FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
LOUISIANA RISING BENEFIT CONCERT ADDS MORE STAR POWER: HUNTER HAYES
SIGNS ON TO PERFORM
MONTGOMERY, AL – Five-time GRAMMY nominee Hunter Hayes has signed on to perform in the
concert that will support victims of the recent South Louisiana floods. Raycom Media will present
Louisiana Rising: A Benefit Concert to support for Flood Relief on Labor Day, September 5, 2016,
from 7-9 PM (CT).
Hayes, 24, was born and raised in Breaux Bridge, La. Hailed as a "country-rock-blues guitar hero in the
making" by the Los Angeles Times, Hayes is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who roared
onto the music scene with his Double Platinum-selling, No. 1 self-titled debut album and chart-topping
sophomore album, Storyline, on Atlantic / Warner Music Nashville. He has three No. 1 singles already
under his belt, including the multi-Platinum smash “Wanted,” “Somebody’s Heartbreak” and “I Want
Crazy”.
“I am so thrilled to be a part of this benefit concert,” shared Hayes. “I hope it not only helps the people
who need our help, but also brings much needed attention to the beautiful people of my home state.”
Hayes is currently recording music for his forthcoming third studio album, with a new single anticipated
later this fall.
Hayes joins two other big names, also hailing from Louisiana, who will co-host the LIVE concert, Randy
Jackson and Harry Connick Jr.
More than a dozen well-known artists will play in the concert, including New Orleans-based Better Than
Ezra. Sonny Landreth, Chris Thomas King, MacKenzie Bourg, and Luther Kent have also joined the
cause. A complete lineup will be available in the coming days. Raycom Media’s Tupelo-Honey Raycom
will produce the show, and Johnny Palazzotto, a fixture of the Baton Rouge music scene, will serve as
music director. The show will be broadcast from Baton Rouge’s River Center Theater and will benefit
American Red Cross Louisiana Flood Relief. Information is available at
www.louisianarisingfloodrelief.com.
“We are so pleased that so many big name artists are willing to help us in this worthy cause,” said Pat
LaPlatney, Raycom Media President and CEO.
The August floods are responsible for the deaths of 13 people and damage to an estimated 154,000
homes. Tens of thousands of people need assistance. Thousands are still living in shelters. Early
estimates put total damage at $20 billion and initial recovery efforts are critical. Louisiana Rising will
benefit American Red Cross disaster relief efforts to help people affected by the Louisiana Floods,
estimated at 35 to 40 million. The Red Cross says the disaster in Louisiana is the worst to hit the United
States since Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the Northeast in 2012.
Tupelo-Honey Raycom is producing the LIVE show. LaPlatney says the goal of Louisiana Rising: A
Benefit Concert for Flood Relief is to raise awareness about the devastation caused by the floods, and to
raise money to help the thousands of people who are still displaced with the resources to rebuild their
lives.
Louisiana Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Relief will be broadcast LIVE across all Raycom Media
television stations which reach more than 14 percent of U.S. television households and will be carried
nationally on Bounce TV (Visit BounceTV.com for local channel information.)
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Raycom Media, an employee-owned company, is one of the nation's largest privately owned broadcasters and owns
and/or provides services for 62 television stations in 42 markets and 20 states. Raycom Media owns or provides
services for stations covering over 14% of U.S. television households and employs over 4,600 individuals in full and
part-time positions. In addition to television stations, Raycom Media owns PureCars (digital ad platform for
automotive), Raycom Sports (a marketing, production and events management and distribution company), TupeloHoney Raycom (a NY-based production company), RTM Productions (a Franklin, TN-based automotive
programming production and marketing solutions company), WebStream Sports (an Indianapolis-based, live event
production company) and Broadview Media (a post-production/digital signage company based in Montgomery,
AL). Raycom Media is headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama.