NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following the March 4 EF-4 tornado that ravaged much of Southeast Alabama and into Georgia, many volunteers were on the scene to help with search and rescue, debris clean up and more. Among those volunteers were Alexander City natives Chad and Kyle Wilson of the Wilson Brothers Band.
“We really wanted to be there for the people of our home state,” Chad Wilson said. “We grew up not far from where the tornado went through, so this literally hit home for us.”
The name of the event pays homage to the band’s song by the same title. The song boasts that even when nothing and nowhere else seems to be working out, Alabama will always be a place you can call home.
The brothers teamed up with the Nashville Palace, along with It’s a Smash Media and Raised Rowdy to put together a benefit that will raise money for rebuilding the area. They reached out to Coffeeville’s Ashton Shepherd to join them. Shepherd had radio hits with songs such as, “Look It Up” and “Sounds So Good”.
While the majority of the artists who were willing to play are Alabama natives, others were eager to help as well including Chicago native Dustin Olson, Tennessee’s Shelby Lee Lowe and California-born Steph Nash.
Sylacauga’s Tom Perkins, who initially brought the idea up, will play an acoustic set with Sam Banks and Talladega native Zach Robertson, both of whom are members of Craig Morgan’s band. Perkins is a singer/songwriter in Nashville.
The event will be hosted by Nashville Palace, located at 2611 McGavock Pike near Opryland Hotel, on Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. in their newly-renovated front room. A $10 donation will be taken up at the door for the event, and all admission sales will go directly to the Lee County EMA Long Term Recovery Fund that has been set up by the Community Foundation of East Alabama.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to give back through our time and music,” Perkins said. “I love my home state, and I am proud to be able to help in any way I can when it needs it.”
