CREDIT: SHARE THE LAND

During his life, Jack Richardson influenced generations of musicians through his work with bands like The Guess Who, Alice Cooper and Bob Seger and had a massive impact on countless students as a professor in Fanshawe's Music Industry Arts program.

In 2012, the MIA students started a concert called Share The Man, in which Fanshawe bands performed some of Richardson's best known songs to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The concert ran for a successful second year in 2013, but this February, the MIA students are changing things up.

“We went with a different approach,” said second-year MIA student Andreas Rizek, marketing director and emcee for this year's event. “We're doing Share The Land because we're honouring music from across the country. All the songs that we will be playing are Canadian artists, Canadian hits.”

Share The Land will take place at Aeolian Hall on February 12. Fourteen bands, mostly made up of “super talented” second-year MIA students, will be performing songs from a variety of genres, Rizek said. “It's a bit of new and a bit of old, but it's all recognizable hits that people can connect with.”

More than 100 MIA students have been hard at work organizing the event since October.

John Young, operations manager for the Fanshawe Student Union, knew Richardson when he worked at the College. He attended the last two Share The Man concerts and said he was sure this year's show would be a can't-miss event.

“It's wonderful to hear the students' musical interpretation of songs ... produced by Jack Richardson,” he said, noting that a reggae cover of a Guess Who song particularly stood out. “Jack was always a huge supporter of Canadian talent ... He would be absolutely blown away by [the students'] interpretation of his songs and doing them their way.”

Though Rizek never had a chance to meet Richardson before he passed away in 2011, he sees the impact he's had in many aspects of his life. “I wish I could [have met him],” Rizek said. “A lot of our grads and a lot of our teachers have been really influenced by him. He was a big part of the [MIA] program and the Canadian music scene.”

Check out Share The Land on February 12 at Aeolian Hall (785 Dundas St.); doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for students, available at the Biz Booth and through MIA students. They're also available at wantickets.com/sharetheland2014.