NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Wednesday, March 11, 2015) – For the sixth year in a row, Platinum-selling country artist Darius Rucker will host his annual “Darius and Friends” benefit concert in Nashville, Tenn. on Monday, June 8 at the Wildhorse Saloon, benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  The event has received an overwhelming response in past years, with consistent sellouts and over $439,000 raised in total, and fans have come to look forward to kicking off CMA Fest with Rucker and his friends. Friends performing with Darius in past years have included Luke Bryan, Radney Foster, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Charles Kelley (Lady Antebellum), Dustin Lynch, Justin Moore, Jerrod Niemann and Kenny Rogers, among others. The lineup for this year’s event will be announced in the coming weeks.  

An exclusive pre-sale for Darius Rucker Fan Club members will begin Wednesday, March 11 at 11 a.m. CDT with general on sale opening at 11 a.m. CDT on Friday, March 13.  A sixth consecutive sell-out is inevitable, so fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early.  Prices start at $35 for General Admission and go up to $100 for VIP table options.  Tickets will be available through the Wildhorse Saloon box office (615-902-8200 x1), www.WildhorseSaloon.com, andwww.DariusRucker.com.

The Darius and Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament will take place June 9. Last year, the charity concert, auction and celebrity golf tournament raised over $120,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, shattering previous years’ records. Rucker hopes to top past year’s totals to further benefit the pediatric treatment and research facility.

Darius and Friends Annual Tee-Off benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is sponsored by State Water Heaters. 

For more information on “Darius and Friends,” please visit www.DariusRucker.com.

For nearly 70 years, State Water Heaters has built dependable, long lasting water heaters for commercial and residential applications. State offers over 500 water heater products, and has consistently developed new technologies to ensure longer product life. Based in Ashland City, Tennessee, State has seven water heater manufacturing plants. Hundreds of distribution centers across the United States ensure efficient service to State’s national customer base of residential homeowners, wholesalers, contractors, and other members of the engineering community. All State products are backed by customer technical support and durable tank and parts warranty. For more information, please visit www.StateWaterHeaters.com.

Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.