Eric Church & Luke Combs Receive Humanitarian Award for Record-Breaking Hurricane Helene Concert

Following Hurricane Helene in the fall of 2024, North Carolina natives, Luke Combs and Eric Church quickly organized the Concert for Carolina benefit show. Transpiring on October 26 Combs, Church, and various artists took to Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium and performed for over six hours in hopes of raising money for the victims of the storm.

Videos by American Songwriter

The concert raised $24.5 million and all of the proceeds went to organizations of Combs and Church’s choosing. Some of those organizations include Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank, and Second Harvest Food Bank. Additionally, Eric Church vowed to rebuild 100 homes for folks who lost their homes.

In light of their selfless service, Combs and Church recently received the Artist Humanitarian Award at the annual Country Radio Seminar hosted by the Country Radio Broadcasters in Nashville, Tennessee.

Luke Combs & Eric Church—”This Was the Right Thing to Do”

Both Combs and Church have achieved the highest possible success one can achieve in the world of country music. Though, in addition to their personal accolades, their philanthropic endeavors have also helped touch the masses. In particular, Combs consistently participates in several different non-profits and Church runs his own non-profit called, Chief Cares.

In light of their consistent community service and work with Hurricane Helene victims, it was a no-brainer to give these two individuals the Artist Humanitarian Award. Which according to Country Radio Seminar, is an award that recognizes an artist, “whose philanthropic efforts have significantly improved the effectiveness and impact of the causes they support.” The past recipients of this award include Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, and Kenny Cheney.

Regarding the award, Luke Combs stated on stage, “This was the right thing to do, puttin’ the show on” and “There was never once a thought that we weren’t gonna do this.” “I’m incredibly uncomfortable with an award like this” and “You should never think about what you get for doing the right thing, you should just do the right thing,” Church humbly divulged.

Organized in a mere three weeks, Combs and Church were able to book James Taylor, Billy Strings, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, and The Avett Brothers. Furthermore, Dolly Parton helped by donating $1 million to Combs and Church’s philanthropic endeavor.

Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images