Though careful to note that retirement is not imminent, George Strait today announced his 2013-2014 The Cowboy Rides Away tour, his last. At a press conference at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame, Strait revealed he’ll embark on his final tour Jan. 18 in Lubbock, TX, with Martina McBride in support. The first 20 markets are already set. “This is going to be a very special, emotional tour for me,” he says. “Everywhere we’re going holds fond memories and I’m looking forward to paying my respects.” The 60-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer will continue to record and issue singles via MCA, and he will continue to perform at select dates.

 

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Randy on the recent announcement of Keith Urban as American Idol Judge:

Randy Happy For Keith’s Success

Randy gives advice to aspiring artists:

Randy Advice To Aspiring Artists

Randy talks about his love of both singing and acting:

Randy Singing Vs Acting

 

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(AP) – The last stop on Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party Tour” will be especially meaningful. He is donating the proceeds from the show in Dallas on October 27th to Susan G. Komen for the Cure to fight breast cancer. It’s Aldean’s seventh annual “Concert for the Cure.” The show is already sold out with over 20,000 tickets purchased in four minutes. Aldean says he wants to do his part to find a cure before his daughters grow up. The annual concert honors his close friend who died of the disease.

 

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Kimberly Schlapman says when she was a kid, she would pretend to be a cooking show host. Now, her childhood fantasy is about to come true. On Saturday, Schlapman premieres “Kimberly’s Simply Southern” cooking show on Great American Country. The 13-episode series takes advantage of Schlapman’s schedule touring with Little Big Town. She learns how to catch the perfect lobster while in Maine and make a perfect pie crust in Chicago. At home in Nashville, Schlapman shares the kitchen with family and friends including band mate Karen Fairchild.

 

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(AP) – Next Monday, Ricky Skaggs joins country music legends including Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams and Dolly Parton as a recipient of the prestigious Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award. Skaggs, along with Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam and producer Billy Sherrill will be honored in Nashville, by the Academy of Country Music, for their trailblazing work in Country music. The next day, Skaggs will release “Music To My Ears,” his first all-new Country and Bluegrass album in more than three years.

 

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(AP) – Farm Aid is expected to draw 30,000 people to southeastern Pennsylvania tomorrow. Willie Nelson, president and co-founder of Farm Aid, says he believes the group’s commitment to protecting farmland puts it on “the right side of history.” Farm Aid has raised more than $40 million since the first concert in 1985. The organization helps farmers across the country keep their land by awarding modest cash grants to groups that help them. The lineup of the nine-hour concert at Hershey includes Nelson and fellow Farm Aid board members Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. Others to perform are Jamey Johnson and Jack Johnson.

 

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