Darius Rucker Honored by Musicians on Call, Sam Hunt Says He Is 'Redeemed Spiritually on a Regular Basis by Songs'
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Jason Kempin/Getty Darius Rucker
Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Charles Esten and The War & Treaty were among the country singers who descended on Nashville, Tennessee's famed Lower Broadway recently to celebrate Darius Rucker, music industry executive Leigh Parr Malleus and Musicians on Call at the Millions of Moments special event at the Wildhorse Saloon.
Musicians on Call is a nonprofit group that brings live and recorded music to patients, families and caregivers in healthcare settings. The organization was founded in 1999. The event was to celebrate performances for more than 1 million people in hospitals nationwide, in addition to Rucker, who was awarded the Music Heals Golden Ukulele and Malleus, who was honored with the Leadership in Music Golden Ukulele.
"I try and give back as much as I can and help people as much as I can," Rucker told PEOPLE before the event. "[Being honored] means the world. I try to do as much as I can, and I try to do it as quietly as I can. But when an organization like Musicians on Call that has meant so much to me wants to take a second out to honor me at a charity event, it's really cool."
Jason Kempin/Getty Darius Rucker and Leigh Parr Malleus
The festive evening raised more than $250,000 for Musicians on Call through ticket sales and auction items, including a Yellowstone experience with Cole Hauser in Montana, a New York City trip to see Aladdin on Broadway and guitar signed by Eric Church and more.
"I love this organization so much, and I love [Darius] so much and between those two things, it's a great night in Nashville," Esten says. "I've seen the power of music in a hospital room, a hospice center, and a VA. I've seen the power when someone walks in with a guitar."
Malleus says she's been working with Musicians on Call since early 2010 and remembers when the organization celebrated 50,000 moments.
"To be here celebrating more than 1 million is astounding," she says, explaining that she's shaking. "To be able to celebrate Darius, who has donated so much of his time to the organization, is incredible."
Esten kicked off the event with an acoustic performance. The night also included on-stage and video testimonials about the impact of Musicians on Call. Pardi and Hunt followed with Hunt delivering a particularly eloquent speech on the healing power of music.
"Medicine has evolved quite a bit thanks to science, but I don't think we've even begun to understand the healing power of music on the soul and the spirit," Hunt says. "I know in my life I'm redeemed spiritually on a regular basis by songs. Thank God for it."
Musicians on Call President and CEO Pete Griffin says the event's biggest win came when the organization got so many of its supporters back in the same room to celebrate its mission following the pandemic. He says the audience heard about what the organization had planned as well as heard a recap of everything Musicians on Call accomplished during the pandemic to support patients and caregivers.
Jason Kempin/Getty Sam Hunt
"I think that was really the big win for us," Griffin says. "That and obviously getting the opportunity to have all these great artists who have been supporters of ours. Honoring Darius for everything that he's done with us through the years was really icing on the cake because it was a celebration of all the people that are really passionate about what we do and wanting to help others."
Griffin says that having headlining artists attached to Musicians on Call is invaluable because patients getting visits from singers they know raises morale significantly. Superstar attachment also helps to shine a brighter light on the organization.
"We know that when [people see that Darius volunteers], more people sign up to volunteer, say they want to support us, and it allows us to grow our program," he says. "The patient connection is the biggest one, but then for us as an organization, that helps to build more support for our mission."
Griffin has watched, over the years, as Musicians on Call grew from a program founded to assist Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to its current nationwide status. Now Musicians on Call is working to build an online portal that will allow them to expand internationally.
"It's actually changing people's lives and making some of the worst days of their life better," Griffin says. "That's the motivation that really keeps us all going."
