09/28/2018
Nashville, Tenn. (September 28, 2018) — A downpour of rain in Jacksonville, Alabama didn't stop thousands from attending Wednesday night's sold out ALABAMA & Friends #JSUStrong tornado relief concert benefiting Jacksonville State University (JSU).
At JSU's Burgess-Snow Field, iconic Country Music Hall of Famers ALABAMA assembled an all-star lineup of talent, consisting of Charlie Daniels, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Shenandoah, Jamey Johnson, Riley Green, Drake White, Home Free, John Berry, Gordon Mote, Darren Knight "Southern Momma," Sixwire, Sweet Tea Trio, and SiriusXM's Storme Warren, who all came together to donate their time and voices to raise funds for the tornado-ravaged university. The historic concert generated a grand total of $1,280,000 for JSU. The dollar amount of the check presented to the university includes funds from all ticket sales, sponsorships and in-kind donations.
"Teddy, Jeff and I are so proud of the artists who played this benefit for tornado damage at Jacksonville State University," says ALABAMA frontman Randy Owen. "With over $70 million dollars in damages, we're glad that we, along with our artist friends, were able to help raise over a million dollars Wednesday night. I graduated from JSU so it's very personal for me. Teddy and Jeff said 'let's do this' the day I called them after the tornado. #JSUSTRONG."
"We are so thankful to Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry, and Jeff Cook of ALABAMA and all the other artists, sponsors, and university personnel who worked together selflessly to make this event a huge success," notes JSU President John Beehler. "Not only was nearly $1.3 million raised to help us rebuild our campus, but smiles were put on the faces of thousands of attendees who have endured so much since the devastating tornado of March 19. The impact of this concert will be felt for years to come."
On March 19 of this year, JSU and the surrounding Jacksonville community was hit by a EF-3 tornado, severely damaging 23 buildings and impacting more than 50 more. Fortunately, there was no loss of life however millions of dollars in damage was reported following the storm.
Nationwide Insurance (Randy Jones & Associates, Inc.) was the presenting sponsor of the evening. Platinum sponsors: Dr. Pepper (official drink of the show), Ford, Alabama Power Foundation, Marc and Mary Angle, Ken and Jenny Howell, Trycon Tufters. Gold sponsors: Jim and Gina Nolen, Thomas Dedrick/Raymond James, Webb Concrete & Building Materials. Collectively, these local Alabama companies and individuals donated more than 300k in sponsorship dollars.
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