Darius Rucker's 'Darius & Friends' St. Jude Benefit Surpasses $2.5 Million Mark 

$2.5 Million Raised For St. Jude (Photo: John Shearer)

CAPITOL NASHVILLE recording artist DARIUS RUCKER has surpassed the $2.5 million mark in his fundraising efforts for ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL with his 12th annual “DARIUS & Friends” benefit concert on TUESDAY (8/17) in NASHVILLE. This year’s event brought in $410,000 alone, bringing together a sold-out audience at the RYMAN AUDITORIUM, as well as an audience watching at home via a MANDOLIN livestream. The event also included a golf tournament and silent auction held the previous day.

The benefit concert, which typically is held in JUNE and serves as an unofficial kickoff to CMA FEST as fans descend on MUSIC CITY each summer, was hosted virtually in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. In returning home to the RYMAN this year, the event also brought surprise performances from JASON ALDEAN, BROTHERS OSBORNE, golfer JOHN DALY, KEB’ MO’, RUNAWAY JUNE and ELVIE SHANE. 

“I’ve been in this town for 12 years and I’ve gotten to know a lot of people,” RUCKER noted, “but some people you get to really know and they become family. These guys are family," he said in welcoming BROTHERS OSBORNE to the stage.

“I would do anything for him, and I know he’d do anything for me,” shared RUCKER, before welcoming ALDEAN to the stage. “He did me dirty making me follow a HOOTIE song,” joked ALDEAN, before noting, “DARIUS really is one of the nicest, coolest guys in town and so it’s a pleasure to be here, especially for ST. JUDE.”

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