The inaugural benefit concert for the Troy Gentry Foundation was held in Nashville last week, and according to Music Row, the event, dubbed “C’ya On The Flipside,” raised over $300,000 to benefit various organizations.
The goal of the event was to raise money for the Troy Gentry Foundation, which supports organizations that aid in cancer research, help military families and families in need and provide music education. The evening also raised funds for organizations including the The Opry Trust Fund, Make-A-Wish, TJ Martell Foundation and The Journey Home Project.
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“He just wanted to help people and he wanted to have fun doing it,” Gentry’s wife, Angie, explained backstage before the show of her late husband. “It was things that were personal that mattered to him, that touched his heart, that touched our families, touched both of us.”
Angie added that it feels good to be able to help Troy’s legacy live on.
“You know, somebody made a comment the other day, ‘You get to turn the light back on,’” she recalled. “I said, ‘No, we just wanna keep it burning.’ He worked really hard in 20 years of his career to get where he was and to be able to help people in the way he helped them. And it’s just a great way to keep his memory.”
The concert was hosted by Blake Shelton and Storme Warren and headlined by stars like Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, Dustin Lynch and Troy’s bandmate, Eddie Montgomery, and Angie shared that the lineup came together simply by flipping through Troy’s phonebook.
“We went through and pretty much every artist in the lineup tonight had a relationship or friendship with Troy,” she revealed. “And that’s how we got through it. We called them ’cause we went through Troy’s phonebook and said, ‘Let’s see who’s in here who matters.’ And so we did and all these guys are comin’ in, all his friends comin’ in.”
“It’s a bittersweet thing,” she added. “I’m used to being around them with him and that’s interesting to have them here without him, but it’s just a great group of guys and great friends. It’s like a reunion.”
Gentry’s bandmate called the event “unbelievable” backstage.
“If T-Roy was here, he’d be smiling his butt off,” Montgomery said. “Man, he’d be right in the middle of it. If you ever got around him and seen that smile, you never forget it.”
He added, “God gave you this talent, and it’s time for you to give back. So it’s just great to see this.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Mindy Small
