Clay Walker Leads Country Benefits

Clay Walker photo courtesy of Curb Records.

Aug. 6, 2008 — Clay Walker will launch the inaugural Band Against MS Bike Team ride Oct. 4-5 in Middle Tennessee to raise money for the battle against multiple sclerosis.

The team will take part in the Bike To Jack & Back ride, which starts in Franklin, Tenn., and extends 75 miles to Lynchburg, the home of the Jack Daniels Distillery. After an overnight stay, all the bikers — an expected 750 or more — will return the next day.

"I am extremely excited and proud that the Band Against MS Bike Team will be partnering with the Mid South Chapter of the National MS Society," Clay says. "This event will further our efforts to raise awareness, fund research and support the fight to ultimately find a cure for multiple sclerosis."

Clay’s hardly the only country star with charitable ambitions. Jewel took part yesterday in the launch of the second annual A Kiss For Country campaign. According to Country Aircheck, the effort encourages celebrities to help "kiss domestic violence goodbye." The launch was held at a Nashville domestic shelter, Morning Star Sanctuary, which has enacted several improvements.

In addition, former Alabama front man Randy Owen has scheduled a performance at Knoxville’s Cotton Eyed Joe on Aug. 15 to raise money for victims of the recent shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church, the Associated Press reports. Instead of charging an entrance fee, organizers are asking for a $5 donation. The venue almost screams for a performance of the Alabama classic "If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)." The lyrics include a reference to the dance the Cotton Eyed Joe.