When Kerrville Folk Festival Executive Director Deb Rouse asked musicians James McMurtry and Betty Soo if they would consider playing a benefit concert to help the community recover from the deadly July 4 flood, the answer was simple: “We have to do our part,” BettySoo said.

McMurtry and BettySoo did their part on Monday night, playing an intimate set at Arcadia Live as part of a series of free concerts sponsored by the Water Street theater and the Kerrville Folk Festival. It was the third time in a year that the two have played Kerrville, but this may have been the most significant offering.

“If there’s something I can do,” McMurtry said. “It’s not a lot. It’s not a lot of effort and maybe it will help people.”

The two musicians, who frequently play together, were expected to play separately, but they delighted the mostly local audience with their pairing.

Both McMurtry and Betty Soo have deep ties to Kerrville, most notably with the Folk Festival. McMurtry won the Festival’s New Folk competition in 1987, jumpstarting a career that has seen him play with many Folk and Country music legends, including John Prine. BettySoo won the competition in 2008.

“I’ve been to this community so many times,” BettySoo explained. “I have so many friends out here.”

For McMurtry, the tremendous loss of life, 117 died in Kerr County, with two still missing, proved to be a motivating factor in coming to play at Arcadia.

” I was just astounded by the loss of life,” McMurty said quietly in Arcadia’s green room before the concert’s start.

But the payoff for both was providing some comfort to residents and first responders who attended Monday’s show.