Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton and MercyMe are set to make virtual appearances on the Tunie Awards, set for Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. ET on Stabal.com. Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd are also set to appear on the awards and an after-show party benefit concert.
Those top artists are merely appearing, not performing, but the list of artists who are set to perform live isn’t exactly shabby: Old Dominion, Lee Brice, Carly Pearce, 3 Doors Down, Lauren Alaina, Shinedown, Walker Hayes, LoCash and Ivey Ashern.
So how did the Tunie Awards corral so many big names to appear or perform on a show that many, especially outside of the South, haven’t yet heard of?
The Tunie Awards celebrate the top music played in Waffle House restaurants. There are 1,950 Waffle House restaurants in 25 states. Each restaurant has a Touch Tune jukebox. That’s a lot of waffles — and a lot of jukebox plays.
Voting for the Tunie Awards is easy: Diners can simply head to their local Waffle House, open the TouchTunes app, and play their favorite songs on the jukebox.
“We are thrilled to present the 2020 Tunie Awards, and showcase the top played artists from our customers and associates,” said Nadine Gillespie, Waffle Records president, in a statement. “Music brings the Waffle House Nation together to create a truly unique experience in our restaurants.”
While the one-hour awards show is free to stream, for a minimum donation of $3, fans can gain access for 30 days to exclusive after-show party benefit concert performances and content on Stabal.com. The donation goes to support Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, the charity founded in 1993 by Victoria Williams. Sweet Relief provides financial assistance to career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.
In addition, select artists appearing on the show are donating autographed items to support Sweet Relief. With each minimum ticket donation of $3, fans can enter to win a prize from the participating artist of their choice by entering the proper code from the Waffle House Instagram account at checkout. Autographed items for the giveaways include guitars, vinyl albums, prize packs and more from artists including Stapleton, Alaina, Kid Rock, MercyMe, Old Dominion and 3 Doors Down.
At the risk of making you hungry — and if you’re on a diet, you should probably stop reading — Waffle House restaurants claim to have served more than a billion waffles. Furthermore, they claim to have served the most waffles, T-bones, hash-browns and grits of any restaurant in the world. The first Waffle House restaurant opened in Georgia in 1955.