Country music royalty was in the house for Dolly Parton’s televised benefit Tuesday night (Dec. 13). It was recently revealed that Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountains Rise benefit raised close to $9 million dollars, which will be going directly into the My Peoples Fund that Parton set up for the victims of the East Tennessee wildfires.
Parton initially pledged to donate $1000 a month to each family that lost their homes in the tragic fires, which were started by two teenagers. The teens have been arrested and will be charged with aggravated arson, according to TBI spokeswoman Leslie Earhart.
When the total damage cost amount was revealed, Parton knew she had to do more. The Tennessean reported on Tuesday (Dec. 13) that the damage costs from the wildfires are up to $500 million. In an effort to use her celebrity for good, Parton quickly organized the telethon, which will help the 2,400 structures that were destroyed, rebuild.
The star studded event featured performances from Kenny Rogers, Alison Krauss, Reba McEntire, Hank Williams, Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Chris Stapleton, Don McLean, Chris Young, Ronnie Dunn, Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, Big & Rich, LoCash, Lauren Alaina, Aaron Lewis, Montgomery Gentry, Amy Grant, Alabama, and Michael W. Smith.
One performance that had everyone talking was Stapleton. He was joined by his wife, Morgane and together, they sang an unreleased country gospel song called “Broken Halos”.
The song serves as a reminder to always keep your faith, even through tragedy and this was the perfect opportunity for the Stapletons to debut it. Over 2,400 homes and business were destroyed in the fires and 14 people lost their lives in the horrible fires. Now more than ever, the people of East Tennessee need to keep their faith, no matter how hard that might be at the moment.
“Broken Halos” features Stapleton’s signature gritty vocals, but in a way that will touch you to your core. Performed with just a guitar and drum, Stapleton shows the world what’s to come from him following all his success from his Traveller album.
Just like the name of the telethon, the people who live in the Smoky Mountains will RISE from the ashes and rebuild their small town. “Broken Halos” is the perfect anthem for the victims of the fire, and thanks to everyone who donated, they are well on their way to doing just that.
Listen to Chris and Morgane perform “Broken Halos” for the first time below. Their performance begins at the 16:49 mark.