A Nashville singer was filling in for a friend on Monday night when she got an unexpected bonus.
Morgan Clark was performing at the Holiday Inn Express on Broadway. It wasn’t her usual spot; she was there in place of a musician pal who couldn’t make it.
After a job well done, she was packing up her equipment when she noticed something sitting on top of her usual pile of tips. It was a cheque for US$10,000.
At first, Clark and her Toronto-based manager, James Rea, thought it was a prank being played on them.
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“I thought it was a joke, then I turned to my manager and told him and he couldn’t believe it,” she told Global News.
When Clark stood up and looked back at her audience, she noticed a person at the back of the room stand up and head towards her.
“Mr. Anonymous came up behind us and told us it was real.”
Though her generous donor wanted to remain anonymous, the gratitude Clark has for his kindness certainly isn’t being kept quiet.
“He identified himself as the donor at the end of the night and said how much he loves my voice and my music,” she said.
“He insisted on remaining completely anonymous and simply said: ‘I just want you to do me one favour: don’t ever lose your innocence.'”
In 2017, three years after moving to Tennessee, the singer landed a three-night per week gig at the Hilton Garden Inn. That’s when she met her manager, Rea, who has always believed in her talent.
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“Morgan has a way of making her audience feel special, but this was so over the top that Morgan and I both wondered if the whole thing was a practical joke,” he said.
“The following day, he met Morgan and I at his bank and wire-transferred the money to her account.”
While the cheque is a wonderful gift, it’s extra meaningful for Clark to know how much this mystery man believed in her as an artist.
“It is so good to know that there are believers out there who love what we do as musicians.”
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