The Led Zepplin mega-hit “Stairway to Heaven” would indeed be appropriate for the band No Quarter to play at their July 14 concert at McCormick Woods Golf Course.

The concert is billed as “Rock the Woods for Melanoma Research,” and funds raised from the concert go to the Melanoma Research Foundation and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The concert is organized by the Randy G. Johnson Melanoma Foundation, founded by Johnson’s widow Coreen and family after his death from the disease in 2001, at the age of 44.

Johnson was just a “normal, everyday guy,”who married his high school sweetheart, raised three children, was active in his church and loved to fish, golf and listen to classic rock.

“He definitely would approve of this concert,” Coreen said recently.

Her late husband was diagnosed with Phase IV malignant melanoma after suffering what appeared to be a stroke on Easter, 2000. It turned out to be a brain tumor, caused by skin cancer which had reached into his body and invaded his lymph system. The aggressive cancer spread to other organs, and it was too late.

Since his death, Coreen, her family and friends have worked tirelessly to get the word out about the dangers of skin cancer and the need for early detection. Within weeks she had founded the Randy G. Johnson Melanoma Foundation, which raises funds and awareness through an annual golf tournament at McCormick Woods in Port Orchard.

“I think people are already getting the message about covering up and using sunscreen,” she said. “But I think what they still don’t realize is how important it is to get an annual skin exam by a dermatologist. I don’t think people understand skin cancer and melanoma very well.” And, “people don’t connect skin cancer and brain tumors. Melanoma can metastasize to the vital organs and kill you,” she added.

She said people in the Northwest also don’t realize that the danger of getting skin cancer under our gray skies is relatively high. Washington ranked 14th in the nation last year in rate of skin cancer. Contributing factors are the high number of fair-skinned people of northern European descent, the “outdoorsiness” of Northwesterners, and the mistaken belief that we’re “safe” from harmful rays under gray skies.

The annual golf tournaments have succeeded in raising more than $60,000 for the national Melanoma Research Foundation. Coreen Johnson said she hoped the concert would broaden the audience for her ongoing message.

Headlining the concert is No Quarter, a Led Zepplin tribute band from Seattle. Reviewers have called them the “ultimate tribute to Led Zepplin.” and said that “people who attend shows often feel like they have seen and heard a real Led Zepplin concert.”

There will also be a beer garden and barbecue, provided by McCormick Woods.

Johnson had high praise for McCormick Woods co-owners Shawn Cucciardi and Jeff Mehlert, who have been extremely supportive of first the golf tournaments and now the concert.

The Rock the Woods Benefit Concert takes place at 7 p.m. July 14 at McCormick Woods Golf Course, 5155 McCormick Woods Drive SW, Port Orchard. For driving directions visit www.mccormickwoodsgolf.com.

Tickets are $15 adults, $10 with student ASB. Food and beverages are extra. Tickets are available at Kitsap Mall information booth, Puget Sound Wine Cellar in Port Orchard, at the golf course or at the gate, which opens at 5:30 p.m. for the concert.

Blankets and low lawn chairs are recommended for the outdoor concert.

For more information on melanoma visit www.melanoma.org.