Tampa, Fla. – (May 17, 2021) – One of Tampa Bay’s premier philanthropic community events, Tampa Pig Jig, will return with its tenth-anniversary celebration when it welcomes three-time GRAMMY Award winner Darius Rucker to Julian B. Lane Park on Saturday, October 23. Multi-Platinum recording artist Brett Young will join the lineup, along with alternative and folk artists Judah & the Lion and Wilderado. Additional local acts will be announced soon. The event, presented by RIPA & Associates, Valley Bank and Baldwin Risk Partners, donates proceeds to NephCure Kidney International (NephCure). It has become one of Tampa’s favorite fall events combining live music, games, silent auction, along with delicious food and drinks into one fun-filled day.
“The Tampa Pig Jig has grown in nearly every capacity over the last ten years,” said Tampa Pig Jig Board Member Chris LaFace. “When it came to this milestone celebration and our first year at Julian B. Lane Park, we wanted an unforgettable lineup that welcomed some of the biggest names in music and reflected the diverse country, indie and folk history of the event. We couldn’t think of a better headliner than Darius Rucker to bring the 10th Annual Tampa Pig Jig to life.”
Darius Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, including their Diamond-certified debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the Top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart, including RIAA Platinum-certified Learn to Live and True Believers, plus ten No. 1 singles at Country radio. In 2014, Rucker won his third career GRAMMY Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his 8x Platinum version of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top five best-selling Country songs of all time. He recently co-hosted the 54th annual CMA Awards and topped the charts at Country radio once again with “Beers And Sunshine” in February. Follow up single “My Masterpiece” is available everywhere now as Rucker puts the finishing touches on a forthcoming album.
Brett Young has captured the hearts of fans everywhere through his honest lyrics and West Coast-meets-Southern sound, aptly dubbed “Caliville” style with seven consecutive #1 hit songs and Multi-Platinum sales. Young’s upcoming collection Weekends Look a Little Different These Days, out on June 4 via BMLG Records, follows his sophomore effort, Gold-certified Ticket to L.A., which debuted atop the Billboard Country Albums chart and his PLATINUM self-titled debut, which dominated the Top 20 on the Country Albums chart for 37 weeks and contributed to over 5 billion streams globally. He was named ASCAP’s 2018 Country Songwriter-Artist of the Year for his “melodic craftsmanship” (Billboard) and has also garnered nominations from ACM, Billboard, Teen Choice, CMT and CMA Awards as he continues to rack up nonstop hits as “one of country’s most consistent radio stars” (Rolling Stone).
Judah & the Lion has been a family unto itself since forming at Nashville’s Belmont University in 2011. They crafted their sound over a bluegrass-heavy debut, Kids These Days, and a mold-breaking follow-up, Folk Hop n’ Roll, both produced by Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) and made in two weeks. In 2017, their triumphant “Take It All Back” topped the alternative songs chart for three weeks in a row, paving the way for a Best New Rock/Alternative Artist win at the 2018 iHeartRadio Awards. While many of the songs from the trio’s third LP, Pep Talks, were written on the bus immediately after the band’s famously high energy shows, the boys co-produced and recorded it over three inspired months with help from boundary-busting friends like Darren King, Jon Bellion, and Kacey Musgraves. Now with several chart-topping releases, nonstop touring and a growing international fanbase, the band unleashed the deeply personal and uplifting singles “Beautiful Anyway” and “Spirit” in 2020 as they felt led back to their roots as a band.
The 10th Annual Tampa Pig Jig marks its highly anticipated return to Tampa Bay’s fall event schedule. While 2020 celebrations were not held due to COVID-19 precautions, the 2019 Tampa Pig Jig was an unequivocal success and sold out three weeks prior to event day.
Founded in Tampa Bay and now making its mark nationwide, Pig Jig was established by a group of local men to support their friend in his fight against the rare kidney disease Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). As it enters its tenth year, the nonprofit event has raised more than $5 million, helping fund more than 26 trials happening worldwide.
“Each year, we’ve been able to grow our total funds raised for NephCure Kidney International, and in 2021 we are more committed than ever to help ‘cue up a cure for FSGS,” said event founder Chris Whitney. “Recent insights shared by our partners at NephCure indicate that the first approved FSGS drug could be on the horizon within the next few years.”
General admission tickets will go on sale Friday, May 21 at 10 a.m. and are $40 online. Beer + BBQ tickets are also available for $60 online, in advance, and include General Admission to the event plus a picnic-style “BBQ in a box” sampling and You-Pick-Two selection of beer from Florida Avenue Brewing Co. from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on event day. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $140 online in advance and include entry into the event, along with the VIP tent where patrons will enjoy complimentary food and four drinks of their choice. VIP tickets typically sell out, so early purchase is recommended. Children 10 and under are free and receive the same event access as the accompanying adult. To purchase tickets, inquire about event sponsorship, become a volunteer or for general event information, please visit tampapigjig.com.