14 years. Over 1000 turkeys donated. 500 birds fried two days before Thanksgiving. Because Turkey Day would not gobble, gobble in Nashville without Tracy Lawrence and the many volunteers who spend Thanksgiving week making sure members of the community have a warm plate and a full belly. The 14th annual Tracy Lawrence Mission Turkey Fry and Concert took place at the Nashville Rescue Mission on Tuesday, November 26th. This year, healthcare provider, the LHC Group, along with its local home health and hospice agencies sponsored the event, with oil donated from Lou Ana oils and the propane tanks from Blue Rhino. A friend of Tracy’s from Arkansas helped secure over 1000 turkeys with over 500 to be fried on the mild but overcast fall day in the parking lot of the Mission Center. Titans cheerleaders came to show their support, as well as the Nashville Predators mascot. Artist friends like Deborah Allen, Joe Denim, and Chad Warrix and David Tolliver from Halfway to Hazard got in on the frying action, which thrilled Deborah as she has been friends with Tracy for a long time and it was the first year she got to participate.
“It’s just a great opportunity to do nice things for our community. There’s a lot of good that comes from it and aside from turkeys, we get to make new friends,” the spunky hit songwriter and recording artist told The Country Note.
And of course, Tracy made his rounds throughout the morning and afternoon, taking pictures, dropping turkeys, and talking to media, friends, and volunteers. Tracy showed us where they were loading up boxes to distribute to different centers, like women’s and children’s organizations. And for the “Alibis” singer, this a family affair.
“My children and a lot of their friends and volunteers will make sides and box up meals for a family of 4 with a half turkey and sides. They made 1000 cookies at the house the last couple of days with the neighbors.”
Tracy, who normally tags along to hand out the boxes, actually skipped this year to head out to Dallas on Wednesday to participate in the turkey fry out there. 2019 marks the third year for the Dallas string, but the first time Tracy has been able to go.
But what he didn’t skip was the second part of the annual extravaganza Tuesday evening—a sold out show at the Wildhorse with friends Halfway to Hazard, Clay Walker, Rhett Atkins, and his newly announced 2020 touring buddy, Justin Moore. With a gigantic Christmas tree sitting stage right, two huge screens on either side, and a screen in the middle, the show was taken to a whole new level this year. Normally, different acts take the stage one by one and sing a few songs, mostly acoustic. Tracy and his full band then end the show with his biggest hits from the 90s and 2000s. But this year, they gave the full Nashville treatment by setting it up like a writer’s round so that everyone got equal stage time. The artists were up front in a row, backed up by some of Nashville’s most talented musicians. Not only that, the comradery and friendship between the guys just further reaffirmed the country music family vibe we already knew existed. Stories were told about past touring days, guy trips, and show mishaps, as red solo cups and coffee thermos sat on bar stools because. . . well . . .. no wants to sing dehydrated. And what would a show of that caliber be without the recognizable crowd favorites?
Clay kicked things off with his smash, “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” proving that his vocals are just as strong as they were when the song peaked at #4 on the charts in 2010. Justin nailed “You Look Like I Need a Drink” before Chad and David from Halfway to Hazard had the Wildhorse going crazy with “Love It Round Here.” One of Nashville’s most successful songwriters, Rhett Atkins, continued the upswing with his 2016 Jon Pardi hit, “Dirt on my Boots”. It was a perfect lead in for one of Tracy’s most recognizable songs, “Time Marches On”, which affects listeners today as much as it did 23 years ago. Crowd pleasers continued throughout the night from all five acts. “You Find Out Who Your Friends Are” and “Paint Me a Birmingham” continue to solidify Tracy’s influence in the country music world. The harmonies and heart from David and Chad on songs like “Gettin’ Lucky“ and their tearjerker, “Daisy” have us scratching our heads at why country radio is not blasting Halfway to Hazard every chance they get. (But that’s a conversation for another day.) A beautiful American Flag sat in front of the duo while their buddy Justin played his anthems, “Small Town USA” and “The Ones That Didn’t Make it Back Home.” The resurgence of the 90s era has never been more popular than it is right now thanks to hits like Atkins, “That Ain’t My Truck” and Walker’s “If I Could Make a Living.” Walker’s spot on performance of “This Woman and this Man” garnered thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the crowd. It also found approval from our table buddy, Randy Travis, who could not stop clapping and grinning from ear to ear.
And if the Travis family thought they were going to remain unnoticed, they were wrong! During one of the breaks, the house lights came up, so that drinks could be refilled from the amazing Wildhorse staff and the auctioneer could continue to raise money with great package deals. The fast talking salesman even said a few words about one of his greatest influences before auctioning off a once in a lifetime dinner with Randy and his wife Mary. The dinner, which sold for about $7000, was just another treat for the excited patrons who quickly formed a circle around the Travis’ table for pictures and kind words. And being that Randy and Mary are two of the most gracious, humble, and patient souls we know–they took time for every single person. Tracy also took time for his friend and surprised the packed room by bringing Randy up at the end so all the guys could sing, “Forever and Ever, Amen.” Every heart in the room melted.
And everybody’s “Red red red red redneck” side came out when Rhett officially ended the show with that Blake Shelton “Boys Round Here” tune the Georgia native co-wrote with fellow Peach Pickers Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip.
We at The Country Note are so grateful to Tracy, his family, our artist friends, and the businesses and volunteers who sponsor and support this event every year. Thanksgiving dinner creates amazing memories and full bellies for most of us, and it’s easy to forget that not everybody gets a warm meal or has someone to call family. But thanks to the ever generous Nashville community, the neon lights of Music City are shining a little more brightly. For more information on how you can help all throughout the year, visit www.turkeyfry.com. And to keep up with all things Tracy Lawrence, visit www.tracylawrence.com.
Tracy Lawrence Mission Turkey Fry and Concert Photo Gallery: