Actor Ronny Cox, of Deliverance, Total Recall, Robocop, Stargate and Dexter fame, will join Music Doing Good for two concerts in Maine during the month of July benefitting two worthy organizations. Alphabet Soup on July 20, 2012, 7 pm at CMBG, 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay, ME 04537, benefits Growing Greens Youth Gardening Program, a collaboration between Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Boothbay Region YMCA for area residents in grades 3-7 who are interested in learning about agriculture and commerce. Alphabet Soup is a unique concert event that is sure to satisfy all musical tastes, serving up diverse musical genres. The concert also features Music Doing Good core artists, Bill Ward and aspiring local talent from national award-winning Y-ARTS. Tickets are $15 and available online or by calling 207.633.4333 x 101.

The Art of the Songwriter on July 21, 2012, benefits Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath, ME 04530, a mid-coast regional performing and visual arts center. For more than 30 years they have been offering a rich program of live music, gallery exhibitions, theatre for young artists, lectures and workshops. The Art of the Songwriter is a concert in the round, describing the inspiration, interpretation and experience of the singer/songwriter through music and storytelling. Other special guests include musical storyteller Bill Ward, Chojo Jacques on fiddle and mandolin, pianist and accordionist Radoslav Lorkovic, Brian Brewer on bass, Wayne Wilkerson on guitar and Chris Watkins on piano. They join Music Doing Good core artists Ray Younkin and Aaron Kaufman. Cocktail event at 6 pm, doors open at 7 pm and concert begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or by calling (207) 442-8455.

For the then, first-time actor Ronny Cox, the famous “dueling banjos” scene from Deliverance was not only one of the most memorable scenes in modern film history, but it also represented his greatest passion in life – music. With a career that spans more than a hundred and forty-five films and television shows, Cox has also recorded and released seven albums. Within the last decade, he has emerged as an important folk singer, something he’s been doing for more than four decades. In 2009, his album Ronny Cox – Songs…with Repercussions, was the number one folk album in the country.

This Renaissance man is now adding author to his credits with the release of a new book entitled, Dueling Banjos – The Deliverance of Drew, a collection of stories of the making of the iconic movie Deliverance, told from Cox’s perspective, who played the character of Drew. He also happens to be one of the world’s great storytellers, a skill that dovetails harmonically with folk music and writing. Dueling Banjos follows Cox’s journey from a struggling unknown actor to a leap through the doors of Hollywood stardom. The stories are told with both humor and honesty, and include perspectives on artistic details that most movie-goers never take into account. There are great anecdotes about his fellow actors Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight and Ned Beatty. Harrowing tales of how each actor nearly lost his life during the filming of the movie add to the intrigue and appeal of this new book released in the Spring of 2012, by Decent Hill Publishing. Additionally, Warner Bros. will be releasing a special 40th Anniversary Blu-Ray of Deliverance in the summer of 2012.

“This book was born joyfully in a rather creative way. There were many good-natured ‘dueling’ conversations as we bartered back and forth about wording and how to shape these stories. Ronny paints pictures of his memories, and it was my profound honor to have worked with him on this project,” remarks Barbara Bowers, executive director of Chocolate Church Arts Center and editor of Dueling Banjos – The Deliverance of Drew.

Each Music Doing Good concert is created around a central theme and turns music into money in support of worthy non-profit organizations working in health, music, education and children’s charities. It is the goal of the organization to cultivate the next generation of ‘micro-philanthropists,’ who by attending a Music Doing Good concert can give back to their community.

For more information, please visit www.musicdoinggood.org or call 713.524.2854 x4923.