Ben Eyestone, was a 28-year-old drummer with severe abdominal pain. 
Ben suffered from what we know as the most deadly pre-existing condition in Nashville — he was a poor, uninsured, working musician. Ben tried to obtain a colonoscopy for 12 weeks and encountered barriers to treatment at every turn. Ben died on July 12, 2017, from colon cancer.To ensure that what happened to Ben never occurs again, MHA has created the Ben Eyestone Fund to cover the costs of a menu of diagnostic healthcare services serving working, uninsured or underinsured, and music industry professionals with lower income and obvious diagnostic needs.

“On behalf of the family of Ben Eyestone, and our team at Music Health Alliance, we are so incredibly thankful for the partnership and support from Jeff and Jenny Pennington and Pickers Vodka to ‘Heal the Music.’ This mural honors a beloved musician and beautiful human who lost his life much too soon. It is an important reminder that we are all in this together to help music makers just like Ben gain access to life-saving healthcare,” says Tatum Allsep, Music Health Alliance founder and CEO.

The mural series highlights Pennington Distilling Company‘s pledge that $1 for every bottle of Pickers Original Vodka sold at Middle Tennessee bars, restaurants, and venues that support live music will be donated to Music Health Alliance.  For every $1 donation, MHA provides $30 in life-saving healthcare resources.

Jeff and Jenny Pennington, co-founders of Pickers Vodka, state “We are honored to create a wonderful tribute for Ben Eyestone. We are proud to support the mission of the Music Health Alliance and the Ben Eyestone Fund as they support musicians for many years to come.”

Pickers Vodka commissioned Nashville mural artist, Bryan Deese to launch the mural series in 2020.  Additional murals will be commissioned through 2022.