Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Nearly three weeks after a Jan. 12 earthquake destroyed large swatches of Haiti, the response from country music’s community is heartening. Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Pam Tillis, Big Kenny, Restless Heart and Toby Keith are just some of the artists who found ways to get involved.

They’ve donated their time, their voices and their money, and in one particular instance, one unintended result was a confirmation that the recording industry has crossed a barrier as it continues to evolve in the digital age. Taylor and Keith were both featured on the multi-network special Help For Haiti Now, which was immediately released as a digital-only album. It quickly sold more than 170,000 copies and came in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 all-genre albums chart. It marks the first time in history that the top album in the country could not be purchased in a physical format.

Here’s a summary of the ways country stars have reached out to help:

• Taylor covered Better Than Ezra’s “Breathless” on Help For Haiti Now while Keith joined Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock in a performance of Bill Withers’ classic “Lean On Me.” Diehard country fans might also note that Justin Timberlake was joined by supporting vocalist Matt Morris, an artist signed to his record label. Matt’s father is former country hitmaker Gary Morris.

• More than 90 artists gathered at Nashville’s Ocean Way Studio Wednesday to record “Come Together Now,” a song written by Michael W. Smith and two other contemporary Christian artists to raise money for Haiti. A smattering of country stars took part in the session, including Restless Heart, Lee Greenwood, the Oak Ridge Boys and Wynonna. The lineup also included Phil Stacey, who briefly had a country deal after competing on “American Idol”; Chris Sligh, who authored the Rascal Flatts hit “Here Comes Goodbye”; and Don Poythress, who wrote Easton Corbin’s “A Little More Country Than That.”

• Pam Tillis joined Buddy Jewell, John Cowan and Mandy Barnett last week in a Nashville benefit concert, according to The Tennessean. The artists joined with a volunteer chorus for a performance of Handel’s Messiah, with proceeds being funneled to Haiti through the Nashville chapter of the American Red Cross.

• Bucky Covington manned a Haiti helpline, Country Aircheck reported, to take donations in an Indianapolis fundraiser two weeks ago.

• Three members of the Lost Trailers chipped in at Atlanta Cares For Haiti, a benefit staged by Antwan “Big Boi” Patton of the hip-hop duo OutKast.

• Big Kenny personally flew to Haiti to look for a friend, Walt Ratterman, who was staying at a hotel in Port-au-Prince when the 7.0-magnitude quake struck. The friend is one of the thousands of people who have never been found. Big Kenny eventually flew back to Nashville to recuperate, though he hopes to go back to Haiti and continue helping.

• A slew of acts raised $75,000 Sunday in a Help Austin Help Haiti benefit. Among those participating: the Joe Ely Band, the Flatlanders, Shawn Colvin, Asleep At The Wheel, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis, Reckless Kelly and Robert Earl Keen.

• Toby Keith donated seven semi trailers in Nashville to collect goods and supplies for Project Haiti. The trailers will be set up at Stage Call, 1420 Cowan Court, until Tuesday, when they head to Haiti. For a list of requested supplies, visit Toby’s website.

• It’s also quite possible that one or more country stars will get involved in a 25th anniversary remake of “We Are The World.” Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson, will reunite with producer Quincy Jones to record the new version Monday, according to Billboard. Quincy has declined to name the artists expected to participate, though the session is timed to take advantage of the Grammy lineup, which includes such country acts as Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum. Country stars Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers and Waylon Jennings were on hand for the original recording under the name USA For Africa in 1985. That multi-million-selling single amassed more than 40 acts, including Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and Kim Carnes.

• You can still donate to the cause for the next six months at https://www.hopeforhaitinow.org.

ShareThis