CMT Blog: Gift of Music

Last night (Feb. 2), I had the opportunity to see Dolly Parton and Ronnie Dunn, as well as members of Slaughter, Chicago and Night Ranger, plus many, many others performing under one roof at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. These acts were brought together for a benefit concert, called Gift of Music, by the Dustin J. Wells Foundation in hopes of raising money for the W.O. Smith Nashville Community School to fund musical instruments for the less privileged.

Excited for the opportunity to see Dolly Parton perform, I arrived nearly three hours early in order to secure a good seat. I found a small table towards the front and made myself at home, chatting with those around me about what we were most excited to see. "Do you think she will sing ‘Jolene,'?" a lady asked me. "I sure hope so," I told her. But I don't think any of us realized just how many acts we'd be witnessing in one night. Though we knew there were more than a few, we had no idea there would be well over a dozen. We saw country, rock, ‘80s, bluegrass. ... You name it, we probably saw it.

Throughout the course of the evening, I'd have to say I most enjoyed Ronnie Dunn's "Red Dirt Road," and of course hearing Dolly on "I Will Always Love You." Although I was not as familiar with some of the other music, what a nice thought that so many artists and supporters came together to embrace the Gift of Music.