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Playing Locally, Jamming Globally

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They started out taping street musicians all over the world, and layering the tracks — Spain on Nepal on South Africa on New Orleans — until they had a kind of global street symphony.

Then came video, and Bono, and PBS, and a distribution deal with Starbucks.

And suddenly they had a kind of global movement. They call it "Playing for Change."

This hour, "Playing for Change" creator Mark Johnson on the world and song.

You can join the conversation. Tell us what you think — here on this page, on Twitter, and on Facebook.Guests:

Joining us from Santa Monica, California, is Mark Johnson, Grammy-award winning music producer and founder of “Playing for Change,” a multimedia music project. Their CD/DVD is "Playing for Change: Songs Around the World."  Mark directed and produced the documentary "Playing for Change: Peace Through Music," which is airing on PBS this month.

And from Los Angeles we're joined by Rocky Dawuni. Called “Ghana’s Bob Marley” by the UK's New Nation newspaper, he debuted on the African reggae scene in 1996, and is featured in "Playing for Change" on the songs "War/No More Trouble" and "Biko."

The Playing for Change band is on tour this fall.  Check their schedule here.

Here's "Stand By Me," the "Playing for Change" YouTube hit:

And here's Bob Marley's "War/No More Trouble" featuring Rocky Dawuni and U2's Bono on lead vocals:

This program aired on August 21, 2009.

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