Robert Earl Keen plans benefit concert for Kerr County flood relief

Robert Earl Keen announced on Saturday that he will donate 100% of merchandise sales from his current tour to flood relief efforts and is planning a benefit concert to help his hometown recover from the catastrophic flooding that has killed 59 people.

“The Texas Hill Country and namely my hometown of Kerrville, Texas, has been crippled by unprecedented flooding on the 4th of July,” Keen said in a statement made in a video posted on Facebook. “This has resulted in devastation across the area, and there are still many missing from the event, including campers from Camp Mystic, which holds a special place in mine and my family’s hearts.”

He is donating all merchandise sales from his current tour to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country and is working on organizing a benefit concert with details to follow.

Keen was scheduled to perform at the "Fourth on the River” celebration in Louise Hays Park on Friday. Catastrophic flooding devastated the park and surrounding areas in Kerr County as flood waters rose along the Guadalupe River.

The flooding has claimed the lives of 59 victims as of Sunday morning.

Search and rescue efforts continue for 11 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp near the Guadalupe River, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said Sunday morning.

Keen’s daughters previously attended summer camp at Mystic, he said.

“As both of my daughters attended summer camp there, my thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected and special thanks for the amazing support of the first responders from the community and all over Texas rushing to aid those in need,” Keen said.

Keen also suggested his fans donate directly through the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which has established a Kerr County Flood Relief Fund to support recovery efforts.

All donations to the fund will directly benefit organizations working on the front lines of this emergency.

To access the fund and for full details, go to https://tinyurl.com/KerrFloodRelief.

This article was originally published in the July 8, 2025 edition of the Kerrville Daily Times.