With a little help from his friends Tyler Braden, Luke Bryan, Kashus Culpepper, Lanie Gardner, Morgan Wallen and Austin Williams; Grammy Award winning performer Darius Rucker held a big concert at Ryman Auditorium; followed by a golf tournament to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. With Drew Baldridge, Priscilla Block, Tyler Braden, NFL Pro Bowler Randall Cobb, Travis Denning, Hannah Ellis, Walker Hayes, NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, Tracy Lawrence, Bryce Leatherwood, Vincent Mason, Drake Milligan, Walker Montgomery, John Morgan, Dan + Shay’s Shay Mooney, Restless Road’s Garrett Nichols & Colton Pack, Eric Paslay, Shane Profitt, Michael Ray, Lily Rose, Schmitty, Matt Stell, Nick Wayne, Mark Wills and Scott Wolverton. Over the 16 years of Darius and Friends, they have raised over $5 million!
Speaking on the project Rucker said, “when we visited St. Jude’s campus in 2008, I pledged to help and here we are. The work they’re doing – the research, the breakthroughs – it’s incredible. And I’ll say this over-and-over; what gets me every time is knowing that families never get a bill. Not for treatment, travel, housing or food. That kind of support changes everything for families going through extraordinary circumstances, and I’m proud that my friends and I can be a small part of that relief.”
In previous years, Darius and Friends have included Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, John Daly, Dan + Shay, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Jelly Roll, Charles Kelley of Lady A, Ashley McBryde, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Megan Moroney, Brad Paisley, Kenny Rogers, and Tommy Thayer of KISS.
St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital treats children with serious illnesses with no charge to the families.