Robert Earl Keen’s benefit concert raises $3 million for Community Foundation

When devastating floods swept through the Texas Hill Country on July 4, country music veteran Robert Earl Keen knew he had to act.

The singer-songwriter organized a star-studded benefit concert that raised $3 million for flood relief efforts, bringing together artists like Tyler Childers and Miranda Lambert for a cause close to his heart.

“Do as much as you can, for as long as you can,” Keen told the sold-out crowd at Whitewater Amphitheater on Aug. 29, a motto he adopted after witnessing the destruction in his beloved Hill Country.

The benefit, titled “Buc-ee’s Presents Robert Earl Keen & Friends: Applause For The Cause,” featured special collaborations including a set swap between Keen and Childers, and performances of songs from “The Marfa Tapes” by Lambert, Jon Randall and Jack Ingram. The evening also included two tributes to the late Charlie Robison.

All proceeds went to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which serves 10 counties in the region. The foundation will distribute funds to individuals, businesses and organizations still recovering from the flooding.

“Behind all the money collected and volunteer time on the ground, there is an immense sense of community and connection here,” said Amber Schraeder, a community engagement leader with Thrivent, one of the concert’s sponsors. “As the residents cried, we cried. As they prayed and hoped for recovery, we prayed and hoped with them.”

The concert was streamed live online, with viewers contributing an additional $100,000 through digital donations during the broadcast. The event also featured a pre-party auction and merchandise sales.

Thrivent, a financial services company, worked with its clients to raise nearly $1 million for flood relief efforts. At the concert, the company gave attendees opportunities to write messages of gratitude for first responders and connected them with Texas Search and Rescue volunteers.

For Keen, 69, the benefit represents part of a late-career renaissance that has included his Grand Ole Opry debut this year and performances at iconic venues like the Hollywood Bowl with Childers and Red Rocks Amphitheater with Turnpike Troubadours.

The Texas A&M graduate has released 21 albums and written songs recorded by George Strait and The Highwaymen. He continues to host the “Americana Podcast: The 51st State” and is working on a new book and album.

The concert can be viewed on demand on Keen’s YouTube channel, and donations to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country can still be made at communityfoundation.net.

Major sponsors included Buc-ee’s, Amazon Music, DirecTV and numerous Texas-based companies that stepped up to support their neighboring communities in crisis.