8th Annual Musicians Medical Fund benefit Oct. 18 at Point
8th Annual Musicians Medical Fund benefit Oct. 18 at Point
The 8th Annual Gulf Coast Musicians Medical Fund fundraiser will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18 from noon until 10 p.m. at The Point Restaurant in Innerarity (14340 Innerarity Point Rd.). Tickets are $10 and available at the gate or at gcmmf.org. The day is also filled with arts and crafts exhibits, a raffle, and wonderful food from The Point,
Musicians are scheduled to play The acts will play simultaneously all day on stages inside the restaurant and in the courtyard. The musicians’ list already includes Jason Justice, The Cowboy Johnson, Augie Savage, LeaAnne Creswell, Darrel Roberts, Rhonda Hart, J Hawkins, James Danie, Sugarcane Jane, Ole River String Band, JoJo Billups, T-bone Montgomery, Justin Colvard, Jesse Bumann, Hippie Jim, Stephen Lee Veal, Benny Guillory, Justin Touchette and, of course, event founder Webb Dalton and his guests. For a full schedule, visit the website. You can purchase tickets in advance at GCMMF.ORG. Donations can be made on the website as well.
The Gulf Coast Musicians Medical Fund was started by Dalton as a non-profit to provide medical cost assistance for musicians and songwriters in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. That fund provides help with initial office visits, initial prescriptions, and education on treatment and diagnosis through counseling. Its goal is to offset the cost of minor health issues that if left untreated, could unnecessarily develop into major health issues.
Dalton (left), a multi-award-winning songwriter, had been playing venues along the Gulf Coast for years even before he retired after 25 years as a detective with the Bartlett Police Dept. near Memphis. He has toured with legendary artists George Strait, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, George Jones and Charlie Rich. So, he knows how difficult it can be for musicians to address medical needs.
In 2018, after losing three musician friends, he decided to do something about filling the void of musicians and songwriters not being able to afford medical expenses. His fund provides financial assistance to Gulf Coast musicians and songwriters in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana at no Cost to the musician or songwriter.
While organizing the non-profit, Dalton found several existing charities for musicians, but most wanted its recipients to pay a monthly premium, and he didn’t want the musician or songwriter to pay anything.
Dalton and his wife Missy consulted with good friends, Shari Whalen and Linda Boote, who had both started non-profits that are still going strong helping others. Dalton called those friends “God sends.’’
All funds generated from his album, “Things Left Undone,” which is available on all major music sites, as well as sponsorships go directly to musicians in need. So far the fund has been able to help hundreds of musicians and songwriters with financial assistance for urgent care an office visits as well as prescriptions.
And it states on the GCMMF website, the fundraiser will continue “So The Music Can Play On.” Pictured: Fun at the 2024 fundraiser.
