Tuesday night’s Hand In Hand telethon was a major hit! So far, the star-studded event has raised more than $44 million for hurricane relief efforts in Texas and Florida. The telethon went live from Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York with country music icon George Strait and his friends performing the heartfelt finale live from San Antonio, Texas.
Watch King George take the stage with Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Lyle Lovett, and Robert Earl Keen for an impressive performance of “If It Wasn’t For Texas” and “I Believe” below. (You can also view the entire one-hour special by backing up the ‘play’ toggle.)
We love what actor Matthew McConaughey had to say as he introduced the country crew, “We can’t bring back what they lost, but we can help them know where to take the next step and provide some solid footing for them to place the next foot — a path to stability, to a place where they can rebuild. This is what they need and this is what we can give them.”
Also involved in the fundraising push were Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kip Moore, Brothers Osborne, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Darius Rucker, Dan + Shay, Cole Swindell, Chris Young, Blake Shelton’s girlfriend Gwen Stefani, and Keith Urban’s wife actress Nicole Kidman.
Country music fans got some extra treats as Nashville’s historic Grand Ole Opry hosted Blake Shelton and Usher as they performed the classic tune “Stand By Me.” Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Demi Lovato, and CeCe Winans also collaborated on “With A Little Help From My Friends” during the broadcast.
George Strait is called “The King” for a reason, he stayed on stage for an additional two hours to raise more funds for hurricane victims through the Rebuild Texas Fund and live streamed it via his Facebook page.
Originally, the Hand in Hand telethon was put together to benefit the victims of Hurricane Harvey. It was later expanded to include those affected by Irma, which hit the southeastern United States over weekend. According to new outlets, it has been estimated that both massive storms caused between $150 billion and $290 billion in damage to Texas and Florida.
At least 70 people died during Hurricane Harvey, and 22 deaths have been reported in the United States due to Hurricane Irma. Obviously, these people need a lot of help as they recover from these horrific events. We’re thrilled to see so many celebrities come together for a great cause and are sure the funds raised will make a huge difference!
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