Pictured (L-R) Wade Hayes, Jamie Fox Hardwick, Shane Thomas, Troy Gentry, Auction winner Mike Kimlerling, Eddie Montgomery, Chris Young and Tim Nichols. Photo by Joe Hardwick

Montgomery Gentry and friends Chris Young, Jon Stone, Tim Nichols, Wade Hayes, Trent Willmon and Jim Quick with Coastline raised $80,000 at the first annual Country on the Beach benefiting the T.J. Martell Foundation’s fight against cancer and AIDS. The event was held Dec. 3-6 in Cancun, Mexico, and featured an all-inclusive guest package with activities such as zip line tours, snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins, and nighttime country music.

Highlights of the trip included a live auction which offered on-stage performances with Montgomery Gentry ($3,750) and singer/songwriter Nichols ($3,000), as well as private serenades by Willmon and  Hayes. GAC TV’s Headline Country Host, Storme Warren was the host and auctioneer of the event who added to the auction excitement by offering hand-written lyrics to the tune of Charlie Daniel’s “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” that were re-written by various artists from the CMA Awards red carpet in November ($7,000). Young placed the hand written lyrics to his latest No. 1 song, “Getting You Home” on the auction block, which brought $5,500.

Jo Dee Messina with the Harvest Hands Board of Directors, Concert Organizers and Harvest Hands Kids prior to the Dec. 5th benefit concert

Jo Dee Messina performed two special shows this weekend with youth and children’s choirs at Brentwood United Methodist Church. Messina partnered with Harvest Hands Community Development Corporation (CDC) for the effort, which helped raise over $30,000. Over 3,000 fans attended the performances, where Messina performed selections from her Christmas album A Joyful Noise. The evening performance is available for viewing online until the end of December at www.JoDeeMessina.com/harvesthands. “[Directors] Brian and Courtney Hicks are angels walking the face of this earth,” says Messina. “What they do with Harvest Hands must make God smile.”

Messina also performed earlier this month at Rockefeller Center in New York City for NBC-TV’s live tree lighting ceremony. The program featured a stellar line-up including Rod Stewart, Rob Thomas, Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Barry Manilow, The Roots, Shakira and numerous other stars.

On Thursday, December 10, Messina will perform at Green’s Grocery in Leiper’s Fork to benefit the Montessori School of Franklin. Tickets are $125 and available by calling 615-794-0567.

Pictured (l-r): Sony Music Nashville VP, Digital Business Heather McBee and Chairman Joe Galante; Underwood; Leighann McCollum, Tennessee State Director of The Humane Society of the United States; Sony Music Nashville Executive VP Butch Waugh; 19 Entertainment’s Ann Edelblute; and Sony Music Nashville Senior VP, Sales & Operations Paul Barnabee. Photo Credit: John Russell

Animals were the big winners as superstar Carrie Underwood, together with 19 Recordings and Sony Music Nashville, recently presented The Humane Society of the United States with a check for $200,000. The check reflected the charitable proceeds from sales of Carrie’s recording of “Home Sweet Home,” which served as the contestant farewell song on the past Season 8 of American Idol. The digital single for “Home Sweet Home” was available exclusively on iTunes during its first week of release.