USA: Porter’s Call

A place where artists can find counsel, support, and encouragement, specifically attuned to their unique profession. It’s a safe and confidential refuge where they can deal with the issues and stresses they face in their careers and personal lives. And the services are provided at no charge.

In the early Benedictine monasteries of the 5th century, just inside the gates, there lived a porter – the person in charge of hospitality. When a sojourner knocked on the door, the porter would call out a welcome, and then let the visitor in.

It was his task to help the sojourner get what they needed. If the visitors needed food, he’d feed them. If they needed prayer, he’d pray for them. If they needed wise counsel, he’d offer it.From this ancient tradition we found both our name and our mission:

When an artist comes to our door, we welcome them and guide them to the help they need.

In 1999, Al Andrews was a counselor in a private practice in Nashville. After two years of counseling, he noticed that most of his clients were involved in the music business. A number of those clients were artists. After seeing artists for a while, he noticed something else. Because of their ever-changing schedules, artists couldn’t come regularly and many, particularly in the early years, couldn’t afford the hourly fee. In addition, it seemed to him that artists, given the unique lives they live, needed something other than a counseling appointment now and then to deal with the issues they face.

In 2001, upon the recommendation of a friend, Al set up an appointment with Peter York. At that time, Peter was the President of Sparrow Records. The two men had a conversation about the health of artists and within several months, Al was given a generous grant by the Sparrow Foundation to start a pilot project. Their only stipulation was that we would see artists from any label, not just EMI.

After three months of meeting with artists (at no charge), all of those involved realized that something good was happening. Artists had a place to go to be off-stage and a guide to help them. At the end of the pilot program, Bill Hearn and Peter met with Al and encouraged him to develop a plan to start a 501c3 non-profit organization whose purpose was to come alongside artists. Within 6 months, other industry leaders and labels joined in and Porter’s Call was born.

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