Country superstar Brad Paisley, a long-time supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, is nothing but inclusive. The multiple-award winning singer’s first-time ever TV special, “Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special,” airing on ABC on Dec. 3, will have a very special star: Addie Pratt (pictured below with Paisley on his show), a leukemia survivor who had been a patient at St. Jude.
“I said, ‘It would be so great to showcase a survivor … do something good with an hour of television,” Paisley told Billboard. “What I didn’t expect was … out walks Addie Pratt, 18 now, an amazing singer. … I wind up having this show stolen from me, and I’m also so happy for that to have happened. It’s really emotional for me. I hadn’t sung with her before that day. I had no idea how that was going to go. At the end, she’s belting the song out like she’s Celine Dion.”
The song, called “Alive Right Now,” features these lyrics:
It’s great to be alive right now By the grace of God somehow Yeah, girl, this is our time I’m glad that I’m alive right now
“A girl who went through chemo and beat leukemia, to sing those same lines; there’s just no way any of us could have the gravity that she does on those lines,” he told Billboard.
Paisley will also have a host of A-List friends on the show, including Carrie Underwood, Jonas Brothers, Kelsea Ballerini and the NFL’s Peyton Manning.
Paisley’s History with St. Jude
St. Jude honored Paisley with its Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award in January 2018. The award recognizes individuals who have “made exceptional and lasting contributions to the hospital through their humanitarian spirit and unique commitment,” a statement said.
Paisley is a longstanding supporter of St. Jude. In 2011, he recorded “One of Those Lives,” a song inspired by the patients and families at the center. Paisley also donated a family gathering room to St. Jude Target House, St. Jude’s long-term housing facility, the Brad Paisley Lodge, for families staying more than 90 days.
Country superstar Brad Paisley, a long-time supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, is nothing but inclusive. The multiple-award winning singer’s first-time ever TV special, “Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special,” airing on ABC on Dec. 3, will have a very special star: Addie Pratt (pictured below with Paisley on his show), a leukemia survivor who had been a patient at St. Jude.
“I said, ‘It would be so great to showcase a survivor … do something good with an hour of television,” Paisley told Billboard. “What I didn’t expect was … out walks Addie Pratt, 18 now, an amazing singer. … I wind up having this show stolen from me, and I’m also so happy for that to have happened. It’s really emotional for me. I hadn’t sung with her before that day. I had no idea how that was going to go. At the end, she’s belting the song out like she’s Celine Dion.”
The song, called “Alive Right Now,” features these lyrics:
It’s great to be alive right now By the grace of God somehow Yeah, girl, this is our time I’m glad that I’m alive right now
“A girl who went through chemo and beat leukemia, to sing those same lines; there’s just no way any of us could have the gravity that she does on those lines,” he told Billboard.
Paisley will also have a host of A-List friends on the show, including Carrie Underwood, Jonas Brothers, Kelsea Ballerini and the NFL’s Peyton Manning.
Paisley’s History with St. Jude
St. Jude honored Paisley with its Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award in January 2018. The award recognizes individuals who have “made exceptional and lasting contributions to the hospital through their humanitarian spirit and unique commitment,” a statement said.
Paisley is a longstanding supporter of St. Jude. In 2011, he recorded “One of Those Lives,” a song inspired by the patients and families at the center. Paisley also donated a family gathering room to St. Jude Target House, St. Jude’s long-term housing facility, the Brad Paisley Lodge, for families staying more than 90 days.
