01/07/07 - Grenfell Turns Out In Droves For Major Charity Event

By Tim Holland

The pulling power of country music was demonstrated big time on June 29 with 18,000 people turning up in the freezing cold to the town of Grenfell in the central west of NSW to see the second Spirit Of The Bush Concert. Lee Kernaghan, Steve Forde and Adam Brand headlined the free concert put on to “give something back” to struggling farmers in the wake of the drought and now the floods.

The event also helped create further awareness for the Aussie Helpers organization that assists families affected by the devastation of drought and flooding.

It was an emotional night for Forde in particular. He is a Grenfell local and has been a victim of the drought himself. Grenfell has been one of the worst hit areas but no one was happier than the locals themselves as the rain poured down during various stages of the afternoon.

The town has a population of just over 3,000 people so the event was probably the biggest ever staged there. In addition to the free concert, 2055 Spirit Of The Bush singles, featuring all three artists were sold at the event with all proceeds from those sales going directly to the Aussie Helpers charity.

The trio performed on Sunrise the day prior to the event and in-store sales of the single have also been strong as a result.

The McClymonts and new artist Shea Fisher were the other country acts on the bill along with Leo Sayer and Diesel.

The timing was perfect for Fisher, with her debut album Everyday Girl hitting stores this week. Her single Just The Excuse is creating plenty of interest and is now at #13 on the TMN Country Hot 30 and #7 on the CMC Chart.

Kernaghan’s new album, Spirit Of The Bush hits stores on July 14 and includes a bonus DVD featuring the Spirit of The Bush video clip among other clips from his previous album, The New Bush.