Scotty McCreery, Seth Ennis and Others Attend Nashville Best Cellars Dinner for TJ Martell Foundation

It was a packed house at Nashville’s Omni Hotel for the TJ Martell Foundation’s 2017 Best Cellars Dinner. The stars were dressed to the nines for the lavish affair that brings together some of the country’s finest wineries, paired with some of the best local chefs in Music City. Country music was well-represented, with Reba McEntire, Cole Swindell, and Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet and Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town turning up for the organization, which funds research for several life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, cancer and AIDS.

“They’re raising a lot of money and they’re doing some great things for leukemia and cancer and AIDS and all sorts of stuff, so I’m happy to be here for that,” Scotty McCreery tells Sounds Like Nashville on the red carpet before the event. “Until we find a cure for that kind of stuff, gotta keep on going with it.”

Seth Ennis was also on hand as a first time attendee, revealing that he had just learned about the organization and its mission that day and had no reservations about participating in the event. “I told them I want to find out more about it and so they were like ‘this event is a perfect way for you to do it’ so I came out,” Ennis says.

In addition to serving a noble cause, both country singers also have music on the horizon. Ennis’ current single, “Woke Up in Nashville,” is on country radio and gives fans insight into his journey to the city. “I think why hopefully people will be able to relate to it is because it’s about somebody leaving something behind, any kind of sacrifice for a dream that they chase,” he explains. “Nashville’s such a dream town and so it’s my personal story about it and it’s cool to see other people that have had the same story as me.”

Meanwhile, McCreery’s new song “Five More Minutes” has been impacting live audiences everywhere, performing it at shows and numerous times at the Grand Ole Opry. The singer tells Sounds Like Nashville that the song comes from a personal place about the heartbreaking death of his grandfather. “I had lost him two weeks prior and wanted to write a song about him and the time I wish I still had with him,” he says. [It] just kind of became one of those songs about life that a lot of folks hopefully can relate to and it’s really taken a life of its own.”

The music video and artwork for the track are finalized and McCreery says he’s “pretty antsy” for fans to hear it once it’s officially released as a single. He’s also hopeful to release an album sometime in 2017, revealing that he’s finished several tracks already and has a select few he plans to record.