by: Hazel Smith
All I’d heard was that Lee Ann Womack, Eric Church, Willie Nelson and the Dixie Chicks were performing at a benefit in Greenwich, Conn., for the China Care Foundation. So I began scratching and clawing to find out more about China Care and who was behind the event.
First off, I found out that Matt Dalio is chairman of the China Care Foundation and is an MBA candidate at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The son of billionaire hedge fund boss Ray Dalio, the 27-year-old made his first trip to China when he was 11. At age 16, he spent a year working in China at an orphanage.
“I started a foundation to address a need,” wrote Dalio. “I designed and implemented the establishment of five China Care Homes to provide over 300 financial aid grants, 400 foster placements and over 1,000 surgeries.” He has raised more than $12 million for the charity. The invitation-only concert took place June 23 at an exclusive waterside club.
Apparently, Lee Ann looked movie-star great and sounded as wonderful as she looked. Church followed Lee Ann and sang all his hits and must have been a hit with the audience.
Next, it was Willie time. He performed for about two hours, and the crowd loved him. No matter if Willie turned 79 this year, he’s still a superstar and can still carry a tune with the best of ‘em.
Then came the Dixie Chicks, who were reportedly just killer great. Lead singer Natalie Maines is “thin as a rail,” so I was told. “She has her hair cut very short and colored dark brown.” Martie Maguire was fiddling and Emily Robison was picking that banjo like a saint.
“They are better than ever,” said my friend, who lucked up on this trip. The Dixie Chicks are superstars, and it’s a shame they aren’t onstage every week doing what they do best — picking and singing.
