Alan Jackson's Charleston Concert to Benefit Families of Mining Disaster
ALAN
JACKSON’s CHARLESTON CONCERT WILL BENEFIT FAMILIES OF UPPER BIG BRANCH MINING
DISASTER
MAY 22ND
SHOW AT CIVIC CENTER IS FUNDRAISER FOR MONTCOAL MINING DISASTER FUND
Country
music superstar Alan Jackson will dedicate his May 22nd show at the
Charleston, WV Civic Center to the families who lost loved ones in the Upper
Big Branch Mining Disaster in Montcoal, West Virginia. Profits from the show will go to the
Montcoal Mining Disaster Fund administrated by the West Virginia Council of
Churches.
“This is a very wonderful
donation from Alan and, on behalf of our state, I’m honored for our miners,
their families and the rescue workers,” said West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin.
“Alan is a world-famous entertainer who has never forgotten his small-town
roots and the importance of family. And I’m sure our miner families will really
appreciate this opportunity to enjoy a great show.”
“We are thrilled that Alan Jackson, an entertainer
who sings about the working family, has committed his upcoming show in
Charleston to the families of the fallen miners at the Upper Big Branch mine,”
said The Rev. Dennis Sparks, Ex. Dir. WV Council of Churches. “On Behalf of the Montcoal Mining Disaster Fund,
thank you Alan and we look forward to a great concert in West Virginia.”
On
April 5th, 2010, 29 miners lost their lives and two were injured in
the tragedy at the Upper Big Branch Mine, about 30 miles south of
Charleston. It was the country’s worst
mining disaster in four decades.
A
native of small town Newnan, GA, Alan Jackson is one of country music’s most
respected and honored recording artists and songwriters. In
songs like “Small Town Southern Man”, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped
Turning)” and “Hard Hat and a Hammer” from his newest album Freight Train, the
special grace of Jackson’s words and music have made him an eloquent spokesman
for the pride and struggles of working families everywhere.