—and with it, He’s Taken a Shine Back to the Stage—
John Berry is BBBAACCCKKKK!!!! After taking months off to endure chemo and radiation for throat cancer, the “Your Love Amazes Me” singer graced the stage this past weekend with his beautiful wife, Robin. They traveled to Florida, Georgia (although the show got rescheduled due to rain), and South Carolina opening for their good buddies Clint Black and Trace Adkins. Black and Adkins even showed their support before the tour by performing at Berry’s benefit concert on April 23rd at City Winery in Nashville.
But the two icons weren’t the only ones who showed up in full force to shower love upon the Berry family. Fans, friends, and family all came together for one night of stories, laughs, hugs, and hits! Music greats from Opry legends to 90s’ hottest acts to Berry’s own kids shared stage time in order to celebrate Berry’s fight and win against cancer. And who better to introduce the chart topping acts than legendary hosts Crook and Chase and WSM personalities Devon O’ Day, Mike Terry, and Chris Kulick, who all took turns emceeing throughout the evening.
Breast cancer survivor Anita Cochran kicked off the show with her powerful anthem, “Fight Like A Girl” and that was only the beginning of special moments and surprises for John and Robin Berry. 90s country ruled the night, which seemed appropriate seeing as Berry’s label deal and biggest radio cuts happened during the middle portion of that era. Tracy Lawrence gave the crowd quite a throwback with “Time Marches On” and “You Find Out Who Your Friends Are.” Tim Rushlow kicked up his boots with his Little Texas hit, “God Bless Texas.” Mark Wills brought us all back to childhood with “19 Somethin” and Suzy Bogguss had us wanting to get on that “Outbound Plane.” And for one of Berry’s first surprises, his son, Sean Berry jumped on stage with mama Robin and his dad’s original band to perform one of Berry’s first hits, “Kiss Me In the Car.” Brother Caelen Berry showcased his own musical talent on the drums most of the night.
And it wasn’t just the 90s acts in full swing at the City Winery. Longtime friends Jeannie Seely, Oak Ridge Boys, Shenandoah, and Exile all took time out of their busy schedules to honor their dear friend. The Oaks blessed the sold out crowd with “Amazing Grace” before their hearts were on fire for “Elvira.” Marty Raybon and Mike McGuire from Shenandoah were just trying to get to “The Church on Cumberland Road” before Exile tried to “Kiss You All Over.”
Even the rockers got in on the action. Mike Farris dominated the stage with his Elvis style and powerhouse vocals not long before Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jim Messina wowed the crowd with his original, “If Your Mama Don’t Dance” featuring the harmonica stylings of Ms. Heidi Newfield. Newfield also sang BGV’s for Radney Foster on “Nobody Wins” and later joined Lee Roy Parnell to usher in some of the blues, which turned out to be one of many once in a lifetime collaborations that night.
Darin and Brooke Aldridge brought in a little help from Jimmy Fortune, leaving the audience in chills with their beautiful harmonies. And LIVE for the first time ever, Trace Adkins, T. Graham Brown, Jimmy Fortune, and Marty Raybon teamed up to sing a song they recorded in 2012 as a fundraising effort for an orphanage project called “Working on a Building.”
And in keeping the country spirit alive, Clint Black sounded as strong as ever, donning his classic black cowboy hat with an uplifting ballad. Travis Tritt preached that every day is a “Great Day to Be Alive” before nailing one of the best ballads of all time, “Anymore.” And one of the biggest hearts in country music, Vince Gill, shared a funny story about the Berrys before serenading the crowd with “Prove Me Wrong”, a song he wrote that Berry recorded back in 1995.
And then there was Garth and Trisha. That’s right. Mr. and Mrs. Yearwood rearranged their crazy calendar so that they could surprise not only Mr. and Mrs. Berry, but the entire crowd! The crowd jumped to their feet in shock and delight when Garth and Trisha walked out on stage to sing “Walkaway Joe” and “Friends in Low Places” But not before the “Beautifully Broken” cancer survivor shared a sweet and funny story involving Trisha Yearwood in her early days. Apparently, a drunk friend of hers tried to convince Berry to let Yearwood take the stage at a John Berry concert in Georgia and when he said no, she told her friend that “he would open for her someday.” The witnesses had a good laugh on that one!
By the end of the night, Berry felt well enough to give his fans and friends a few magical surprises of his own. He picked up a guitar and sat down centerstage on a stool, playing a touching song he wrote about his father, followed by a dedication song for Robin called “There Will Never Be Another Love.” Robin stood beside him, as she always has, while ladies gracefully made their way to the stage from the audience with red roses in their hand–35 roses in all. Each flower was delicately placed in Robin’s arms, signifying the number of chemo treatments Berry went thru at St Thomas Medical Center in Nashville, Robin holding his hand the whole time of course.
And as is traditional in country music, no benefit would be complete without a memorable ending! The remaining artists joined The Berry Family to sing “We All Come Together”, a song written by Berry and Chuck Jones originally to aid the victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.
And while the hugs and sweet moments filtered throughout the front of the house at City Winery, the backstage moments were just as cool. Artists walked through the door to immediately be greeted by their peers with hugs and laughs and fellowship, as it is rare to get everyone in one place. No politics. No business. No competition. Just friends loving on friends and catching up after months and years of not seeing each other. Everyone was there for the same reason—John Berry. When he walked by or hugged someone, their eyes lit up like sunshine and they doted on both he and Robin. And those that couldn’t be there still did their part by donating items like guitars and posters that were auctioned off prior to the event. Such kind words were spoken to every member of the media about the Berrys and what they mean to the country music family. To hear what our friends had to say, check out the video below for our interview highlights.
Kind words were also spoken about Music Health Alliance, a much needed organization in the music industry that also benefited from the benefit that Tuesday spring night. Music Health Alliance helps working musicians and their families with medical bills, preventative care, doctor’s visits, prescriptions and more thanks to donations and services provided by our generous community. It’s not always easy to have health insurance when you don’t work a 9-5 and the life of a touring musician can be unpredictable, especially when it comes to finances. Since 2013, MHA has saved over $40 million dollars in healthcare costs and aided more than 9,700 members across 38 states in all genres of music. And MHA can continue to do good work thanks in part to a night like we had a few weeks ago. Between silent auction items, ticket sales, and individual donations, at least $300,000 was raised, although the exact totals are not yet in!
That just goes to show that ripping down historic buildings on Music Row and the constant ebb and flow of music business politics can never change one thing– the life long friendships made between people in the industry and between artists and their fans. Because it’s more than a career. It’s family and that is and has always been, the very foundation country music was built on.
Check out the photo gallery below for photos from the event
(Photo Credit: Rick Diamond Photography / ShutterStock)
John and Robin Berry, you are so loved beyond measure. Your faith is a testament to us all that every ounce of truth can be found in Philippians 4:13, the verse that you live by. Your kindness and humility are what we all aspire to carry with us daily. We are so incredibly thankful God has given you both such talents that you get to share with the world. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special night and special thanks to Bev and Brian for the amazing work you do everyday! Enjoy the video! Love, Lindsey and Amanda