Country Legend John Rich On His Hit Single “Progress,” The Travis Mills Foundation, Tyrus, The “Redneck Riviera” Brand & More
This November, a Veterans Day Weekend concert will bring together music superstar John Rich and some inspiring American heroes who served and sacrificed, all in the name of our country. To be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022 at the Lorain Palace Theatre in Lorain, Ohio, the concert is being presented by Dave Mortach of Mortach Financial. Mortach, along with his wife Sophie, have contributed more than $2 million to the Travis Mills Foundation to date, and last year’s Mortach-presented concert had news personality Dan Ball and football hero Bernie Kosar as special guests.
The aforementioned John Rich is a multi-platinum hit generator and music industry leader whose creative talents are matched only by his business-savvy. Rich’s charity-minded endeavors continue with this Veterans Day Weekend concert, where 100 percent of proceeds will benefit the Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit organization nestled in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine that provides various programs for our country’s post-911 injured veterans and their families. The organization’s founder — U.S. Army SSG (Ret.) Travis Mills — had “one bad day at work,” as he has been known to sayl Mills set his bag down on an IED during his third tour in Afghanistan, causing an explosion where he lost portions of all of his limbs. Mills ultimately recovered at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for 19 months, where he had to learn to feed himself, drive a car and even walk again under these new circumstances, with his wife Kelsey and daughter Chloe by his side during his entire recovery.
The doors to the Travis Mills Foundation opened in 2017 where each week, the Foundation welcomes eight recalibrated veterans and their families for a week-long experience where they enjoy kayaking, tubing, canoeing, fishing, a ropes course, arts and crafts, skiing, snowshoeing, dogsledding and other activities. The invited parties also have the opportunity to connect with other veteran families and relax and reset with one another. Per Travis Mills himself via the Foundation’s website: “I couldn’t serve my country anymore. I could at least find a way to serve my fellow veterans.”
On September 22, 2022, I had the pleasure of speaking with John Rich via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond his work with the Travis Mills Foundation, we talked about his headlines-grabbing single “Progress,” his friendship with Fox host Tyrus, the growth of his Redneck Riviera brand — which gives back to charitable causes — and songwriting. More on Rich can be found here, here and here.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
Related Posts
Meet Katal1st: Nashville-based Musician, Producer, and Writer →
Bridging the Divide: Johnnie Smoke’s Americana Fusion, Blending Folk, Country →
‘On Fire’ Screening at IPIC Westwood: A Star-Studded Affair Benefitting Global Empowerment Mission Maui Relief →
