Nashville Radio: Bobby Bones' Joy Week Surpasses $300K

Four days into the annual Joy Week at The Bobby Bones Show' on WSIX 97.9 FM The Big 98 the weeklong in-studio concert series has raised $300,000. The goal was $50,000.

According to The Tennessean, the show's cast, which includes Bones, Amy Brown and Dan “Lunchbox” Chappell, will donate the original goal of $50,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The other $250,000 — and the rest of the money raised by end of show Friday — will go to the Red Cross for relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

“I’ve never asked (listeners) for something for someone else and they haven’t given,” Bones said. “The storms were just crushing. I’m watching it on TV, and I’m seeing people who are struggling and so are my listeners. I know they are looking for ways to help, so I just wanted to put it out there in the easiest way possible.”

Joy Week sprang out of the show's Pimpin’ Joy movement, which was inspired by the cancer battle of Brown's mother, Judy.

The team created a Pimpin’ Joy line of apparel, the sales of which benefit multiple charities. Since its inception in 2014, more than $1.6 million has been raised for donation through sale of the clothing.

Bones started Joy Week three years ago as a way of spreading joy, it morphing into a fundraiser only recently. He asked himself what he could do that no one else could. The answer was to have artists come into the studio to perform on his show for no other reason than making people happy. His first calls were to Brad Paisley and Dan + Shay, who said yes immediately. By year three, Bones had artists lined up the hallway waiting to come into the studio, sing a couple of songs and then leave to make room for the next artist.

Bobby Bones, Maren Morris, Amy Brown

This year he changed it up by inviting singers to come in with their full band and play for an hour on "The Bobby Bones Show." Walker Hayes launched Joy Week on Monday with a song he wrote years ago, “Joy Like Judy,” before Maren Morris took the microphone for the next hour. Brett Eldredge played Tuesday, and Dustin Lynch sang Wednesday. Rascal Flatts played during Thursday’s show, with the week culminating with Friday’s surprise guest, Luke Bryan.