For going on a decade now, veteran rock singer and longtime Nashvillian John Corabi has been hosting an annual Toys for Tots Christmas Spectacular, sharing music and celebration with neighbors while gathering gifts to make the season bright for lots and lots of deserving kids.
At last year’s event, held in East Nashville at Drifters BBQ and The Building, a total of $15,000 in gifts and cash donations got collected and delivered, which was a full 50 percent more than the year before.
This year, although former Mötley Crüe singer Corabi’s current job is keeping him away from home — he and his band The Dead Daisies are out on tour with Whitesnake in Europe — the show goes on just the same, with a crew of his friends performing and collecting gifts, again at Drifters and The Building, on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015.
Among the folks set to take the stage at the 9th Annual Toys for Tots Christmas Spectacular: Thee Rock N’ Roll Residency, who specialize in the best of ’60s/’70s/’80s rock, and who do so well enough to have enticed a regular parade of guest contributors, including Corabi, Peter Baltes of Accept, Ryan Roxie from Alice Cooper’s band, and even folks from across the rock/country aisle, like Taylor Swift’s guitarist Paul Sidoti and Carrie Underwood’s multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Herman.
Debbie Sorensen — the owner of East Nashville’s Platinum Hair Salon, Corabi’s wife and the event’s co-captain — will be kicking things off that night with a private holiday party for her salon clients from 6 to 8 p.m. (those folks can enjoy complimentary food and drinks by bringing an unwrapped toy to Drifters, at 1008B Woodland).
That’ll be followed at 8 by the full Christmas Spectacular, open to the public at The Building (right behind Drifters). Admission is $20 cash or a toy donation ($20 minimum value). If you’re feeling particularly generous/thirsty, a $50 wristband includes admission, five drink tickets and, for the first 20 guests, a bonus grab bag.
If you can’t make it to the show but you still want to contribute toward giving these deserving kids a happy Christmas, you can donate online.
And if you want to drop your toys off/buy your wristbands or tickets ahead of time, Sorensen and the folks at Platinum Salon can help: 1013 Fatherland Street.
Up top, a little video update Corabi sent in from the other side of the ocean.
If you make it to the show, we’d love to see your view — tag us on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram (@ACREstate). Hope to see you there!