NASHVILLE'S ENTERTAINERS BECOME HEROES THEMSELVES!

Many heroes have come out of the recent flood disaster in Nashville.  Unless you live here and see photos of places in this city that could NEVER possibly have flooded...actually under another 12' of water, you simply cannot fathom the impossibility of such an occurrence and how fast it happened.  Some people had mere minutes to grab a few things and dash for the second floor.  

Story after story have emerged about local heroes that have stepped up to assist or even save lives.  Some heroes pulled people from their cars as flood waters came in the other window.  One was an 'angel on a jetski' that snatched a woman and her dog  away to safety just seconds before the flooded home exploded into nothingness.  But another story emerges that few people can grasp - that is the story of Nashville's entertainers. 

So many of them suffered damage to their personal homes in addition to losing sound equipment, instruments and stage equipment.  Several of these musicians were just days away from embarkng on their summer tours.  Frantically, staff and musicians are struggling daily to replace or rebuild what was destroyed in the flooding.  Many people would prefer to make a joke about Nashville musicians because it's easier to laugh at someone you think falls into a certain stereo type. 

But in the last week alone, at least two benefit concerts have been held by these same Nashville entertainers.  Not because they were paid big money - they weren't.  But because Nashville takes care of it's own.  Both events combined raised over $3,000,000 (yes, that's three million dollars).  Some entertainers performed with just their guitar and their voice, or just a piano and their voice. 

Keith Urban shared with the audience that this was the second  time he has been flooded.  The first was when he was a little tot in Australia, but he can easily recall the fear and impact it had on his family. Nashville, his adopted city, was the second time.  He and his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, did have damage at their own place in addition to most of Keith's equipment, staging and instruments being lost when the Cumberland River overflowed it's banks and surged in Nashville's Historic Riverfront District.  Many other musicians, besides Keith Urban, lost instruments and equipment from that downtown storage location.  Still his heartfelt performance touched the soul of everyone in attendance and watching on television and lifted Nashville's residents even higher.

Entertainers often get a bad rap, but there were no egos on stage last night at the Ryman.  Respect and appreciation for Nashville's beloved entertainers, taking their time to volunteer to man the phone bank and/or perform, seeped through every pixel on that screen.  People outside of the 'country music' genre simply cannot understand the heart behind Nashville.  Nashville is part strong pioneer woman and part gentile southern belle.  No matter what part of her you see, you will soon discover that Nashville is steadfast and fearless.  We don't wait for the National Guard to come rolling in.  We roll up our sleeves and start doing whatever needs to be done, either for ourselves and for others.

A special thank you to every entertainer who donated time or talents to this flood relief fund.  Another special thank you to those living outside of Tennessee who decided to open their hearts and donate. May your lives be rich beyond measure and your days on this earth be long!  I have a personal motto that goes like this:  'You never know how far your arms will reach - until you open up your heart'.  No matter how far away you live, your heart reached Nashville this week - and we sincerely thank you.

With a grateful heart,

Sherie Smith