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Pictured (L-R): Ricky Skaggs, tobyMac and Duane Allen, of The Oak Ridge Boys backstage at the Project Restore concert.

Oak Ridge Boys Take Part in Tsunami Relief Effort Concert Event

"NASHVILLE’S MUSIC COMMUNITY UNITES FOR TSUNAMI RELIEF"

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—January 27, 2005— On Wednesday, January 26th, "An Evening for Restoration: Music City Comes Together for Tsunami Relief" was held at Belmont University’s Massey Auditorium, representing an unprecedented collaboration of music city’s music industry.

The one-night only benefit concert brought together a number of Nashville’s major music organizations as well as artists from a variety of genres to benefit World Vision, the international relief agency which has thousands of staff members on the ground working in the stricken South Asian region where more than 160,000 people have died.

Co-hosted by Michael W. Smith and Kathy Mattea, "An Evening for Restoration: Music City Comes Together for Tsunami Relief," took place on the one-month anniversary of the natural disaster.

Country music legends The Oak Ridge Boys, happy to be a part of this relief effort, performed their new country radio single "Someplace Green" as a part of the evening’s lineup of artists.

Longtime Oak Ridge Boy member and producer Duane Allen commented, "…The Nashville community responded to the needs of the Tsunami victims with a parade of stars from different musical influences…country, gospel, bluegrass, Christian, jazz, ‘Grand Ole Opry’ stars, western, Nashville Chamber musicians, studio musicians, etc…. I saw Vince Gill, sitting in with the band, seeking no recognition, but giving just the same. The musical talent, along with Belmont University, sound and light companies, the GMA, CMA and many others came together in the spirit of love. It is my prayer that God will bless those who have lost so much."

The benefit concert was a part of Project Restore (http://www.ProjectRestore.org), established to serve as the gospel music industry's unified campaign for raising awareness of how the music community and its fans can be involved, including encouraging financial donations to World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org) and other relief agencies which are directly providing disaster relief for the countries and the victims of the tsunami.

World Vision has been providing relief in most of the areas impacted by the tsunami, with 3,700 staff on the ground in the five hardest-hit countries alone. World Vision staff has been distributing survival packs of food, bottled water, medicine, sleeping mats, clothing and household items to tens of thousands of people. World Vision has set a $100 million goal to help the victims of the South Asia disaster, the largest single commitment in the organization’s 54-year history.

For further information, visit http://www.ProjectRestore.org