Darius Rucker hosts star-studded St. Jude benefit

Generations of country hit-makers joined Darius Rucker Monday at the Wildhorse Saloon for a sold-out charity benefit that mixed the camaraderie of the Grand Ole Opry with the spontaneity of a front porch jam session.

The sixth annual "Darius and Friends" concert brought Rucker together with Little Big Town, Brett Eldredge, Scotty McCreery, Steve Wariner, A Thousand Horses and Brothers Osborne to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

It marked the unofficial kickoff of the CMA Music Festival, which is expected to bring about 80,000 country music fans a day to downtown Nashville later this week. McCreery hadn't planned to get into town until later in the week, but he changed his plans when Rucker called to invite him to play.

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"Any time you can help somebody out but also have fun doing it, that's a no-brainer," McCreery said.

All of the acts radiated excitement on the Wildhorse stage. Hits such as Little Big Town's "Girl Crush" and Rucker's "Homegrown Honey" drew easy cheers from the crowd, but a slate of covers gave the evening a unique, unpredictable energy.

McCreery led a singalong on George Strait's "Check Yes or No." Eldredge teamed with Rucker to sing the Frank Sinatra classic "That's Life" with steel guitar and a makeshift brass band. And Rucker brought the house down with a set-closing cover of Prince's "Purple Rain."

On Tuesday Rucker is hosting an annual golf tournament that also benefits St. Jude. In 2014 Rucker raised $120,000 between the benefit concert, golf tournament and celebrity auction. His annual efforts have raised more than $400,000 for cancer research and treatment in past years.

"It's a little dent, but you feel good that you've helped some kid, even if it's just one kid," Rucker said in an interview before the show. "That makes you feel like you're doing something right."

Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and on Twitter @tamburintweets.