Nashville Musicians Help Those In Need

By mid-summer, the concert season is typically hitting its peak. Outdoor amphitheaters, large indoor concert venues, music festivals, county fairs, and major tourist destinations produce a steady stream of bands and musicians entertaining throngs of enthusiastic fans. The streets of Nashville are bursting at the seams with tourists from across the globe.

But not this year. This year is different.

The past couple of months have brought significant challenges to the entire Middle Tennessee region. First came the tornado. Overnight, thousands of Nashville residents found themselves homeless, at least temporarily. The luckier ones only lost power and maybe a few possessions. Unfortunately, some lost their lives.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic.

Neither tragedy discriminated as people of all income levels, races, and ages found themselves in dire straits.

Country Musicians to the Rescue

Yet in the midst of all the chaos and tragedy, musicians and recording artists across the region have stepped up to the mic. Not to entertain thousands of screaming fans at live venues, but producing virtual concerts through social media platforms to benefit charities, fellow musicians without health care options, and others in need. Here are a few of their stories:

Before the coronavirus pandemic interrupted live concerts, legendary singer Sheryl Crow, teamed up with several newer artists, such as Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and others, to raise more than $500,000 for Nashville tornado victims. The 1,800-seat capacity performance at Marathon Music Works sold out in less than one hour.

Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman teamed up with country artist Brad Paisley, along with Lauren Alaina and Tasha Cobbs Leonard to record the song, “Together We’ll Get Through This.”  Proceeds from the song benefit the Opry Trust Fund and Gospel Music Association and will help those impacted by the pandemic.

Paisley, along with his wife, Kimberley Williams Paisley, teamed up with his alma mater, Belmont University to open a nonprofit called The Store. Based on a similar concept they discovered in California, The Store provides groceries free-of-charge to needy families that are referred to through area agencies. Others have come forward to help. Thanks to area restaurants, along with individual and corporate donors, they are feeding even more families.

Keith Urban was one of the first artists to perform via social media platforms during the coronavirus pandemic. Keith stepped up his game by performing at the Stardust Drive-in movie theatre, about 40 miles east of Nashville. The Australian-born singer, who is married to actress Nicole Kidman, donated the proceeds to about 200 front-line health care workers at Vanderbilt University.

Kid Rock, the Michigan-born artist who has a music venue in downtown Nashville and spends time in and around Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, matched tips for an April 15 online concert that was streamed on the social media pages of several Nashville honky-tonks.

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Willie Nelson, the legendary country outlaw isn’t new to raising money to help those in need. His Farm Aid concerts have raised millions over the years for farmers. A virtual Farm Aid concert on April 11 raised $500,000-plus for farmers and ranchers impacted by the pandemic.

Dolly Parton has been a fixture in the Nashville philanthropic community for many years. Vanderbilt Medical Center was the recipient of the singer’s generosity in early April when she announced a $1 million donation to aid in the discovery of a coronavirus vaccine.

Another country artist who has a honky-tonk on Nashville’s Broadway Avenue is Dierks Bentley. Knowing that his 90 hourly wage employees would miss the paychecks for quite a while, the singer gave each one $1,000. He also encouraged other owners in the entertainment district to help their hourly wage employees if able.

Chris Young, Maddie & Tae, along with the Eli Young Band chipped in to support Cracker Barrel restaurants “There’s Comfort in Giving” program, designed to donate meals to frontline healthcare workers at HCA, a hospital chain headquartered in Nashville. More than 5,000 meals were donated.

Scotty McCreery, whose wife is a nurse, donated to the bone marrow transplant unit at Duke University.

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Even up-and-coming artists who don’t have the name recognition or bank account of more successful stars did their part.

Emily Elgin, a real Oklahoma cowgirl who released her first EP, “This Woman,” last fall, did her part to help Gray’s On Main, a restaurant in downtown Franklin. Elgin worked as a server there for three years and wanted to draw attention to their curbside service options. So what did this cowgirl do? She saddled up her horse, Bodie, and filmed a Tik-Tok segment of the duo riding through the town’s scenic main street and picking up a to-go order and cocktail via horseback. As of early June, the video has received more than 100,000 views.

This article was originally featured in Brentwood Lifestyle Magazine.