NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) – The attendance has been tallied and it’s now confirmed that the resurrection of country group ALABAMA’s iconic June Jam, presented by the Conway Entertainment Group and Outback Presents, drew nearly 11,000 fans to the city of Fort Payne, AL, making for a triumphant sold-out return.
The last June Jam, held in 1997, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, which will be used as future grants for those in need of disaster relief. Collectively through the years, the benefit festival has raised over $20 million dollars for charity.
“It was great to see the local community excited about the Jam again,” says Alabama’s Teddy Gentry. “It was a great event to bring back, once again, to help a few charities as well.”
This year’s June Jam, held on June 3 at the VFW Fairgrounds, featured performances by Alabama, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Frontmen (Richie McDonald, formerly of Lonestar; Tim Rushlow, formerly of Little Texas; Larry Stewart of Restless Heart, Chapel Hart, The Isaacs, Worth The Wait, Exile, Mark Wills, Neal McCoy, Home Free, Janie Fricke, The Malpass Brothers, Dee Jay Silver and a special appearance by Randy Travis.
The performance portion of June Jam was preceded by a public memorial service for the late Jeff Cook who passed away last November in November 2022 after a battle with Parkinson’s.
“I think Jeff would have been proud of having another Jam,” explains Gentry. “His celebration of life to kick things off was a wonderful time to reflect on all the good times we have shared over the years. We miss you.”
June Jam was created by Fort Payne’s native sons and brought some of the biggest names in country music together for charity. The first June Jam benefit concert took place in 1982 and continued annually for sixteen years, making it one of the biggest country music events in the nation. Previous performers include Garth Brooks, Charlie Daniels, Alan Jackson, The Judds, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Wayne Newton, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson and many more.
The iconic Country music legends plan on continuing June Jam for years to come.
