Martina McBride, Darryl Worley: CMA Fest Charities

June 16, 2009 — Amid all the performances and autograph signings that comprised last weekend’s CMA Music Festival, Martina McBride, Darryl Worley and Steve Wariner took part in events that raised $10,000 to $72,000 for charities.

The 26th annual YWCA Auction, hosted by Martina at Nashville’s Hall of Fame Park, brought in $72,195. Jason Michael Carroll, Chris Young, Bo Bice and Erika Dunlap stopped by, and fans bid as much as $4,000 for a guitar signed by Dolly Parton and $3,600 for a quilt Martina made out of tour shirts. A framed copy of the Shine album with the lyrics of "Ride" hand-written by songwriter Andrew Dorff, went for $3,500. And two VIP tickets to a Keith Urban concert raised $2,600.

Steve joined GAC’s Bill Cody to host the first Guitars of the Stars Benefit Auction at the Ryman Auditorium, collecting $40,000 for the Opry Trust Fund. A guitar designed by Carrie Underwood netted $9,000, and a Dolly Parton "guitar of many colors" went for $7,000. A web version of the event is still running at opryauction.com. Steve’s contributed a guitar there with hand-drawn tributes to people who’ve influenced him, including Opry stars Charley Pride and Minnie Pearl and his former employers Chet Atkins and Dottie West. Also up for bidding: a program from Steve Martin’s Opry debut signed by the comedian and by Vince Gill; a signed Brooks & Dunn publicity photo and set list from a show in Columbus, Ohio; and a guitar autographed by Carrie Underwood, Joe Nichols, Mark Wills and Riders In The Sky, among others.

Darryl hoped members of his fan club, known as the Worleybirds, would come up with $10,000 during his club party last week. They exceeded that, according to Dial-Global, chipping in $11,700 for the Darryl Worley Foundation. Darryl’s already looking at another foundation fundraiser: a Hitmakers & Harleys event at Bumpus Harley-Davidson in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on July 13. He’ll be joined by "I Loved Her First" songwriter Walt Aldridge, "It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere" author Jim "Moose" Brown and "Second Wind" author Steve Leslie.