|
 |
Since 2003, Hootie & the Blowfish have used their superstar status to assist economically disadvantaged schools with their “Homegrown Concert Series” Tour. Due to Hootie’s recent break in touring this year, lead singer Darius Rucker performed the annual concert event solo, featuring tracks from his RIAA gold-certified debut country album, LEARN TO LIVE. Fellow country music star, Dierks Bentley, signed on to help. The concert encourageed fans to bring school supplies to the show as a donation, and all supplies were donated to Charleston County Schools in need.
After hearing about budget cuts in education in their home-state of South Carolina in 2003, Rucker and band mates Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, were inspired to act to ensure students’ learning wasn’t cut short as a result. They established the annual concert in their hometown, Charleston, SC, as a way to help raise awareness to the needs of local school children in the community. The night of the concert, ticket holders were asked to bring school supplies to the concert held at Family Circle Stadium. The response was so overwhelming that a 55-seat school bus was filled from top to bottom with school supplies that were distributed to the schools and teachers in the Charleston County School District. With the incredible success of this first venture, the band decided to expand the concert into other markets. Since its conception, the band and their loyal fans have gathered enough school supplies to pack over 60 buses, (7 buses in Charleston alone) a total of $300,000.00 worth of school supplies.
Rucker insisted on continuing the homegrown tradition that Hootie started eight years ago. “With Dean’s surgery and the break in Hootie for the year for my solo country album, we all agreed it was important to continue the benefit concert efforts, but with a country twist this year. It will be a great night, and we look forward to returning for the “Homegrown Concert” as Hootie in the coming years.”
Photos: Mike Saia
|
