Drake White brings his Benefit For The Brain concert back to the Ryman

Drake White is bringing Benefit For The Brain back to the Ryman Auditorium on November 16. The annual concert raises money for mental wellness among military personnel and veterans, with a particular focus on PTSD, alongside brain health in children and adolescents and new approaches to stroke recovery and neurological treatment. MusicRow's Lauryn Sink reported the date on August 27.

The cause is personal in the most literal way. White had a stroke on stage in 2019, which led to a diagnosis of an arteriovenous malformation and seven brain surgeries. The nonprofit he built afterwards, also called The Benefit For The Brain, receives the proceeds and distributes them to selected charities.

Last year's edition set a fundraising record, beating the total from the first concert. That night sold out and supported Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee, CreatiVets and the Miracle Hope Foundation.

The 2025 bill gives a sense of what the room pulls. White played alongside Riley Green, Jon Pardi and Kassi Ashton, with Jessi Alexander and Randy Owen of Alabama turning up as surprise guests. This year's lineup has not been announced.

He is adding a second event to the calendar as well. The first Loblolly Fest runs on October 17 at The Bluff Amphitheater in Hokes Bluff, Alabama, White's hometown, with The Marshall Tucker Band, Randy Houser and Ashton on the bill and proceeds going to the same nonprofit.

The Ryman keeps taking on this kind of one-off, from a Sho-Bud steel guitar showcase with Slash, Marty Stuart and Marcus King upward, and country touring has been leaning on charity finales, as when Morgan Wallen closed his stadium run with a $1 million instrument donation. Dates sit in the tour guide, with more on the country hub.