Luke Bryan, Phillip Phillips to play storm benefit concert

ALBANY — Local musician/businessman Bo Henry confirmed Monday that metro Albany-born music stars Luke Bryan and Phillip Phillips have agreed to play a benefit concert to help Southwest Georgians impacted by the storms that devastated the region Jan. 2 and over the weekend.

Henry and Nashville songwriting superstar Dallas Davidson, who like Bryan and Phillips is a native of metro Albany, were meeting Monday afternoon to work out the details of the concert, but Henry said both Bryan, who is one of country music’s top performers, and Phillips, who won the Fox TV “American Idol” competition, had agreed to play.

“This recovery effort is going to be here for the long haul,” Henry said. “So many people want to help, to volunteer, and that means so much to the victims of these storms. But we reached out in our devastation to the guys who can really raise money, enough to make a big difference in our region.”

Henry said the “logistics and dates” are being worked out by all parties involved.

“It’s not going to happen in the next week or two, because Luke and Phillip are deeply involved in their careers,” Henry said. “But they wanted to help their community. When they were approached, they both said they were all-in.”

Bryan announced during Sunday’s NFC Championship Game won by the Atlanta Falcons that he will perform the National Anthem at Super Bowl LI Feb. 5, in which the Falcons will play the New England Patriots.