Lady Antebellum Honored With St. Jude Angels Among Us Award
Lady Antebellum's remarks accepting the 2020 St. Jude Angels Among Us Award cut to the heart of the Country Cares mission and country music. Hillary Scott spoke on behalf of the band on Friday night (Jan. 17) in Memphis, Tenn. Randy Owen helped present the honor to Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood.
Lady Antebellum becomes the most recent recipient of an award given most years during the annual Country Cares conference at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. The "What If I Never Get Over You" trio follow Jake Owen (2019), Brad Paisley (2018) and Darius Rucker (2017) as artists whose time and dedication to spreading the message of the world-renowned children's hospital and research center went above and beyond. Scott said they just felt humbled to be a part of a community that emphasizes philanthropy at every stage.
"We were all in our early 20s when we started as a band," she said, reading from prepared notes, "and the expectation of artists no matter the level of success was to be involved in the radiothons. They helped sculpt our hearts to want to use our platform for more than just the sound of a sold out show or album sales."
When Lady A were in their 20s they were mostly single, and definitely without kids. That's changed now with six children between them, and the emotions of visiting have changed, too.
“I think having kids and seeing the parents, what they’re going through … they try to put on a brave face, but I know that must be hard,” Kelley told Taste of Country prior to accepting the award. Scott spoke to that during her remarks, as well saying the honor "gives us the opportunity to engage in a conversation with our children as they grow up, the importance of giving back and serving others and using your platform for good."
Lady Antebellum played three songs after accepting the award, including "What If I Never Get Over You," their No. 1 hit from Ocean. Talking to ToC, they made clear that the honor is not the end of their journey. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
“I think it lights a fire in our belly to keep going and to keep raising awareness to places like this that need all of the funding possible to help families and their children,” Scott says.
On Feb. 6-7, Taste of Country will assist more than a dozen country radio stations in raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with a webathon/radiothon. Over $9.2 million has been raised during the previous six joint efforts, with much more raised from other TSM stations later in the year. If you'd like to donate, check here for various options.
Country Artists at St. Jude Through the Years