NASHVILLE, TN. (Top40 Charts/ Curb Records) - Organizers announced today that Tim McGraw's Swampstock event will now be held every other year, with the next event slated for 2008. The event was started by McGraw in 1994 to raise monies for youth sports in McGraw's hometown community of Start, Louisiana. As the event grew and enlarged, McGraw expanded the beneficiaries to include college scholarships and other regional causes. The event has traditionally included a celebrity softball game (McGraw's team still looking for its first victory over wife Faith Hill's team) and a multi-artist outdoor concert.
Artists and sports celebrities that have generously lent their support over the years in addition to
Faith Hill include
Martina McBride , Rick Allen of Def Leppard,
Brett Favre, Rhett Atkins, Jo-el Sonnier, Sons of the Desert, Chris Cagle, Stan Humphries, Rafael Palmeiro, the Warren Brothers, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Lori McKenna,
Hot Apple Pie and Halfway to Hazard. In 2002, McGraw turned the event into a hugely successful network television special on NBC 'Sing Me Home.'
'It's a lot of work to put this event on each year and I know it's asking a lot of the staff, the volunteers and of course the other artists and their bands,' said McGraw. 'I want to keep the event fresh and important in the eyes of the community - and continue to grow Swampstock. Holding it every other year will help us to achieve those goals.'
In 2006, Swampstock became a part of Neighbor's Keeper Foundation, the charity co-founded by McGraw and Hill. The event has drawn thousands of people each year to the small town of Rayville , Louisiana , close to Tim's childhood home.
'I'm thankful that I can give something back to the community and I want to thank everyone who has played a part in making it possible to help so many kids,' concluded McGraw. 'We are already underway with plans for 2008.'