whatever they could, they’d done a lot for the people who were suffering. But, Justin wasn’t done. God wasn’t done with the group. A couple of days after the concert, Justin kept turning around a phrase in his mind that he’d heard before – how are we going to make it if we don’t pray? He called one of his writing partners, Benny Wilson, and asked what he would think about writing a song for the people of Western Kentucky. “I said to him, ‘About the only thing these people have got left right now is prayer, hope, and people helping them,’” he recalls. The pair wrote the song, How We Gonna Make it if We Don’t Pray, in just one sitting and at the end, Benny turned to Justin and just said, “Wow!” Justin hopes that the song will be a way to further raise funds for Western Kentucky. In January, Justin visited Marshall County with Ann, touring some of the areas most impacted by the storm and capturing images to accompany the song’s official video. “You just can’t explain it to anyone who hasn’t been here, so I was happy that Justin had time to see it for himself,” Ann says. “Tears were streaming down his face, he was so moved.” And, again, it could have ended there. But, as Justin said, Ann had caught fire. She wanted to do more. She wanted to help more. She knew a live benefit concert would bring in more money to help more people. Ann found the perfect venue right in the heart of the Marshall County lake community that saw so much devastation. When she asked the owner, Bob Boyd, to use his barn for the concert, he agreed quickly, but with one condition. “I moved here in 2011 and the people of Kentucky, more-so the people in this community, are my family,” Bob says. “I would do anything to help them. I am an only child so my neighbors are my family. When Ann asked me to be involved I said, yes, on the condition that every penny of the proceeds would go directly to the people out here who are in need.” So, on July 30, Justin will once again travel up to Marshall County, this time with friends Benny Wilson and Quentin Horton, to headline the Marshall County Disaster Recovery Celebration - Benefit Concert. Music will begin mid-afternoon and last until the night. In addition to the music, guests can participate in a silent auction and eat from food trucks. Justin, Ann, and Bob promise a good time will be had by all. “I would like to see a stress release day for these folks,” Justin says. “Let’s go have some fun. We will play for you guys, we will do what we do. We like to laugh, we like to play, we like to have a good time, and we like for people to get into what we do.” “We guarantee by the end of it you’ll be clapping and dancing and having a good time.” Britney Hargrove, Justin Mychals, and Ann Burnworth You can listen to Justin Mychals music and learn more at justinmychals.com, listen on Spotify, or follow him on Facebook. Download his new album Appalachian Mountain Soul now. You can download Q and B’s newest album Walking Each Other Home now at QandB.bandcamp.com. Bob Boyd 42 JULY 2022 | PROMOTING EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE | INTHEVUE.COM
