Darryl Worley, Luke Bryan Plan Benefits

Darryl Worley at the Nightly Concert on the Vault Concert Stage LP Field Saturday, June 7 in Downtown Nashville during the 2008 CMA Music Festival.

Sept. 12, 2008 — Darryl Worley and Luke Bryan are each planning musical events in their hometowns specifically to raise money for community projects.

Darryl’s annual Tennessee River Run is slated for this weekend with an estimated 20,000 people expected to visit for a string of concerts in Savannah, Tenn. Darryl was on the schedule last night for an acoustic show featuring Jennifer Hanson and songwriters Mark Nesler and Wynn Varble. Southern rockers 38 Special — including Van Zant member Donnie Van Zant — are on tap for a Friday night show, and Darryl plays again on Saturday in a lineup that also features Keith Anderson, Restless Heart and Christian group Point Of Grace.

Last year, the River Run raised $125,000 for the Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center, expected to begin construction next year.

"I hope we're going to leave this behind for the community," Darryl told The Tennessean. "That's what it started off to be, something [that] says, 'Hey, you folks have been good to me.' Nobody knows how much I love being at home, because it's a special place."

Home for Luke is Leesburg, Ga., and he’ll present a charity songwriters showcase there on Oct. 5, with proceeds earmarked for the Lee Branch YMCA. The benefit is dedicated to his brother, Chris Bryan, and sister, Kelly Bryan Cheshire, both of whom have passed away.

"Since Chris' death I've been waiting for the right charity event to do, and now with Kelly's passing this event seemed like the perfect fit," Luke says. "It is something I can do that will honor them and, at the same time, benefit the people in my hometown, which is what I know Chris and Kelly would have wanted."

Luke has enlisted several hit songwriters to fill out the bill. They include Dallas Davidson ("Put A Girl In It"), Jim McCormick ("We Rode In Trucks"), Jason Matthews ("Must Be Doin’ Something Right"), Jeff Stevens ("Back When") and Phillip White ("I’m A Survivor").