The Boot News Roundup: Sam Hunt Booked for ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ + More

Welcome to The Boot's News Roundup, a morning rundown of the news country music fans need to know. Read on to learn more about the latest goings-on in the country, Americana, bluegrass and folk genres.

Sam Hunt will help host Ryan Seacrest ring in 2020 with a performance on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in New York City's Times Square. The broadcast begins on Dec. 31 at 7PM ET, and will also feature sets from Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini and Blanco Brown, all of whom will perform in Los Angeles, Calif. -- AM

Dierks Bentley will release his hit album Riser on vinyl for the first time in 2020. Per a press release, the country star will celebrate the five-year anniversary of Riser's release with a limited-edition vinyl version that will be out on Jan. 31 via Capitol Nashville/UMe. The special release will be available in both traditional black and a translucent orange version that will only be sold via the UMG Nashville webstore. Fans can pre-order the album here. -- AM

Texas road warriors Mike & the Moonpies will tour Europe in 2020. The band's 14-city run through Europe kicks off on March 25 in London, England, and they'll make stops in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Germany before concluding with a headlining performance at the Huercasa Country Festival in Riaza, Spain, on July 10. -- AM

Kelsea Ballerini, Chris Young and Eric Church will headline the 2020 Country Summer Music Festival, set for June 19-21 at the Sonoma County Event Center in Northern California. The festival's organizers will announce additional performers in the coming weeks, but three-day passes for Country Summer 2020 are on sale now via the fest's website, along with a Country Club VIP add-on that provides access to free food, private bathrooms and more perks. -- AM

Country legend Gene Watson has announced an extensive touring schedule for 2020, with more than 70 dates on his calendar for the year. The long trek kicks off in Punta Gorda, Fla., on Jan. 9, and will head to venues in Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia and more states before concluding on Dec. 4 at Mainstream Crossing in Tomball, Texas. After that, Watson will perform aboard the Country Family Reunion Christmas Cruise in December. -- AM

Newlyweds Carly Pearce and Michael Ray will perform at the 2020 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. Set for Feb. 6-23 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo boasts a strong lineup of performers in addition to Pearce and Ray, including Lauren Alaina (Feb. 11) and Colter Wall (Feb. 12). Tickets for each show, sold individually, are on sale now. -- AM

Americana duo Larkin Poe will tour in 2020, with performances at major festivals and indie venues scheduled through the end of July. According to a press release, Larkin Poe will hit the road in February for a stop at the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai, India, before playing in U.S. cities such as Memphis, Tenn.; Jackson, Miss.; San Francisco, Calif.; and Boston, Mass. Then, the sister duo will head to Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and more far-flung locales before concluding their tour at the Blues Peer Festival in Peer, Belgium, on July 17. Fans can find a full list of tour dates and ticket details on Larkin Poe's official website. -- AM

Americana up-and-comer Yola will perform at the 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year concert. According to MusicRow, Yola joins a slate of artists -- including John Mayer, the Jonas Brothers, Alice Cooper, and Gary Clark Jr. -- who will honor legendary rock band Aerosmith, the 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year. Set for Jan. 24, the MusiCares Person of the Year concert will be held in Los Angeles, Calif., two days before the Grammy Awards. -- AM

Sam Grow, a country newcomer on the rise, has announced his 2020 tour plans. Grow will kick off his Whiskey Don't Freeze Tour on Jan. 4 in Hughesville, Md., then make stops in Dayton, Ohio; Wilmington, N.C.; Annapolis, Md.; and Nashville, Tenn., before concluding the tour on March 27 in Greeley, Colo. Fans can find a full list of tour dates and more about the "Drink About That" singer on his official Facebook page. -- AM

Jason Isbell, Tanya Tucker, Rhonda Vincent and more artists will perform at the 20th annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. Per MusicRow, the annual festival is set for Sept. 11-13 in Bristol, Tenn., and will also feature performances from a truly stacked lineup of roots artists, including Folk Soul Revival, Moon Taxi, Katie Pruitt, the Lonesome River Band and more to be announced on Feb. 14. Find out more about tickets and performers via the fest's official website. -- AM

Iconic southern rock outfit the Marshall Tucker Band will hit the road in 2020 with more than two dozen shows planned throughout the year. According to a press release, the band is set to kick off the tour in Lac Du Flambeau, Wisc., on Jan. 10, and will play a number of casinos, theaters and hotel venues across the country throughout the spring. In July, they'll perform at the Montauk Music Festival in New York. This packed year of touring will conclude on Oct. 17 in Steelville, Mo. -- AM

Canadian country artist Brett Kissel will celebrate the new year with a new album. On New Year's Day (Jan. 1), the singer-songwriter will release Now or Never, his first U.S. release. "New songs and a new direction. That was the goal," Kissel explains in a press release. "Often, a ‘new direction’ means straying from the original path. Some songs we kept on the path I’ve always walked. Some songs took me in the direction of my roots. Some songs took me in a new direction into uncharted waters. This album will have something for everybody." -- AS

Folk-rock band Delta Rae are preparing a new album for release on March 20. Titled The Light, the project follows their 2015 record After It All and is a sister album to The Dark, planned for 2021. Delta Rae will support the project with an April tour of the Northeast. -- AS