Nearly 800 country radio and music industry professionals, and more than 30 artists converged on Memphis Jan. 12-14 for the annual Country Cares For St. Jude Kids seminar at the Peabody Hotel. Among the highlights of the seminar were a keynote speech by American hero and former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, and a presentation by Edison Research principal Larry Rosin. A special award was presented to artist John Rich (pictured with Country Cares founder Randy Owen) for his St. Jude fundraising efforts.

The annual seminar is organized to educate the hundreds of country radio stations across the U.S. which host annual radiothons and other local fundraisers for St. Jude. In addition to touring the hospital and meeting some of the patients, the broadcasters learned tips and tricks about how to host an effective radiothon.

Among the artists attending this year’s event were: Kix Brooks (pictured at left with a patient), Martina McBride, Eli Young Band, Lauren Alaina, Lee Brice, Randy Houser, Edens Edge, Josh Thompson, Steve Holy, Love & Theft, singer/actress Jana Kramer and Owen, frontman for the group Alabama. Nearly two-dozen new and up and coming artists also participated in the seminar.

“There’s no way you can walk through the halls at St. Jude and not think of your own children,” said McBride (pictured below with a patient), in an interview following her tour. “I’m going to hug them a little tighter when I get home, I can tell you that,” she said of her three daughters. “This is such a wonderful place of hope. Anything that we [country artists] can do to help St. Jude we should just do it, because they are literally saving lives and finding new cures for cancer that they share with the whole world.”

The surprise keynote speaker was former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, author of the book “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.” Lutrell shared the story of his harrowing, five-day ordeal in 2005 on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border when he was hunted by the Taliban following a firefight, and became the only member of his unit to make it out alive. A rescue attempt resulted in the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. Badly injured and unable to use his legs, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains before he was discovered and hidden in safety by local villagers.

Rosin presented the results of three surveys he recently conducted, which shed new light on the impact of radiothons on ratings. More on that presentation here.

As the winner of NBC’s “The Celebrity Apprentice” last year, Rich (of the duo Big & Rich) earned more than $1.4 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. That effort earned him the inaugural Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award Saturday night at the conclusion of the seminar.

The award was presented to Rich by its namesake, Owen, who founded the Country Cares program in 1989, mobilizing country radio stations nationwide host annual radiothons and other fundraisers for St. Jude. The stations’ efforts have been strongly supported by country artists and the Nashville music industry, and the program has raised more than $400 million since its inception.

In his acceptance speech, Rich thanked country radio “for the limitless effort you put forth behind this [cause].” His also recalled his first visit to St. Jude as a member of Lonestar in 1995, and said, “It was the first time I ever came in contact with something bigger than myself.”

“You shouldn’t be getting an award for something you ought to be doing anyway,” said Rich, who also noted that as someone who grew up in a trailer in Amarillo, Texas, he’s particularly gratified that St. Jude helps kids like he was “who wouldn’t be taken care of otherwise,” because the hospital never charges families for its care.

In a speech that was alternately funny and touching, Rich referred to “The Celebrity Apprentice” as a “land mine of a TV show,” but said while he was participating in it, “I bit my tongue daily, not because it is in my nature to do that, but I wasn’t playing for myself, I was playing for the kids of St. Jude. It would not sit well upon them if I turned into a redneck jerk.”

During his time on the show, Rich said, “The gasoline in my tank was the faces and stories I knew of St. Jude.”

Rich, who has gotten into a few well-publicized scrapes through the years, also told the crowd, “You all know me pretty well. You’ve heard the stories. They’re true, most of them. The best thing about his award is that when my sons Google me [in the future,] they’ll see a lot of crazy stuff, but they’ll also see this award.”

The newly created Angels Among Us Award recognizes a member of the country music industry who demonstrates an immeasurable commitment and dedication to kids battling cancer and other deadly diseases at St. Jude.

“This past year John really embodied what Country Cares for St. Jude Kids is all about,” said Owen. “It’s really unbelievable to look back over the past 23 years and see what the country music industry has helped us accomplish for St. Jude. This award is a way for us to say thank you to select members of the industry for their continued commitment and support.”

The award was presented during the closing night songwriters’ dinner. In addition to Owen and Rich, the performers included hit country writer Walt Aldridge and a legend of pop music, George Jackson, who sang one of his biggest hits, “Old Time Rock And Roll.” Megan Mullins, who was backing up the performers on fiddle, also stepped up to perform two of her own songs.

St. Jude is celebrating its 50th anniversary of finding cures and saving children.

Disclosure: Phyllis Stark is a longtime member of the Country Cares advisory board.