Bob Dylan, Marilyn Manson on West Memphis Three film soundtrack

BOB DYLAN, MARILYN MANSON and PATTI SMITH are among the stars who have recorded tunes for the soundtrack to an upcoming documentary about the West Memphis Three.

Arkansas teenagers Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. were found guilty of the 1993 murder of three boy scouts, but a star-studded campaign and an investigation funded by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson led to their release last year (11).

Now the artists who fought for their exoneration have contributed to an album called West of Memphis: Voices For Justice, the soundtrack to filmmaker Amy Berg's movie about the trial and conviction of the trio.

Johnny Depp's band Tonto's Giant Nuts, Eddie Vedder, Dave Navarro, Natalie Maines and Henry Rollins appear on the collaborative album, which also features the original score which Nick Cave and Warren Ellis composed for Berg's film West of Memphis.

In a statement, Echols, who also produced the documentary, says, "Music has always played a huge role in my life. In my early years, it allowed me to escape the crushing poverty I was born into. Music took me out of myself and into a thousand other worlds. Then, when I was put on trial, it was music they used against me. My love of heavy metal was considered 'proof' that I was evil and a satanic murderer. And then, ultimately, it was music that helped to free me when friends and supporters came together to put on the Voices for Justice (benefit) concert in Little Rock."

The album is due for release on 15 January (13) and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the West Memphis Three.