Country artist Chris Young headlines May 1 concert, silent auction for tornado victims

Murfreesboro native Chris Young will play a May 1 benefit for tornado victims on the MTSU campus.

Murfreesboro native and RCA Nashville Recording artist Chris Young will serve as host for a Friday, May 1, benefit concert that will crank up at 7 p.m. in MTSU's Murphy Center.

Young, with help from Nashville radio station The Big 98 WSIX-FM, will headline the twister-inspired fundraiser for area tornado victims, which will also include performances by Colgate Country Showdown winners and opening act NashStreet, Curb Records' Martin & Ramey, Capitol Records artist Emily West and Stroudavarious Records artist Richie McDonald.

Officially dubbed as the Chris Young & Friends Tornado Relief Benefit, the event will be emcee'd by WSIX personality Newman. But before the featured music acts start at  7 p.m., there will be a pre-show and silent auction beginning at 5 p.m., along with performances by The Joy Boyz, The Marable Twins & Company, Don Campbell and the Middle Tennessee Baptist Church Choir, among others.

As for the fundraising silent auction, lots of country music-related goodies are up for bidding, including CMA Music Festival four-day passes, Grand Ole Opry tickets, Fan Club Party Passes for CMA Music Festival and signed items from artists such as Kenny Chesney, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn and Sugarland, among others.

Young, who's now touring in support of his brand-new single, "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" said he wanted to return home and perform the benefit for his Rutherford County hometown, which was hit hard by a recent tornado that took two lives and destroyed hundreds of homes and numerous businesses. Young's family home suffered only minor damage in the F-4 tornado, with winds from 207-260 mph, but many of their neighbors' homes were completely destroyed.

 "The tornadoes on April 10 touched down four houses from my childhood home," explained Young in an e-mail interview. "The destruction and devastation was unimaginable. I really wanted to do something to help the victims who lost so much. "

Proceeds from the May 1 tornado benefit will help support victims of the recent tornadoes in Rutherford County through both the Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross and Tennessee Emergency Response Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Video featuring some of the tornado-induced devastation that resulted in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on April 10, 2009.