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Ben & Jerry's Launches Limited Elton John Flavor to Honor Artist's First Vermont Show and Raise Money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation
Vermont Performance Marks Elton John Concerts in All 50 States BURLINGTON, Vt. – (Tuesday, July 15, 2008) After more than fifty years of making music, multiple Grammys, an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a Kennedy Center Honor and even knighthood from Her Royal Highness – there's one thing that rock & roll legend Sir Elton John hasn't done: played in the state of Vermont. Next Monday Elton will perform at the Green Mountain State's Champlain Valley Expo Center, rounding out the list for the performer, who can then claim that he's single-handedly rocked and rolled all of the fifty United States. "We think he saved the best for last," said Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry's Co-Founder, joking that the Vermont visit would surely fill a void for the performer. "There was only one way we could honor Sir Elton, and this monumental occasion, in true Ben & Jerry's fashion," Greenfield added. The company is producing a custom flavor consisting of "an outrageous symphony of decadent chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks." And the name? Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road: a play on one of Elton John's most popular song titles. "I can't think of a more fun way to celebrate playing my 50th state, Vermont, than having Ben & Jerry's create a special ice cream "Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road" with all my favorite flavors and ingredients," said Elton John. "I'm especially pleased that they will be donating the proceeds to the Elton John AIDS Foundation." Most importantly, the ice cream company was impressed and inspired by the artist's passion for helping out the global community with his foundation and giving back. In keeping with Ben & Jerry's values and social mission, the company will donate all profits from the sales of Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road to the non-profit Elton John AIDS Foundation. The flavor was designed after earlier meetings between both camps helped indicate John's wish for something containing chocolate and peanut butter. "We were trying to compose a flavor befitting of the energy and creativity of the artist," said Greenfield. "We're thrilled with the final combination, plus we've got the Rocket Man's seal of approval!" The Vermont purveyors of other legendary rock & roll ice creams, such as Cherry Garcia and PhishFood, will offer the Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road flavor in a limited-batch at its Vermont Scoop Shops only for one week from July 18th – 25th, and at the show itself on July 21st. The shops will celebrate the week not only scooping the flavor, but also playing Elton's latest disc: Rocket Man, The Definitive Hits, and the DVD of the performer's recent 60th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden. For
Ben & Jerry's contact: For Elton John contact: For Elton John AIDS Foundation contact: About Sir Elton John In 1967 Elton John was introduced to Bernie Taupin, and so began one of the most prolific and successful songwriting partnerships ever known. In the period between 1970-76, with producer Gus Dudgeon at the helm, John and Taupin made an astonishing fourteen albums including Elton John, Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across The Water, Honky Chateau, Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Caribou and Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy. Amongst these, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was the first album ever to enter the Billboard Chart at Number One. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, with its string of American Number One hit singles and unbroken two month run at the top of the Billboard Top 100, became an all- time classic. In the early 1990s, John embarked on a further songwriting collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice, resulting in the soundtrack to the Walt Disney Pictures blockbuster The Lion King, for which he won an Academy Award for the song Can You Feel the Love Tonight. The smash-hit stage production of Billy Elliot, for which John composed the music, is currently running in London and Sydney and will debut on Broadway in November. Billy Elliot The Musical was nominated for a record 9 Olivier Awards, winning Best Musical, among others. John has also written songs for the forthcoming Rocket Pictures animated movie, Gnomeo and Juliet. In 1998 Elton received a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for "services to music and charitable services." In December of 2004, he received the Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contributions to American culture and excellence through the performing arts. 2007 saw the release of Rocket Man -The Definitive Hits, a single CD album featuring eighteen classic hit songs. This release also marked a huge anniversary for Elton John - on March 25th, 2007, he celebrated his 60th birthday while breaking his own record with an unmatched 60th concert at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York. No other entertainer has come close to matching this record. About Elton John AIDS Foundation About Ben & Jerry's
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