George Kilby Jr’s Music Philanthropy Initiatives

                                                               MUSIC HEALS

For over thirty five years, George Kilby Jr has used the power of music to help us find our common humanity. With National Heritage Award winner and Blues Harmonica virtuoso Phil Wiggins, he presented Racism, Reconciliation, and the Blues  at schools, civic centers and festivals nationwide and in Europe.  Phil and George have worked for 10 years to change minds and hearts with awareness and forgiveness.    

The Music Heals project expands Kilby’s work to address the Mental Health Crisis and bring much needed hope and comfort to those suffering from addiction.  The 60-90 minute presentation combines original music with oral presentation, encompassing George’s personal experience and his views on social justice and spirituality. George’s son is one of hundreds of thousands of young adults currently suffering from Dual Diagnosis, which is medically documented as the combined and interlocked diseases of substance use disorder and mental health disorder.  

In a global environment where polarization and partisanship is so stark, the presentation strives to be neither political nor religious.  Instead, George’s music and message depend on our spiritual commonality to address a dysfunctional mental health system and a legal system which criminalizes the addict. Taking his cue from spiritual leaders and great thinkers throughout history, Kilby’s music and ideas stand on principles that transcend the controversy spawned by religion and politics.  At times, the presentation touches on racism and factionalism, but arrives at the universally shared destination of love for humankind.  Through his own pain and introspection, George Kilby Jr has written songs and created a worldview that he burns to share. 

Besides performing in educational environments, the concert/lecture is performed at alternative venues such as churches, recovery centers, hospitals, prisons, and private events.  These performances can include guest musicians such as Phil Wiggins when the venue and occasion are appropriate,