Classy move by 49 Winchester.
The rocking country band hailing from Castlewood, Virginia recently chose to use their platform to help foster the growth and interest in music in their hometown. Bassist Chase Chafin, along with the rest of the band, came together to donate 50 Fender guitars to seventh graders at Castlewood Elementary School. They apparently chose that specific grade because that’s when many of the 49 Winchester members started playing music themselves.
Their donation was met with a lot of enthusiasm from the students, and immense gratefulness from the school’s staff. Principal Adam Pagett was incredibly thankful for the band’s generosity, and provided this statement to WCYB 5:
“It’s amazing to have a group like 49 Winchester come back and want to give back to the community that they came from, and we’re very thankful for them.”
Not only are the members of 49 Winchester from the Russell County community… they attended the very elementary school that they visited and gifted with the guitars. That undoubtedly offered the country music group a full circle moment, and their donation of 50 guitars could very well spark another “49 Winchester” to come out of Castlewood.
Student Alexia Leighton was over the moon about the Fender guitar that she was given by 49 Winchester:
“We had some guitars but they don’t have the strings, and my mom’s been trying to get the strings, so to have a guitar that has all the strings is what I wanted.”
You can hear more on the story at the link below from WCYB 5, which first reported the story of 49 Winchester giving back to their former elementary school:
Such a cool story, and a great way to provide encouragement and give back to the community 49 Winchester calls home.
This isn’t the first time that the Virginia band decided to use their platform to help others. 49 Winchester responded to the crisis that was caused by Hurricane Helene by announcing a benefit show. The band put on the concert after Thanksgiving at the East Tennessee State University Martin Center for the Arts, and all of the proceeds from their performance (and those tuned in for the show’s livestream), which totaled over $35,000, went to the Second Harvest of Northeast Tennessee.
49 Winchester’s bassist, Chase Chafin, also recently launched FOLK Ware, and donated the proceeds from the first design drop to the Appalachian Relief Fund:
“Not how we envisioned the launch of FOLK Ware, but it feels more important than ever to promote unity and general positivity across the region. Proceeds at launch will directly benefit Appalachian Flood relief programs and local efforts. It will certainly be a long road ahead & we will stay active in learning the best ways to help in the coming weeks and months.”
The “C” in 49 Winchester must stand for “charitable.”
They’re one of the most likable bands out there right now, and with everything they are doing outside of music, 49 Winchester is certainly deserving of their success. We actually caught up with them just last year, as band members Isaac Gibson and Chase Chafin joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast.
We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.