Tickets to the eighth annual Dustin Lynch and Friends Benefit Concert held at Lynch’s alma mater, Tullahoma High School, sold out quickly as fans flocked to see the triple-platinum award-winning “Small Town Boy” this past December. With roughly 750 attendees in the audience, Lynch performed with Nashville-based songwriters Randy Montana, Brent Anderson, and Lanie Gardner.
Together, they raised a whopping $40,000, which the trio later split between three local nonprofits: Haven of Hope Counseling, Special Olympics Tennessee, and the South Jackson Performing Arts Center (SJPAC). Lynch also requested concert attendees bring an unwrapped toy to donate to the annual drive for the Tullahoma Fire Department, benefitting local children in need.
Born and raised in Tullahoma, Lynch took to the stage at SJPAC and regularly performed in the South Jackson Goes Country show before graduating from Tullahoma High School in 2003. In 2011, he signed with Broken Bow Records, and his debut single “Cowboys and Angels” topped the charts a short time later. Inspired by country music legends Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson, Lynch is a flawless blend of a traditional country sound with his own modern twist.
With multiple hits inspired by his hometown, including an album released in 2020 titled “Tullahoma,” songs such as “Momma’s House,” “Dirt Roads,” and “Good Girl” have made Lynch more than a local celebrity — he’s a Tennessee legend. To date, Lynch has released six albums plus 17 singles, with eight of those singles reaching number one on Country Airplay. He performed his hit single “Small Town Boy” in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2017, and on Sept. 18, 2018, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. As a songwriter, Lynch co-wrote “Somebody Somewhere,” a song by Canadian country rock artist Dallas Smith, as well as the 2013 single by James Wesley, “Thank a Farmer.”
“One of the first stages Lynch ever sang on outside of church and school was at SJPAC. Over the years, Dustin has been very kind and even though he has moved away, his roots are here in Tullahoma. In fact, he wrote many of his songs about our town. During the COVID-19 shutdowns, Dustin even hosted private Zoom parties to keep things going for us at SJPAC. He’s always open to doing whatever he can to help,” said Greg Gressel, executive director and chairman of SJPAC.
SJPAC offers a wide variety of programs to people of all ages and provides an open door to up-and-coming performers who dream of following in the footsteps of Dustin Lynch, or to anyone who enjoys dabbling in the arts. According to Gressel, the donated funds will enhance the Performing Arts for Children and Teens (PACT) and Theater Enrichment Arts Curriculum for Homeschoolers programs.
“We are very excited to have received this gift from Dustin,” said Gressel. “The money will go directly to help build both of those programs. We believe talent is distributed equally, but access to use those talents is not. So, we at SJPAC strive to make it possible for all youths to use their talent and creativity to express themselves through the arts.”
This summer, don’t drive to Nashville, Huntsville, or even Atlanta to watch a world-class production, enjoy family-friendly entertainment, take part in a community-wide ice cream social, or enjoy international music, dance, and one-of-a-kind cuisine. Check out what’s happening right here in your own backyard at SJPAC. GN
