Local Nashville singer Sam Hayes never expected that a routine travel day would lead to a shattered guitar and a phone call from one of country music’s biggest names – Chris Young.
WSMV 4 reports that Hayes was flying United Airlines with his guitar, just as he had many times before without any problem. However, while boarding his most recent flight, he was asked to check his bag due to the lack of space remaining in the overhead bins above the seats.
Although he was leery as checking his beloved instrument would mean he no longer had control of how it was being cared for, the airline assured him that it would be in good hands. Unfortunately, that was far from the truth.
“Somebody with an orange jumper that was working the tarmac came in holding the guitar in a case upside down with a thousand pieces in it,” he recalled.
Hayes was devastated at the sight of his broken guitar that’s not only an instrument, but his livelihood.
“Your heart drops. It’s part of what you do and who you are, and just you fall in love with these guitars and they just become an extension of you,” Hayes added.
United Airlines promised to resolve the issue by offering to reimburse him for a new guitar, after he used his own money. While Hayes was understandably hesitant that he would see that compensation come through at a later date, he received a phone call from country hitmaker Chris Young with an extremely generous offer.
“He said, ‘Do you want an Epiphone or a Gibson?’ And for those that don’t know, there’s a massive difference between the two price-wise. And I said, I laughed and he said, ‘No, I’m not kidding. Which one do you want?’” Hayes recalled from his conversation with Young.
Moments later, Hayes learned that a moment he had been dreaming of was coming true. Young informed him that he had a Gibson ready with his name on it at Carter Vintage Guitars.
“It’s a very common occurrence that guitars get smashed by airlines,” Sales Manager Henry Conlon said, “So to have someone have that piece of them taken away is always hard to see. It was nice to be able to be a part of helping to make that right.”
After picking up his new instrument, Hayes took to Facebook to share his reaction to the kind gift.
“Guys I had an Epiphone and he decided that wasn’t good enough and ended up swinging me this beautiful cherry red Gibson SJ-200. I don’t know, this is an absolute dream guitar for me and I’m just blown away by Chris’ generosity and just everybody reaching out,” he shared with pure gratitude in the video. “I don’t have the words to explain how much this has impacted me.”
The outlet reveals that the “What She Sees In Me” singer had only crossed paths with Hayes a few times before, but that wasn’t going to stop him from helping out a fellow artist in a time of need.
Chris Young was quick to take action because he knew exactly how Hayes felt as the same thing had happened to him. Years ago, while living in Texas, Young’s own guitar was damaged during a flight, and the memory stuck with him.
“I know what that feels like,” he shared. “so I was just trying to help out a friend. In the country music industry, we try to take care of each other. I hope one day someone else will repay in kindness after hearing about this.”
Hayes says the gesture speaks volumes about who Young is, not just as an artist, but as a person who truly understands the bond between musicians and their instruments.
“That just goes to show who Chris is and how he understands just the whole community and what music is to the folks that do it for a job and a dream chase,” Hayes said with pride.
After the mentally straining ordeal, Hayes said he hopes the airline rethinks how it handles fragile items moving forward, especially in a city like Nashville, where musicians fly in and out with instruments every day.
United Airlines has yet to comment on the incident.
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