Local singer Gregg Russell and the Boys & Girls Club put on touching performance of “Hurricane Matthew”

The 2017 Boys & Girls Club Gala received a special treat Saturday evening when Hilton Head Island singer Gregg Russell took the stage. The singer performed his new song, “Hurricane Matthew” — but he didn’t sing it alone.

“For the past few weeks I’ve had the privilege of going out to the Boys & Girls Club and meeting with these kids and singing a little bit and goofing around and having a little fun,” Russell said before the performance.

He explained he’d be singing the song tonight with the “help of his special friends” as he welcomed 11 kids onto the stage.

As the song was all about “neighbors helping neighbors” following the devastation of Hurricane Matthew, the group performance made perfect sense.

The song began with Russell singing about how Hurricane Matthew was on its way, and all of the “old timers” of the Island knew it was going to be one of Hilton Head’s worst.

“So we boarded up our houses and we left for higher ground,” he sang.

The kids joined Russell for the chorus, which ends:

“But the lighthouse and the oak trees stood tall and strong in Harbour Town.”

Hilton Head’s resilience appeared to be the theme of the song. The song continued with Russell singing about how everyone returned to the Island to see “neighbors helping neighbors ... Putting paradise back together, and getting on our feet again.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2017 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Local singer Gregg Russell and the Boys & Girls Club put on touching performance of “Hurricane Matthew”."