Some of the world’s biggest pop, rock and country artists are celebrating Elton John’s most beloved and legendary catalogue of hits with two albums Revamp (Island Records) and Restoration (Universal Music Group Nashville) to be released on April 6th. The superstar lineup features artists both new and iconic reinterpreting the timeless songs of the over 50 year writing partnership that Elton and Bernie Taupin share.  These renditions and artists show the depth of the catalogue these two icons have created, which can easily cross musical genres and their unparalleled influence across popular music of all styles.

Restoration highlights countries biggest stars with thoughtful interpretations by Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash and Emmylou Harris, Miley Cyrus, Vince Gill and Don Henley, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Brothers Osborne, Chris Stapleton, Rhonda Vincent and Dolly Parton and Lee Ann Womack.

Revamp features the hits reimagined by the best in pop, rock and urban with Mary J. Blige,  Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, The Killers, Mumford and Sons, P!nk and Logic, Q-Tip ft. Demi Lovato, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith.

“’It’s always a huge compliment when an artist loves your song enough to take the time and effort to rework it,” adds Elton John. “As songwriters, Bernie and myself are thrilled when singers we admire and respect as much as those on Revamp & Restoration choose to add their own unique twist in the process. It means that our music is still relevant and ultimately that our songs continue to reach new audiences. We’re humbled and thank them all for their generosity.”

“Because of our love of all kinds of music, we’re not stuck in one genre,” said Bernie Taupin. “From day one we borrowed from everything that’s good about American music – whether it’s blues, country, gospel, pop, pure rock – everything got thrown in the mix. I think that’s why our music over the years has been so varied. It would be tiring if you just got stuck in one niche your entire career, especially when it’s one as long as ours.”

The album art for Restoration was created by Bernie. The rustic musical instruments and flags from both nations is an extension of his mixed-media art that’s another form of expression. It symbolizes the role that U.S. culture and its native music has played as a driver in the John/Taupin canon.

“For me, there’s an irony about the American flag,” Taupin says. “It’s been battered and beaten and burned, but it’s resilient. It’s always come back. I incorporate it with other things, and lately I’ve done a lot of pieces with deconstructed guitars and other found materials: barbed wire, broken bottles, things that people identify with on an everyday level.  If it’s on the floor and it works, I’ll put it into the artwork. But it all goes hand in hand with my belief in America and my interest, I would say obsession, with Americana.”

“We have two completely different albums; Revamp being the pop one and Restoration being the country one and God we have so many great artists doing our songs, it’s quite incredible,” said Elton John. “Restoration was Bernie’s project and he’s a huge country fan. The ‘Revamp’ was more my project. He came up with an astonishing list of country performers both new and legendary.”

Restoration

1. Rocket Man – Little Big Town
2. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters – Maren Morris
3. Sacrifice – Don Henley and Vince Gill
4. Take Me To The Pilot – Brothers Osborne
5. My Father’s Gun – Miranda Lambert
6. I Want Love – Chris Stapleton
7. Honky Cat – Lee Ann Womack
8. Roy Rogers – Kacey Musgraves
9. Please – Rhonda Vincent and Dolly Parton
10. The Bitch Is Back – Miley Cyrus
11. Sad Songs (Say So Much) – Dierks Bentley
12. This Train Don’t Stop – Rosanne Cash and Emmylou Harris
13. Border Song – Willie Nelson

Revamp

1. Bennie and The Jets – Elton John, P!nk, Logic
2. We All Fall In Love Sometimes – Coldplay
3. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues – Alessia Cara
4. Candle In The Wind – Ed Sheeran
5. Tiny Dancer – Florence And The Machine
6. Someone Saved My Life Tonight – Mumford and Sons
7. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word – Mary J. Blige
8. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – Q Tip feat. Demi Lovato
9. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters – The Killers
10. Daniel – Sam Smith
11. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – Miley Cyrus
12. Your Song – Lady Gaga
13. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Queens of the Stone Age

The caliber of names contributing to Revamp and Restoration is another reminder of Elton’s enduring popularity at a busy and prolific time for the superstar. Last month Elton announced his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour. Comprising of over 300 dates across five continents over three years, the tour kicks off in the US in September and marks the finale of 50 years on the road. The first 60 dates sold out immediately after going on general sale, confirming that the farewell tour will be some of, if not the, hottest gig tickets of the coming three years.

Music stars honor Elton John’s illustrious career spanning five decades with a rockin’ tribute on ELTON JOHN: I’M STILL STANDING A GRAMMY SALUTE, to be broadcast Tuesday, April 10 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The concert showcases musicians from multiple genres performing classic songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, including Alessia Cara, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Kesha, Little Big Town, Chris Martin, Shawn Mendes, Maren Morris, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and SZA.

After having released not one, but two albums last year, Chris Stapleton says “it’ll probably be a minute” before he releases a new album. He released From A Room: Volume 1 last May and followed it up with From A Room: Volume 2 in December of last year.

“I like the creative process, and I like to do things just because I like to do them. I’ve got a couple of songs in some movies and some different collaborations with some people that are on the horizon,” says Chris. “But as far as a project for me, I don’t know what that next thing is. It’ll probably be a minute, because two records in a year is a lot…It’s been great, and it was a good plan, and I’m real happy with the way things are turning out. But we’ll probably not be recording anything real soon. It may be a minute. We’ll tour off these two records. They’ve got a lot of life in ‘em as far as touring goes, so I’m sure whatever the next right thing is to do will present itself and then I’ll look at it dead in the eye and go, “Alright, let’s go.”

Chris is poised to land at the top of the country singles charts for the first time as an artist with “Broken Halos.”

The Kentucky native leads the list of nominees with eight nods in five categories, including Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single of the Year for “Broken Halos,” Song of the Year for “Whiskey and You” and Album of the Year for From a Room, Vol. 1.

The 53rd Annual ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 15th at 8pm ET on CBS.

Jordan Davis is experiencing his first Top 5 record with his debut song, “Singles You Up.” He says seeing how the song affects people is the main reason he writes and makes music.

“Obviously, country radio has been great in playing it and to see it where it’s at on the charts as a debut song, you know it’s kinda crazy you know to think that it’s doing what it’s doing,” says Jordan. “To see people’s reaction when we start playing that song, you know that’s why we do it. That’s why you write songs for people to hear ‘em, for people to feel something. That’s one that people have fun when they hear that song, you know when we play it in the live show. When I see people’s reaction to it on Twitter or Instagram, that’s why you write music — to make somebody feel something. And if they feel happy when they sing it, it’s pretty awesome. So, it’s one that I’m happy to be a part of.”

“Singles You Up” is the first release from his debut album, Home State, which will be available next Friday (March 23rd).

Dierks Bentley has been putting the finishing touches on his new album, The Mountain. Many factors have influenced the new music, including his fans and their stories.

“I’ve spent three hours a day before the show just hanging out with the fans in some different form whether it’s an acoustic show or several meet and greets. The stories you hear, everybody’s climbing some sort of mountain, right? Everybody’s just finding a way to put one foot in front of the other and just make it out to this concert tonight; the importance of that show to help them on their own journey, their own climb,” says Dierks. “So especially after this [past] summer, it seemed like it was a hard year for a lot of people, not only in our country music community but just in general, and the idea of that mountain that everyone’s climbing really resonated with me.”

Dierks is climbing the country music charts with his latest hit, “Woman, Amen,” which is the first release from his upcoming album, The Mountain.

Dierks is nominated for Video of the Year at this year’s ACM Awards, which will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 15th at 8pm ET on CBS.

Four-time Entertainer of the Year and American Idol judge Luke Bryan releases a new music video today for “Most People Are Good,” directed by Wes Edwards.  Entertainment Weekly exclusively premiered the video today  – watch it HERE.

“Most People Are Good” is Luke’s second single from his What Makes You Country album that debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts last December and is now available for the first time on vinyl. The poignant “Most People Are Good” single, written by David Frasier, Ed Hill and Josh Kear, landed on Billboard’s 2017 Reader’s List claiming it “is a veer in the road (for Luke): an inspiring, positive-message song with a heartfelt vocal. At a time when the world is not such a positive place it’s, well, just in time.” RollingStone says “Most People Are Good” is “sincere” and is an “uplifting song, a gentle argument for all that’s right in the world.”

After his media junket in New York City last week to promote the Sunday night premiere of American Idol on ABC and playing three concerts on his “What Makes You Country Tour,” Luke is now in Australia for his first-ever concerts down under. His touring year will conclude this fall after headlining concerts across North America including some of the biggest and best sports stadiums in Toronto, New York City, Cincinnati, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Boston, Minneapolis, Los Angeles (the first country concert to ever be held in Dodgers Stadium), Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Vancouver and wrapping the tour in Detroit at Ford Field on October 26.

Four select markets for country music superstars and GRAMMY, CMA and ACM Award-winners Little Big Town and Miranda Lambert‘s co-headlining The Bandwagon Tour, are scheduled to go on-sale Friday (March 16th).

The March 16th on-sale includes tour stops in Charlotte, North Carolina (7/12), Cincinnati, Ohio (7/13), Hartford, Connecticut (7/20) and West Palm Beach, Florida (8/4).

Special guests joining Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town on The Bandwagon Tour include Turnpike Troubadours and The Steel Woods for select dates; both of whom joined Lambert for dates on her own Livin’ Like Hippies Tour. Also, on the first weekend is Natalie Hemby, who has penned #1 hits for both Miranda and Little Big Town.  In addition, singer/songwriter newcomer, Tenille Townes will join for all dates on The Bandwagon Tour.

Ticket on-sale dates to be announced throughout the upcoming weeks. Fans can stay up-to-date by visiting MirandaLambert.com and LittleBigTown.com for more information.  Live Nation is the official promoter.

The Bandwagon Tour Dates:

*(denotes Turnpike Troubadours select dates)
**(denotes The Steel Woods select dates)
***(denotes Natalie Hemby select dates)
Tenille Townes joins for all dates
Bold denotes new date added

Date                City, State                              Venue
7/12/18            Charlotte, NC                         PNC Music Pavilion***
7/13/18            Cincinnati, OH                        Riverbend Music Center***
7/14/18            Indianapolis, IN                      Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center***
7/20/18            Hartford, CT                           XFINITY Theatre *
7/21/18            Mansfield, MA                        XFINITY Center *
8/2/18             Orange Beach, AL                  The Wharf at Orange Beach *
8/3/18             Tampa, FL                               MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre *
8/4/18             West Palm Beach, FL             Coral Sky Amphitheatre *
8/10/18           Houston, TX                           Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion **
8/11/18           Dallas, TX                               Starplex Pavilion **
8/16/18           Darien Center NY                    Darien Lake Amphitheater *
8/17/18           Pittsburgh, PA                          KeyBank Pavilion *
8/18/18           Philadelphia, PA                      BB&T Pavilion *
8/23/18           Toronto, ON                             Budweiser Stage *
8/24/18           Clarkston, MI                           DTE Energy Music Theatre *
8/25/18           Chicago, IL                             Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Dierks Bentley’s “Woman, Amen” was heard during Sunday night’s premiere of ABC’s American Idol.

Shania Twain has signed on to be one of the judges on the reality series, RuPaul’s Drag Race, which features several female impersonators through a series of competitions and challenges.

Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley, Jordan Davis and Scotty McCreery are among the artists performing during the 14th Annual Drive for Show Rock Fore! Dough concert April 3rd prior to the 2018 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. All proceeds will benefit The First Tee of Augusta, which strives to impact the lives of young people by creating affordable and accessible golf facilities.

Sam Hunt won an iHeart Radio Award Sunday night for Country Song of the Year for his huge smash “Body Like a Back Road,” while Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 1 picked up the award for Country Album of the Year.

Kacey Musgraves just played a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena over the weekend, and it was the perfect opportunity to announce her upcoming Oh, What a World Tour.

During her set, she said, “I haven’t told anybody this yet but we are going to go on a world tour and it’s going to start over here on your side of the pond this fall and I am freaking out because we are going to play Wembley Arena.”

https://twitter.com/KaceyMusgraves/status/972635472408338434

Kacey’s tour will begin in Amsterdam on October 21st and will make stops in Bristol, York, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin, among others. Tickets go on sale March 16th, while Kacey’s new album Golden Hour, featuring “Butterflies” and “Space Cowboy,” will be released March 30th.

Kacey is currently on The Breakers Tour with Little Big Town and later this summer, she’ll hit the road with Harry Styles.

Chris Stapleton is nearing the top of the country charts with “Broken Halos,” which recently won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. He wrote the tune with his buddy Mike Henderson several years ago, and it still stands the test of time.

“If you can write a song and you listen to it 10 years away from writing it and go, ‘You know, that’s a pretty good song. I like that song,’ then it’s a pretty good indication that it’s probably okay because it’s holding up,” says Chris. “If it held up the day you wrote it and it holds up for you in a completely different segment of your life, hopefully that means it’ll help more people, and it’ll mean more to more people.”

“Broken Halos” is from his CMA and Grammy Award-winning album, From A Room: Volume 1, which was released last May.

Chris, who is the most nominated artist at this year’s ACM Awards, will perform at RodeoHouston March 16th.