INDIANAPOLIS - Mark Butterfield's father died about a year ago from Alzheimer's Disease.
He felt he wanted to do something to help fight the disease, but wasn't sure what to do.
His father, a World War II veteran, would ask Butterfield about his job, but never understood the music business he worked in.
One day, while Butterfield stood at his father's grave, he heard a voice tell him to do a CD. That was the answer he was looking for to help fight Alzheimer's.
Butterfield collected 26 songs from all across Indiana from different artists in various genres for a compilation CD. Five of the songs have not been released elsewhere. One of the songs is "Set Yourself Apart Son" from Kosciusko County's own Megan King.
Butterfield is now out promoting the CD, hoping to sell as many as possible to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association.
"I'm real serious about this because I have a personal interest in it," Butterfield said.
Butterfield isn't new to the music business. He's been in the industry for more than 30 years at the national level. He used to play with artists like Dan Fogelberg and Jackson Browne. He now is involved with the Indianapolis Acoustic Cafe Series, which kicks off its 14th year Oct. 30.
Another reason Butterfield wanted to do something for Alzheimer's is because he feels the disease may be in his future. Both his father and grandfather died of Alzheimer's.
Butterfield also knows a lot of musicians with ties to someone who has suffered from the incurable disease.
The compilation CD features everything from instrumental and classical to jazz and pop.
"It's been amazing," Butterfield said of making and selling the CD. "From this, musicians have told me their own CD sales have gone up."
The website to purchase the CD for $20 is at www.music4alzheimers.org The website features links to the websites of artists on the CD. Butterfield said 100 percent of the CD proceeds go to the Alzheimer's Association.
"What I wanted to do is something where everyone benefits," Butterfield said.
He first got the CD in the middle of June. After going to several music festivals, Butterfield has been concentrating on selling the CD.
Memory Walks for Alzheimer's begin in September. Butterfield plans to attend as many of those as possible to promote the CD. He's also been asking hospitals to help market the CDs to their employees.
Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts owner, paid for the first pressing of the CD. Butler University allowed Butterfield to use its recording studio.
Butterfield came across King almost as if it were fate.
He said he went to Fort Wayne one Saturday and stopped in at Sweetwater Sound, and hung out for a few hours. While talking to a receptionist about what he was doing, he told the receptionist he was looking for some artists to put on a compilation CD for Alzheimer's. He wanted artists from all over Indiana.
Quickly, the receptionist wrote down 10 to 12 artists for him.
From there, Butterfield took U.S. 30 toward Winona Lake, having hung out in Winona Lake a lot during the summers.
On the way to Winona Lake, he stopped at a coffee shop in Pierceton. He saw King's CD and realized that it matched one of the names that the receptionist had given him. He circled King's name on the list.
Later, he searched for her online and found her website. After listening to her music, he said he realized how good she was.
"There's too many things for it to be a coincidence," he said.Other cities represented on the CD include Fort Wayne, Goshen, Elkhart, South Bend, Lafayette, Carmel, Noblesville, Indianapolis and New Castle.
"I kind of covered most of the state," Butterfield said.
He said the Indianapolis Colts will help promote the CD during the Nov. 14 game. "That'll be neat," he said.
"I'd like for everyone in Kosciusko County to buy one," he said, "since it features one of their own on it."
