Garth Brooks, Kings of Leon, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Flaming Lips: Big-Name Artists Follow Blake Shelton's Lead for Oklahoma Tornado Fundraisers
Garth Brooks and the Kings of Leon will be the big names among many musicians playing various benefit concerts raising money for victims of the recent tornados in Oklahoma.
Brooks will be on of several acts playing at Toby Keith's Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert on July 6 in Norman, OK. Brooks himself was born in Norman, and Keith was raised in Moore, OK but now lives in Norman.
"I grew up in Moore, I live in Norman and I've got lots of family and friends who were directly affected," he says. "I know these folks and they're resilient, but we're going to keep helping them any way we can. I'm proud to get together with some others from around here who are just as committed as I am to supporting these communities," Keith said.
The duo of stars will be joined by Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood and Ronnie Dunn. All proceeds will go to the United Way's tornado relief fund.
Another pair of Oklahoma natives will headline a different charity concert for tornado relief in Oklahoma City on July 23. "Rock For Oklahoma" will feature homegrown heroes The Flaming Lips and the Kings of Leon, as well as Jackson Browne, Built to Spill and other acts to be named.
"We couldn't be more proud to lend a hand to our home state. We were all devastated by what happened there," Kings of Leon member Jared Followill said. "We have family and friends that were affected by the tornados . . . this is the least we could do."
Immediately following the aftermath of the storm, country star and "The Voice" host Blake Shelton held his own relief concert, which raised more than $6 million and featured an appearance from fellow "Voice" host Usher.