A brain injury almost paralyzed country star Drake White. Now he's giving back.
Country performer and brain injury survivor Drake White will bring Riley Green, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson and more to the Ryman Auditorium's stage on Aug. 28 for the "Benefit for the Brain" charity concert to advance research and support networks in the field of brain and mental health.
Tickets for the event are available at https://www.axs.com/artists/113381/drake-white-tickets.
The 39-year-old Alabama native's Big Fire Fund charity will donate proceeds to veterans who have PTSD, work supporting child and adolescent brain health, plus progressive research into alternative brain and stroke treatments.
On Aug. 16, 2019, while performing onstage in Roanoke, Virginia, White suffered a stroke while opening for Scotty McCreery. While being observed by medical professionals, he was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a rare abnormal connection between the arteries and veins in the brain that can lead to paralysis.
The stroke occurred when White was six years, four top-40 singles and a top-10 album into a career that saw him rubbing shoulders with the likes of Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Little Big Town and the Zac Brown Band.
The former Baptist choir vocalist and blue-collar general contractor had built a career that, via a bio, offers the phrases "warrior leader, holy-fire reverend and gypsy Appalachian mountain man" to describe the music he made being guided by equal parts "Muscle Shoals groove and honky-tonk grease."
Re-learning how to play guitar and sing has altered his perception of his life and career.
"Survivng early morning seizures and thinking I wasn't going to be able to walk or get back to the stage again involved gaining the mental and physical tools, plus the self-advocacy and empathy to face those demons in my everyday life," says White to The Tennessean.
"Mental health isn't what you want it to be, it's what you need it to be," White continues. "Acronyms and words that trigger people on social media aren't enough to help people who may be at a desperate moment."
He plans for the evening at The Ryman to be filled with honest conversations about the realities of mental health struggles that will be balanced by music from rock-tinged country and Americana favorites, including Green, Houser and Grand Ole Opry member Johnson.
The trio of artists each played integral roles in White's recovery.
White highlights that Johnson's (who called him when he learned of his 2019 trauma) role as a United States Marine Corps veteran who has battled to achieve sobriety is essential to adding legitimacy to White's cause.
"I'm a naturally optimistic person, but so many people are ready to roll their eyes when they see people who [have that world view]," offers White in regards to how surviving a near-death experience has changed his life.
"I'm a paralysis survivor who thought I had lost the connection to myself, my parents, my wife, my guitar, pen and paper, forever. Then, by the power of God, I learned how to talk, walk, play guitar and re-learn an appreciation for what was at the foundation of who I am. Now, I can add my fans who stuck by me through all of this — and people I can now offer assistance to — into the mix."
When asked to summarize his goals best moving forward, he doubles down on the expectation of his desires for the event and the next chapter of a career that includes his recently released single "Spirit."
"Through music and community, I want to mainifest the power of good vibes and prayer to inspire understanding that gives people the courage to face the battle between their ears."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Drake White survived brain injury, gives back with Ryman show Aug. 28
