Official 2011 Bonnaroo Theme Song Unveiled

Article Contributed by bonnaroo.com | Published on Thursday, June 9, 2011

Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment are excited to announce that Bonnaroo now has an official theme song. The song, titled "Bonnaroo (Feel the Magic)," was written by the Del McCoury Band and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. This will hereby serve as the festival's National Anthem, its howl of joyous pride, its exclamation of exuberance, its own rally cry of sorts.

The video below was actually captured the third time this song was ever performed by the artists and was taken backstage at a gig on their "American Legacies Tour" that Del McCoury and Preservation Hall are currently in the midst of.  An official studio version is available for download thru iTunes via this link.

The video can be seen via this link. Bloggers feel free to share and embed.

Legendary hip-hop producer Mannie Fresh (Lil' Wayne, Juvenile) is currently working on a hip-hop remix of the song.

This is the way the song was written as recounted by Preservation Hall Creative Director and Tuba Man Ben Jaffe:

"Del's bus broke down outside of Chicago at 3am following our 'American Legacies' gig. Pres Hall turned around, picked up the stranded McCoury's on the side of the highway in the snow. Once aboard the bus, Ronnie McCoury presented the idea that the two groups work together to create an original Bonnaroo theme song in celebration of the 10th year anniversary. The melody and lyrics came to Preservation Hall vocalist Clint Maedgen as if the song had already been written.  An hour later, the first version of it was recorded on an I-Phone and this video was recorded backstage the following night."

The festival is very proud of its new theme song, and considering that Del and the McCoury's performed on the very first Bonnaroo as well as the festival's close connections to New Orleans, this song could not be more appropriate.