Darius Rucker, Vince Gill, Ric Flair, And More Celebrate At Music City Walk Of Fame Ceremony
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 04: Darius Rucker attends the 2023 Music City Walk of Fame Induction ceremony at Music City Walk of Fame on October 04, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)
It was a celebratory morning at the Music City Walk of Fame on Wednesday, October 4. Country star Darius Rucker was among the four new legendary figures being inducted during the ceremony taking place in Nashville.
The lead vocalist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, country singer, songwriter, and guitarist had his star unveiled to the public. Other honorees included “American Pie” singer Don McLean, music executive Joe Galante, and rock guitarist Duane Eddy. (“Rebel-‘Rouser” and “Peter Gunn” are among Eddy’s more well-known songs).
Having the honorees themselves in attendance was amazing. But how about having their close friends introduce them on stage? Wrestling legend Ric Flair flew into town to introduce Rucker, calling him “one of the greatest human beings.” Plus, country music icon and Eagles band member Vince Gill was there to support Joe Galante.
“They sacrificed so much for me to be gone all the time. I played Hootie shows, and then I came to Nashville. My first year in Nashville, I played 220 shows, and we were out on the road constantly, and my family sacrificed,” Rucker said.
Let’s keep the celebration going for Rucker because it’s album release week for the three-time GRAMMY Award winner. Rucker will drop his first solo album in six years titled Carolyn’s Boy on Friday, October 6.
Carolyn’s Boy consists of 14 tracks, including his No. 1 country radio single “Beers and Sunshine.” The album is a homage to his mother, Carolyn.
Five Of Country Music's Biggest Givers
Country music has always had plenty of very giving and generous artists who are always first to help those in need.
When Nashville was flooded in 2010, many buildings and homes were destroyed, and lives were changed. It was country stars who came to the rescue even though many of them experienced the flood personally and suffered their own losses. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill immediately announced “Nashville Rising” and gathered many of their famous friends for a benefit concert to help Nashvillians in need. And who can forget watching Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman operating the phones at the telethon to raise money for flood victims?
In 2016, Dolly Parton held a telethon at her own Nashville studio for victims of the Gatlinburg fires in her native East Tennessee. Parton gave each person affected by the fires $1000 a month for over a year and then surprised them with a final payment of $5, 000 bringing many East Tennesseans to tears when she personally handed them the checks.
Days before the COVID pandemic began in March of 2020, when everyone was stuck at home, the Nashville community was already starting to arrange ways to raise money for victims of the devastating tornado that hit parts of Nashville. A total of 25 people were killed by the tornadoes, with an additional 309 being injured and more than 70,000 lost electricity. Miranda Lambert was one of the first people to help out by raising money for displaced Nashville pets. Taylor Swift donated one million dollars to tornado relief at the time.
Every country star helps out at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, which helps families deal with childhood cancer. Many artists attend an annual event to raise money and visit with the children there.
While there are so many country stars with big hearts that lend their time and money to charity, we gathered five of country music’s top givers.