipe and Coldplay, and remixed by Justin Timberlake for the Hurricane Katrina benefit EP, In the Sun.
He’s a member of RNDM with Jeff Ament and Fistful of Mercy with Ben Harper and Dhani Harrison.
His latest solo album The Family was released June 2016.
Watch an Acoustic Guitar Sessions video of Joseph Arthur.