Tupelo to Host Rockin' Bella Tucker Fundraiser

Desiree Bassett, above, and Dan Lawson Band perform Dec. 4 at Tupelo Music Hall for Bella Tucker benefit.

By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Correspondent

Dan Lawson

LONDONDERRY -- Organizers are hoping the healing power of music will help make this holiday a little brighter for 9-yearold Bella Tucker, who continues to recuperate at home following a radical, life-saving quadruple amputation in April.
On Dec. 4 Tupelo Music Hall owner Scott Hayward is hosting, “Power for Power: A Benefit for the Amazing and Powerful Bella Tucker,” featuring two powerful guitar-driven New England originals — Massachusetts- based Dan Lawson Band and Connecticut rising star, singer-songwriter Desiree Bassett.Hayward hopes the community will take the time from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to enjoy a hard-rocking musical interlude for a great cause.
“Bella Tucker is a very brave and admirable person. We should all strive to be as courageous as she has been. The decision to try and help her through a fundraiser, to help pay for some of the expenses that her family has incurred, is just a small part of everything that so many great people have done and continue to do for Bella,” Hayward said. “I hope we get a great turnout for this event and raise a lot of money for her. I only wish there was more that we could do.” 
In April, Bella was stricken with a sudden illness, streptococcus pneumonia sepsis, a bacterial blood infection affecting her circulation. Although she recovered, the extent of tissue damage to her extremities left her doctors with no alternative but to amputate the lower portion of both her arms and legs. 
Since news of her illness, the community has rallied to her family’s aid, mounting a number of fundraisers. The outpouring has included the renovation of her home living space as she continues to recover and learn to navigate her world in a different way. 
Hayward said Saturday’s musical fundraiser will appeal to anyone who loves music — particular that of gifted guitarists. 
Dan Lawson Band has become a fixture at some of the country’s preeminent blues festivals and gigs in the Boston blues scene. 
Desiree Bassett, 18, was considered a guitar prodigy at 3 and has continued to build on her early foundations in music, having shared a stage with some rock greats, including Ted Nugent, Marshall Tucker Band and Sammy Hagar. 
She just released her third CD and continues to write and perform an impressive catalog of original music. 
Saturday’s show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available through the Tupelo Music Hall website, www.tupelohall. com. Proceeds will benefit the Bella Tucker Fund. For more information go to www.bellatucker.org