Country Stars Raise Nearly $400K for Tennessee Tornado Relief in Nashville Telethon
Country stars continue to rally together in the wake of Tennessee’s destructive tornados.
On Tuesday morning, deadly twisters swept through the central parts of the state, leveling areas in downtown Nashville, the heartland for artists of the music genre. A number of country stars gathered on Thursday to raise relief funds during a Rebuilding Nashville Telethon, organized by CMT in partnership with the American Red Cross and WSMV News4.
Artists like Blanco Brown, Cassadee Pope, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, Gavin DeGraw, Kid Rock and Nashville‘s Sam Palladio helped raise over $387,000 during the broadcast for the American Red Cross Southern Tornado and Flood Relief Program. Donations continue to be accepted online.
A post shared by Cassadee Pope (@cassadeepope) on Mar 5, 2020 at 4:04pm PST
“Whatever needs to be done to help Tennessee and the people she holds hit by last nights devastating storm, count me in. God Bless Nashville,” wrote Kid Rock, 49, on Twitter earlier this week.
A growing list of country standouts continue to raise money to help the community pull through the tragedies, with at least 24 people dead, according to The New York Times.
On Thursday, a rep for Taylor Swift confirmed to PEOPLE that the Miss Americana star, 30, donated $1 million to the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund.
“Nashville is my home and the fact that so many people have lost their homes and so much more in Middle Tennessee is devastating to me,” Swift shared on her Instagram Story.
RELATED: Carrie Underwood’s Husband Hid with Sons During Devastating Nashville Tornados
Daniel Brown for CMT/ViacomCBS From left: Cody Alan, Tom Reynolds and Kid Rock
Daniel Brown for CMT/ViacomCBS Rebuilding Nashville Telethon
Daniel Brown for CMT/ViacomCBS From left: Gavin DeGraw, Blanco Brown and a CMT volunteer
For her part, Grammy-winner Kacey Musgraves initiated a “major closet sale” to fund-raise in response to the natural disaster. The “Golden Hour” singer, 31, opted to sell some of her costumes and tour looks, with proceeds benefiting “victims of the awful tornado,” she wrote on Instagram
Following the tornado, Musgraves marked herself safe and remarked that Nashville is a “tight-knit” community.
“Me and my fam are safe but many friends aren’t so lucky. We did live right in one of the worst hit spots a matter of months ago. It’s so crazy,” she wrote. “I’m so nervous to find out who the fatalities are. Nashville is so tight knit. Broken heart I’m gonna help in any way I can.”
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Praying for all those affected by the devastating storms in Tennessee and my heart is especially with the families who lost loved ones ❤️ We are all with you. pic.twitter.com/hlPS6RJWH4
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 3, 2020
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Carrie Underwood spoke out about the devastating tornados on the Today show Tuesday, sharing that she and her family — husband Mike Fisher, and sons Jacob, 13 months, and Isaiah, 5 — were all safe.
“I’m like texting people I know, and I’m asking my husband if everybody’s good,” Underwood, 36, said. “He said he had to go upstairs at like 2 a.m. and grab the boys and take them down to a little safe room in our house.”
She added: “I was like, ‘I bet everybody is crying.’ It’s 2 a.m., freaking out, so it was scary.”
Countless more celebrities shared support for those affected earlier this week, including Miley Cyrus, Reese Witherspoon, Connie Britton and Dolly Parton.
“Praying for all those affected by the devastating storms in Tennessee and my heart is especially with the families who lost loved ones ❤️,” tweeted Parton, 74. “We are all with you.”
