Cody Johnson Honors Flood Victims With Emotional “How Great Thou Art” Performance at Texas Benefit Concert

During the early hours of July 4th, residents of Kerr County in Texas found themselves in a life-or-death situation when a storm caused the Guadalupe River to rise over 26 feet in less than an hour. With little time to react, a total of 135 people lost their lives. And for many others, their entire world was washed away. Over the weeks that followed, donations poured in as rescue efforts continued. And for country music stars like George Strait, Miranda Lambert, and Jelly Roll, they added their name to the donation list. But recently, Cody Johnson took the stage for the Band Together Texas benefit concert and produced a power cover of “How Great Thou Art.” 

While traveling to the Moody Center in Austin, Band Together Texas hoped to use music to help raise funds for the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country and the Central Texas Community Foundation. Wanting to use their talents to help those in need, the concert featured Lambert, Parker McCollum, Ronnie Dunn, Dylan Gossett, Jack Ingram, Lyle Lovett, Lukas Nelson, Wade Bowen, Ryan Bingham, and more. 

@hannybaker

took moody center to church tonight @Cody Johnson @Moody Center ATX #bandtogethertexas #austin #fyp

♬ original sound – Hannah Baker

With a powerful lineup of singers, Johnson appeared to steal the show when he started to sing “How Great Thou Art.” Although written back in 1885 by a preacher named Carl Boberg, the song became a classic hymn in churches all over the world. While the Moody Center wasn’t exactly a church, Johnson made it one with his moving performance. 

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Entire Band Together Concert Featuring Cody Johnson Shared On YouTube

Thankfully, fans in the audience recorded the performance, sharing it online. Looking at the comments, people wrote, “Wow!!! I was there and had chills and tears all at the same time!! Him along with the other performers nailed it.” 

Again, Johnson was just one of many performers to take the stage. With the concert focusing on charity, the entire event was uploaded to YouTube for those who might have missed it. Hitting the internet on Sunday, the concert already brought in over 78,000 views. 

As for the money raised for the victims, the organizers will need some time to calculate just how much country music helped those impacted by the flood. But with moving performances and special appearances from Dennis Quaid and Matthew McConaughey, it’s sure to make a lasting difference for the communities devastated by the flood.

(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)