Our 2017 Country Music Cruise Artists Have Been Busier Than Ever This Summer
While most folks take a well-deserved break during the summer months, our 2017 Country Music Cruise artists have been working as hard as ever to deliver the very best in music and performances to their fans. Here’s a rundown of what they’ve been doing, and will keep on doing in the weeks ahead:
Vince Gill celebrated his 25th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry (which just so happens to be one of The Country Music Cruise’s beloved partners) and released a special vinyl version of his latest album, “Down To My Last Bad Habit.” The country legend received an American Eagle Award from the National Music Council in June for decades of awe-inspiring work that has become a shining example of American musical culture and heritage. If you’re in Los Angeles on September 27th, drop by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s “All For The Hall” concert event and fundraiser at the Novo by Microsoft. Vince will be joined by Chris Stapleton and James Taylor as they raise money for one of our greatest institutions.
Charley Pride held his annual Fan Club Breakfast during CMA Music Festival Week in Nashville, where he hung out with fans and enjoyed good food and great music. He also performed at the Grand Ole Opry that very same week, as part of his 50th Anniversary Tour that celebrates the release of his debut album, “Country,” in 1966. The tour will continue through the rest of 2016, crisscrossing the US and Canada.
The Oak Ridge Boys were also at CMA Music Festival Week, singing the National Anthem to kick off the event, performing with Blake Shelton at the CMT Awards, The Marty Stuart Late Night Jam at the Ryman, meeting fans and signing autographs at the Country Music Hall of Fame, hosting a patriotic-themed concert and taking the stage at The Grand Ole Opry for another performance. And they’re not slowing down! The Oak Ridge Boys will continue to tour well into the fall, including 21 shows at The Mansion Theatre in Branson, MO (and one at their own Oak Ridge Boys Theater in Branson).
Summer is always filled with great memories for Brenda Lee – her first two albums were released in August - of 1959 and 1960, kicking off a career that is still going strong nearly 60 years later. Brenda is now preparing for a series of concerts in the south, taking her to fans in LA, MS and TN in the coming weeks.
We can never get enough of Lee Greenwood’s powerful, uplifting vocals every summer; his “God Bless the USA” is a must-have on everyone’s Fourth of July playlist. In July, the song hit a new milestone when it was officially downloaded for the one millionth time. Congratulations to Lee! Catch Lee perform all of his incredible hits while on tour this fall, which includes some fun stops at the Grand Ole Opry, a Texas Rangers game and the Bristol Racetrack.
Even if Tanya Tucker’s summer tour didn’t make its way to your town, fans were able to catch the country legend all over television last month. She sat down with Dan Rather for his Big Interview show and appeared on Fox & Friends, The Daily & Vincent Show and Access Hollywood. Like so many of her Country Music Cruise friends, Tanya will be touring in the coming weeks throughout the US with a few stops in Canada along the way.
Johnny Lee kept fans happy all summer long with his concerts and his first new album in 10 years, “You Ain’t Never Been To Texas.” Filled with great honky-tonk stories and Johnny’s warm, smooth vocals, we’ve loved listening to it over and over again. We’re sure he’ll be sharing some of these new songs, and his Johnny Lee personality, on The Country Music Cruise!
Coincidentally, this summer Moe Bandy released his first new album in 10 years. “Lucky Me” includes guest performances by fellow Country Music Cruise superstars The Oak Ridge Boys, as well as Riders in the Sky and Ricky Skaggs. We’re hoping Moe and The Oak Ridge Boys might get together on the cruise and perform their new song for us.
Joe Stampley seems to keep running into folks he’ll be seeing on The Country Music Cruise. This summer, he joined Dailey & Vincent on their own RFD television show- as a chef! Joe appeared twice on the hit series (once with his lovely wife, Areeda) and is gearing up for a big show on October 5 in Branson with pal Moe Brandy.
Speaking of Dailey & Vincent, the hard-working duo taped new episodes of their hit television show and performed concerts to their devoted fans throughout the country. Their current tour will be keeping them busy all the way into December.
Wade Hayes stopped by the Grand Ole Opry - not once, but twice – this summer for performances. He also spent some time in the studio working on a batch of new songs, and we’re hoping he’ll share some of those with us on the cruise.
Jo-El Sonnier enjoyed a lot of time with his family, and luckily for his many fans he took some time out to perform at the huge Sioux City Saturday in the Park festival.
Sylvia was hard at work in the studio, too. Her new album, “It’s All In The Family,” will be released on October 7 but fans can read about it here on her website. Sylvia took a break during recording to swing by Ray Steven’s Nashville television show on the RFD network in July.
Deborah Allen spent as much time in front of the camera this summer as she did in front of a microphone, filming her new television show. We can’t wait to see what it’s all about!
The summer highlight for millions of American families is often a trip to the local county fair. The Martin Family Circus did that and then some! The Martins hit up three different county fairs, performing for delighted crowds and having a great time. They also released a brand new EP, “Past, Present, Future.”
The Grand Ole Opry was a home-away-from-home for many of our Country Music Cruise artists this summer, including Chuck Mead, who graced its stage in August. Chuck also toured throughout the country and happily spent hours working as Music Director for CMT’s adaptation of “Million Dollar Quartet.” Watch for it to debut in the Spring of 2017.
Can it really be called “work” if you love it so much? Lorianne Crook had so much fun at work over the past few months that it seemed more like a vacation than a job. Starting off her summer at the CMT Music Awards, she went onto host two events at the CMA Music Festival, the massive kick off concert and a second huge concert a few days later where Nashville Mayor Megan Berry dropped by.