Eric Church and Luke Combs Reflect On Concert For Carolina As They Accept CRS 2025 Artist Humanitarian Award
“This was the right thing to do,” Combs said.
Luke Combs and Eric Church; Photo by Andrew Wendowski
When Eric Church and Luke Combs teamed up for Concert For Carolina to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts, it wasn’t for fame, headlines, or recognition—it was simply the right thing to do. So when the Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) honored them as co-recipients of the CRS 2025 Artist Humanitarian Award, they weren’t quite sure how to feel about it.
“I’m incredibly uncomfortable with an award like this,” Church admitted on Friday (Feb. 21) while standing beside fellow North Carolina native Luke Combs at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) as they accepted the honor.
“A mentor of mine said a long time ago that you should never think about what you get from doing the right thing. You should just do the right thing. And in this regard, this was the right thing,” he continued.
The pair pulled off the impossible with their Concert For Carolina benefit concert, putting together a massive stadium show in just a few weeks. An event of this caliber, with 82,000 attendees, would typically take a year to plan, however, thanks to their efforts, the show was a huge success and raised more than $24 million for the people impacted by Hurricane Helene.
During their CRS acceptance speech, Combs reflected on the moment they began planning the show, emphasizing that moving forward with it was never in question, despite the challenges of organizing it on such short notice.
“This was the right thing to do… Me and Eric are both from that region of North Carolina that was most heavily impacted and that morning we were on the phone by putting the show together and there was never once a thought that we weren’t going to do this,” he said.
Combs admitted that this experience was something that would ultimately define his career.
“It will be a moment that I’ll never forget,” he promised, holding back tears.
Church gave credit to Combs for calling him with the idea of putting the show together and shared that of all the shows of his career thus far, Concert For Carolina will remain one of the most memorable.
“I’ve played a lot of shows in my career and that night in Charlotte was top of the list for me as far as special shows. It was the artists that gave creatively their time, the collection of artists, the challenges we had, and the crowd responded to it,” he explained.
When it came time to choose this year’s recipient of the CRS 2025 Artist Humanitarian Award, the board didn’t hesitate—the decision was obvious.
“Eric Church and Luke Combs’ love for their home state has been nothing short of inspiring,” CRB Awards Committee Chair Beverlee Brannigan previously shared. “Their dedication to helping North Carolina recover after Hurricane Helene and their ongoing efforts show just how much they care. This award is a heartfelt recognition of their commitment, hard work, and genuine compassion for the people of North Carolina. Eric and Luke, we’re proud to honor you.”
Established in 1990, the CRS Artist Humanitarian Award aims to recognize country artists whose philanthropic efforts have had a valuable impact on the cause they support. Past recipients include Kane Brown, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, and more.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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