CMT and the Ram Truck brand have partnered on a new, one-hour special featuring some of country music’s most proficient storytellers – Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker and Brett Eldredge – as they make surprise returns to their hometowns to give back and perform for their very own hometown heroes.
The “CMT Hometown Heroes” special premiers Friday, March 31 at 10 p.m. Eastern time and Pacific time, and features exclusive performances, in-depth interviews and an intimate look into the people and places that shaped each performer from a young age.
Assisted by Ram Nation, the Ram Truck brand’s extensive network of grassroots volunteers, each artist returns to their respective hometown to roll up their sleeves and make a meaningful difference to the people and places that defined them.
The special chronicles Grammy Award winner Chris Stapleton’s return home to Paintsville, Kentucky, to surprise his high school alma mater with much-needed improvements for the music program, including the donation of brand new band instruments, as well as Ram Nation volunteers constructing an outside stage where students can perform throughout the year. The special concludes with Stapleton surprising students with a one-of-a-kind salute to his alma mater.
Three-time Grammy Award winner and avid philanthropist Darius Rucker returns to MUSC Children’s Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina, where he spent much of his childhood with his mother, who was a nurse. Together with Ram Nation volunteers, Rucker remodels and redecorates the teen room at the hospital before performing a few of his hits for staff and patients.
2014 CMA New Artist of the Year Brett Eldredge kicked off the year with his sixth consecutive No. 1 single, “Wanna Be That Song,” from his sophomore record “Illinois.” The breakout artist travels to the album’s namesake, his small hometown of Paris, Illinois, and, with the help of Ram Nation, helps to refurbish Laker Stadium, the baseball fields near where he grew up, and performs a surprise concert in his beloved high school gymnasium.
