James Wesley Joins Spontaneous Show for Tornado Victims

Rome wasn't built in a day, but apparently, a concert benefiting Joplin, Mo. tornado victims was. James Wesley, John Anderson, Jo Dee Messina and Tracy Lawrence participated in the show, which was put together by Bass Pro Shops and held in Springfield, Mo. June 2.

"The show was to raise money for ... I say 'friends and neighbors,' because where I grew up in Kansas is only 45 minutes from Joplin," James tells The Boot. "We threw this benefit together in less than 24 hours and raised $320,000. It was very successful. You don't have to plan for months to make something successful, come to find out. [laughs]"

It's hard to fathom a 'last minute addition' for an event that was put together in a day, but James was just that. "I had a meeting with the people at Bass Pro at about 3:00 PM, and I didn't leave until 8 or 8:30 PM," he explains. "They asked, 'Would you want to sing a couple of songs at a benefit? I know it sounds crazy, but we're trying to put together this benefit.' And so I did."

Bass Pro even made sure James' band was able to attend. "Before it was all over with, they were flying my band from Nashville to Springfield and flew them back on a private jet," he reveals. "I didn't get to fly, what was up with that? [laughs]"

A lesson can most definitely be learned from the experience. "It goes to show you how quick things can change," James admits. "They put that thing together and had a stage and threw it all together and raised more than $300,000."

James hits the road with Taylor Swift on her Speak Now World Tour June 25. Get his full concert schedule here.