The hits keep on coming for the country music world in 2024 and not in a good way.
Just two weeks into the new year, and a pair of country music stars had already announced that they were hanging it up after upcoming tours, and another had tragically died.
Less than a week later, and two more Hall of Fame acts have announced they are also wrapping things up.
The following is a quick look back at the legends who have said that 2024 will be their last, at least full-time, year on the road.
Ray Stevens saying goodbye
Ray Stevens was the latest performer to announce that he is ready to slow down and smell the roses.
Not exactly a surprise because the guy is 85, but you still hate to see him go.
The Country Music Hall of Famer is planning to make 2024 his last full year of performing live.
It’s not being called a farewell or a full stepping away, but instead in a story in The Tennessean it is being referred to as a slow-down.
“I’ve always been in the music business, since I was 15-years-old, and I’ve traveled all over the world, played shows, written, and recorded a lot of successful records,” Stevens told The Tennessean. “And so I was tired.”
Stevens has been performing at his West Nashville CabaRay Showroom, which he opened in 2018. That venue will reportedly stay open with other performers taking his place after he steps away.
Stevens said he is prioritizing recording when he steps away from the full slate of live performances.
The comedic songwriter and singer has been performing since 1957.
“I’m looking forward to this final year, it’s going to be a good year,” he told The Tennessean. “I’d like to see everybody come out if they can and see the show.”
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is going out on its farewell tour. (Photo courtesy of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is leaving the road
The legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band also announced that it is wrapping things up.
In a social media post Wednesday the band announced that it is embarking on a farewell tour, entitled “All The Good Times,” with the first show slatted for March 21.
For fans of the band, though, there is still hope to see them after the tour wraps on July 28.
“This isn’t goodbye forever,” the band’s post on X, former Twitter, stated in closing. “But it will be the last fans see of multi-city runs and long bus rides.”
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has been performing and touring for nearly six decades.
The three-time Grammy-winning band formed in 1966. The current iteration of the band includes Bob Carpenter, Jimmie Fadden, Jaime Hanna, Jeff Hanna, Ross Holmes and Jim Photoglo.
Jeff Hanna and Fadden have been with the band since the beginning. No surprise considering its longevity, there is a long list of past members as well.
The band’s first big break came in 1970 with “Mr. Bojangles,” and they have produced 25 albums through the years.
“‘All The Good Times’ perfectly describes our career,” the band said in a statement on its website. “Playing our music for Dirt band fans all over the world has been an incredible experience for us. The most important part of that has been the connection to our audience — that beautiful communal give and take is like nothing else. That’s the very spirit we’ll be celebrating as we head into our farewell tour. We’re really looking forward to seeing you folks. Good times will be had by all!”
Tickets for the tour go on sale on Jan. 19.
John Michael Montgomery performs during the CMA Festival on June 12, 2016, in Nashville, Tennessee. The country music singer recently announced his farewell tour.Beth Gwinn/Getty Images
John Michael Montgomery is calling it quits
John Michael Montgomery got a jump on 2024 by taking to Facebook to let his fans know that he was heading out on a farewell tour.
“I have decided to wind down my touring career over this year and 2025,” the 58-year-old wrote. “It’s been a wonderful run for me from the beginning over 30 years ago in 1992 when my first song ‘Life’s A Dance’ was released to radio.”
The singer’s first three albums, 1992′s “Life’s A Dance,” 1994′s “Kickin’ It Up,” and 1995′s “John Michael Montgomery,” were all reportedly mutli-platinum selling albums. And he has reportedly sold more than 16 million albums in his career.
His Billboard number-one hits include: “I Love the Way You Love Me,” “I Swear,” and “I Can Love You Like That.”
Good news for fans of the artist is that while it sounds as though he is all but wrapping up his time on the road, he reportedly hasn’t ruled out the occasional appearance and it doesn’t sound like he is completely walking away from making music.
“I’m sure there will be some situations where I just need to do a show here and there because I’ll miss that too much,” he reportedly said in a statement. “But I just feel the time has come to say goodbye to the road life.”
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The singer said in his Facebook post that he has been “fortunate and blessed to be able to do what I love for so many years.”
“Please join me on my journey as I say goodbye to the road life,” he wrote. “And thanks so much for your support for the last 3 decades, it’s meant so much to me.”
His farewell tour has alread kicked off with the next date set for Jan. 26 in Dover, Florida.
There are five other dates scheduled, and you can see those here. For folks in Pennsylvania, the closest the tour currently brings him to the Keystone State will come May 31 when he plays in Xenia, Ohio.
Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys sings the national anthem before the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game between Purdue and Auburn Friday, Dec. 28, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)AP
Oak Ridge Boys Joe Bonsall stepping away
Oak Ridge Boys singer Joe Bonsall also announced to start the year that a debilitating medical condition is forcing him to retire from touring.
The 75-year-old has reportedly been battling a neuromuscular disorder which prompted him to announce last week that he was retiring from touring.
“I am now at a point where walking is impossible, so I have basically retired from the road,” he reportedly said. “It has just gotten too difficult. It has been a great 50 years, and I am thankful to all the Oak Ridge Boys band crew and staff for the constant love and support shown to me through it all. I will never forget, and for those of you have been constantly holding me up in prayer, I think you and ask for you to keep on praying.”
While Bonsall steps away the group will reportedly continue its Farewell Tour with 27-year-old Ben James taking his spot.
“There is a young man named Ben James singing for me out there, and he needs your love and encouragement,” Bosnall reportedly said in his statement. “His sound is different than mine, but he brings a ton of talent to the table! The Oak Ridge Boys will finish the Farewell Tour without me, but rest assured, I am good with all of it! God’s Got It!!!” The tour is slated for a stop in Lancaster on March 16 and March 17 at the American Music Theater.
Country Music Hall of Fame and MuseumASSOCIATED PRESS
Larry Collins of “The Collins Kids” dies
Larry Collins, a former country music child star turned legendary guitarist and song writer, died on Jan. 5.
He was 79. Per reports, Collins died of natural causes.
He first made his splash in country music alongside his older sister, Lorrie, when they formed the “The Collins Kids” duo when Larry was just 9 years old. They recorded a series of hits — “Hop, Skip and Kump,” “Hoy Hoy,” and “Beetle Bug Bop” — with music catering to children. The became regulars on “Town Hall Party” in 1954 and they performed together into the 60s.
Per reports, Lorrie had her first child in 1961 and stepped away from music to focus on family. The duo did reunite years later in the 90s.
While Lorrie, who died in 2018, focused on building her family, Larry moved on to a solo career where he made, perhaps, his biggest mark as a songwriter. He is credited as the co-writer for “Delta Dawn,” which became Tanya Tucker’s first hit song among other songs.
