NASHVILLE, Tenn. - On Thursday, Nov. 14, Grammy award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson helped Musicians On Call (MOC) Nashville raise over $106,000, making it the highest-earning single event ever for the branch. In a rare, intimate setting for the superstar, Clarkson performed to a sold-out crowd at Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville for the MOC Nashville sixth anniversary party presented by Citi.
“When I first learned about MOC, it appealed to me for so many reasons," shares Clarkson. "I love how it creates opportunities for musicians to play for kids and bring music to the families who are spending their time, especially during holidays, in the hospitals away from the comfort of their homes.”
Clarkson lit up the room with her characteristic charm and to the delight of all concert-goers, she incorporated fan-favorites "Since U Been Gone," "My Life Would Suck Without You," "Stronger" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" in the show, as well as new selections from her latest Christmas album, Wrapped In Red. Wrapped In Red features holiday classics "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "Silent Night," "Baby It's Cold Outside," Clarkson's title track, "Wrapped In Red," plus more originals. Clarkson brought the holiday spirit alive with her Christmas tracks, and delivered a dynamic set true to her genuine and powerful vocal performance reputation.
In addition to generously giving her time and talent, Clarkson donated her 2012 American Music Awards performance dress to Hard Rock Cafe for display in its world-famous memorabilia collection in exchange for a $9,000 contribution to MOC Nashville.
"This is by far the biggest event to date for Musicians On Call Nashville," said Dana Sones, MOC Nashville's Program Director. "We are beyond grateful to Kelly Clarkson for donating her time and talent to help celebrate our sixth anniversary. This event not only celebrates how far we've come in six short years, but allows us to expand our programs to bring music to even more individuals in the years to come."
The event offered a VIP cocktail reception and open bidding on auction items throughout the night on autographed collectibles from Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift, Nashville Predators players, Tennessee Titans players and more, plus destination vacation packages and tickets to some of Nashville's most popular attractions.
Since expanding into the Nashville community in April 2007, the local MOC branch has grown to support twelve weekly programs within seven area healthcare facilities and its volunteers have played for more than 70,000 patients, family and staff. All of the proceeds raised from the sixth anniversary party stay in Middle Tennessee and go directly to MOC Nashville and its continued mission to deliver live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities.
For more information about MOC, please visit www.MusiciansOnCall.org. ;
About Kelly Clarkson
Since bursting onto the music scene 10 years ago, Kelly Clarkson has released five studio albums (Thankful, Breakaway, My December, All I Ever Wanted, Stronger), one Greatest Hits album, sold over 20 million albums worldwide, 10 million albums in the US and has had 10 singles in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. She is the recipient of three GRAMMY Awards, four American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, one country Music Association Award and 12 Billboard Music Awards. Clarkson’s last studio effort Stronger debuted at No. 2 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Digital Albums Chart. The album produced the smash singles, “Mr. Know It All” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” which marks Kelly’s 9th and 10th Top 10 hit. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” was No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart for two consecutive weeks (three weeks total) marking her 3rd No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart. Clarkson’s Stronger was certified Platinum by the R.I.A.A. and won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Vocal Album. Clarkson released Greatest Hits – Chapter 1 last year, which featured three brand new tracks as well as a compilation of some of her greatest hits to date. Kelly spent the summer touring with Maroon 5 and recording her very first Christmas album Wrapped In Red, which is set for release on October 29th.
About Musicians On Call (MOC)
Musicians On Call (MOC) was founded in 1999 with the mission of bringing live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. To date, its volunteers have played for over 400,000 people nationwide. Musicians On Call continues its mission through room-to-room hospital performances by both local musicians and national celebrities as well as the Music Pharmacy Program. www.musiciansoncall.org
About Citi Private Pass
The Citi Private Pass entertainment access program rewards Citi customers by offering access to thousands of events including preferred seating, early access, VIP experiences, complimentary tickets and more. The only way to get access is by purchasing tickets with a Citi credit card or Citibank debit card; customers can view a list of upcoming events and sign up for the Citi Private Pass newsletter at www.citiprivatepass.com.
About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.
About Hard Rock International
With a total of 171 venues in 54 countries, including 134 cafes, 18 hotels and 7 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands. The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the company’s two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida., as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Biloxi, Chicago, Cancun, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, San Diego and Singapore. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include Johannesburg, Chennai, Istanbul and Tenerife. New Hard Rock Hotel projects include Daytona Beach, Aruba, Riviera Maya, Abu Dhabi and Shenzhen and Haikou in China. New Hard Rock Casino projects in development include Hungary and Northfield, OH. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.