NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 21, 2014) – The show that made country music famous honored heroes of the U.S. military with a red carpet arrival parade and special Opry performance last night Tues., May 20. The MusiCorps Wounded Warrior Band made its Opry debut as part of the evening’s events, playing a four-song set including “Wagon Wheel,” on which they were accompanied by Opry member Ricky Skaggs. Additional artists on the show included Bill Anderson, John Conlee, Lee Greenwood, Josh Turner, and Darryl Worley.
MusiCorps is a music rehabilitation program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that helps severely wounded warriors play music and recover their lives. Praised by the Wall Street Journal as “revolutionary,” MusiCorps has helped countless wounded warriors by matching them with accomplished musicians to work together on projects tailored to individual circumstances, interests and needs. Working in a variety of musical styles, participants are able to learn, play, write, record and perform. In the words of Sgt Levi Crawford, injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, “MusiCorps isn’t just helping a soldier learn to play music, but also helping him get back to normal life.”