Blake Shelton and Taylor Sheridan Team Up for THE ROAD: New Singing Competition Series Coming to CBS, Fall 2025

CBS announced today the new singing competition series THE ROAD (working title) has been ordered to series for fall 2025. From executive producers Blake Shelton, Taylor Sheridan, Lee Metzger and David Glasser, the docu-follow format trails a headlining superstar (to be announced) on their journey to discover the next big artist. Singers will join the headliner on tour, performing as opening acts in venues across the country. They will compete to win over local fanbases to secure a spot in the next city and remain on the tour.
 
The series is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, Glasser’s 101 Studios with Shelton and Metzger’s Lucky Horseshoe Productions. Taylor Sheridan and David Glasser serve as executive producers. Blake Shelton and Lee Metzger serve as executive producers for Lucky Horseshoe Productions. 
 
“I’m a big fan of Taylor’s incredible work, and I’m excited to team with him and my long-time collaborator, Lee, on THE ROAD,” said Shelton. “I know a thing or two about singing competitions and what it’s like to chase a music dream and live life on tour. I’m looking forward to discovering new talent and giving them this platform.”
 
“There is a revolution taking place in country music. Building a platform with Blake for the next leaders of that revolution is an incredibly exciting venture,” said Sheridan. “No more shiny floors and studio audiences. This is where the rubber meets the road – literally. Get in the van, go to the next town and win the crowd. Do it enough, and you become the next leader. Simple as that.”
 
“This project has been a true labor of love that Taylor, Blake, Lee and I have been talking about for some time now,” said Glasser. “I can’t thank CBS enough for supporting us on this journey to bring an incredible project to audiences everywhere.”
 
“Blake and I have been working together a long time and now joining forces with Taylor and David is literally the kind of team you dream about to bring something of this scale to country music fans,” said Metzger.
 
THE ROAD offers viewers a backstage pass into the gritty and unforgiving life of a touring artist. With exclusive access to the behind-the-scenes workings of the music industry, viewers will see what happens when some of the best up-and-coming performers pile into a tour bus and tackle a grueling schedule in pursuit of their dreams.

From L to R: Blake Shelton, Photo Courtesy of Warner Music Nashville; Taylor Sheridan, Photo Credit Emerson Miller

CBS Presents "WILLIE NELSON'S 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION" Concert Special, Airing Dec. 17

CBS presents "WILLIE NELSON’S 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION," a concert special honoring the legendary career of music icon Willie Nelson, Sunday, Dec. 17 (8:30-10:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+)*. The news was announced during Nelson’s appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” last night, Thursday, Nov. 2.
 
The star-studded special, recorded live earlier this year across two nights before a sold-out crowd at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, celebrates Nelson’s milestone 90th birthday and the 12-time GRAMMY® Award-winner’s contributions to popular culture and music. This historic concert event of the year features unforgettable collaborations and once-in-a-lifetime performances by Willie Nelson, Beck, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert, Dave Matthews, Nelson’s sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson, Keith Richards, George Strait and Chris Stapleton. The special is hosted by stars Jennifer Garner, Chelsea Handler, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Helen Mirren and Owen Wilson.  
 
“It is the sincere privilege of our lives to have produced these shows celebrating our beloved Willie, and to partner with CBS to bring this special to fans around the world,” said Mark Rothbaum and Keith Wortman, creators and executive producers of WILLIE NELSON’S 90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION. “Viewers will now have the chance to sing, laugh and cry, and experience the joy of this celebration like never before.” 
 
"WILLIE NELSON’S 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION" is a production of Blackbird Presents. 
 
*Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to steam live but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.

About Willie Nelson:
With a seven-decade career, Willie Nelson has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor, and activist. He continues to thrive as a relevant and progressive musical and cultural force. In recent years, he has delivered more than a dozen new albums, released a Top 10 New York Times' bestsellers book, again headlined Farm Aid (an event he co-founded in 1985) and his annual Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic, been honored by the Library of Congress with their Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, received his 5th degree black belt in Gong Kwon Yu Sul, headlined the annual Luck Reunion food and music festival during SXSW, launched his cannabis companies Willie's Reserve and Willie's Remedy, and graced the covers of Rolling Stone and AARP The Magazine. Nelson started this decade by releasing four albums of newly recorded music—First Rose of Spring (2020), That’s Life (2021), The Willie Nelson Family (2021), and A Beautiful Time (2022, GRAMMY Award winner for Best Country Album)—and three books—Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band (2020), Willie Nelson’s Letters to America (2021), and Me and Paul: Untold Tale of a Fabled Friendship (Throughout 2023, Willie celebrates his 90th birthday with multiple projects and events including a two-night star-studded concert, Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, that took place in April at the famed Hollywood Bowl, and released as a feature film in June. The year began with the debut of "Wille Nelson & Family," a new five-part film documentary series directed by Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as well as the release of a new album, I Don't Know a Thing About Love, which features 10 performances that pay tribute to American songwriter Harlan Howard. From June to October, Nelson headlines the annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour. In the Fall, two new releases debuted: an album, Bluegrass (with newly recorded studio performances of 12 Willie Nelson-penned classics showcasing Willie with a bluegrass ensemble released September 15), and a book, Energy Follows Thought (with stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with never-before-seen photos and ephemera arrived on October 31). On November 3, Nelson will be inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. These creative endeavors as well as new songs and performances that add to his classic catalog, find Willie Nelson rolling at an artistic peak, writing and singing and playing with the seasoned wit and wisdom that comes from the road.
 
About Blackbird Presents:
Blackbird Presents is an award-winning creator and producer of premium music-driven content via a range of strategies including all-star concert events, tours, festivals, broadcast specials and films. Its projects feature the biggest music stars in the world (including Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, George Strait, Steven Tyler, Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffett, The Roots, Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Brandi Carlile, Lionel Richie, Reba McEntire, John Mayer, Kacey Musgraves, Darius Rucker, Jack Johnson, Robert Plant, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Juanes, Van Morrison, Sturgill Simpson, Lady A, Little Big Town, Ringo Starr, Idina Menzel, Becky G, Nathaniel Rateliff, and many others), produced for a portfolio of studio and network partners including CBS, Viacom, A&E, AMC, CMT, Live Nation, AEG, Nederlander, Facebook, PBS and more. Recent music, film, and television projects include Willie: Life & Songs Of An American Outlaw, Biography: Kenny Rogers, Imagine: John Lennon 75th Birthday Concert, Peace Through Music: A Global Event For Social Justice, Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard, The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson, Outlaw: Celebrating The Music of Waylon Jennings, I'll Take You There: Celebrating 75 Years of Mavis Staples, The Life and Songs of Emmylou Harris, The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: Celebrating Mac and His Music, and All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs and Voice of Gregg Allman, which earned a GRAMMY® Award nomination for Gregg Allman and Taj Mahal's awe-inspiring performance of Statesboro Blues.
 
Blackbird Presents is also the creator and producer of The Outlaw Music Festival Tour, in partnership with Willie Nelson; The American Roots Music & Arts Festival, in partnership with Eric Church; and The Last Waltz 40 Tour in partnership with Robbie Robertson.

Miranda Lambert Profiled on "CBS Sunday Morning" as PALOMINO Earns Additional Praise

MIRANDA LAMBERT PROFILED ON “CBS SUNDAY MORNING”

Reigning Entertainer of the Year Discusses the Journey to Brand-New Album Palomino with Correspondent Lee Cowan; Performs “In His Arms” & “Strange”

Eighth Solo Album Earns Additional Praise from Stereogum, Billboard

Reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Miranda Lambert appeared today on “CBS Sunday Morning” yesterday, May 1, in celebration of her new album Palomino, available everywhere now. The Texas native shared an expansive look at her storied career and the new project with correspondent Lee Cowan, discussing everything from her businesses and her marriage to her new album and passion for supporting rescue animals. Watch the full segment HERE.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself,” Lambert shared with Cowan when discussing the release of her eighth solo project. “I think at some point, you just start to settle into who you are. I think that’s why you feel that peace coming from me, ‘cause I feel at peace with myself.”

“You don’t have to be tortured to be good,” she added of the lessons she’s learned in recent years. “You can write a sad song and not have to live every sad song you ever write, you know? It’s an impossible way to live.”

The first female entertainer to have a presence on Broadway hosted Cowan at her Downton Nashville Casa Rosa bar and restaurant for the conversation, also performing intimate renditions of “In His Arms” and “Strange” from the venue’s stage. Lambert and Cowan also strolled down Broadway to a nearby Boot Barn where her Idyllwindclothing line is sold to discuss her passion for branching out in natural ways beyond music, including via her MuttNation Foundation in support of shelter pets.

The comprehensive segment comes on the heels of Palomino’s release, the latest in a critically acclaimed discography that has already earned substantial praise for the most-awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history.

“Miranda Lambert is one of our greatest working songwriters,” declares Stereogum, while Billboard notes, “Lambert’s delivery is pitch perfect as she delivers some of her most on-point lyrics ever,” joining rave reviews from Esquire, L.A. Times, Variety, NPR, Paste, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Yahoo Entertainment and more.

Lambert will take the new music as well as her decade-plus catalog of hits on the road this spring as her co-headlining The Bandwagon Tour with Little Big Town kicks off in her home state of Texas this Friday, May 6, before she travels to Las Vegas for her recently announced Velvet Rodeo residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s Zappos Theater this September, with dates scheduled through April 2023.

For more information on all upcoming dates and new music, visit www.MirandaLambert.com and follow on social media @MirandaLambert.

About Miranda Lambert
Available everywhere now, Palomino, the eighth solo album from Vanner Records/RCA Nashville superstar Miranda Lambert, is the latest installment in a storied career that has spanned seven consecutive No. 1 solo albums, 10 No. 1 hit radio singles, more than 70 prestigious awards and countless sales certifications, earning the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year praise from NPR as “the most riveting country star of her generation.”

Following 2019’s critically acclaimed release of her GRAMMY Award-winning album, Wildcard, the Texas native ushered in her next musical era with the recent release of Palomino lead single “If I Was a Cowboy” (currently climbing the Top 20 at Country radio), while also adding her voice to Netflix’s new season of Queer Eye with inclusive anthem “Y’all Means All.” She is set to hit the road on The Bandwagon Tour with Little Big Town this spring and will kick off her Velvet Rodeo Las Vegas residency at the Zappos Theater at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in September.

In addition to Wildcard, the celebrated singer/songwriter’s lauded discography includes The Weight of These Wings (2016), Platinum (2014), Four The Record (2011), Revolution (2009), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2007) and Kerosene (2005). She has also released three albums with her trio, the Pistol Annies, as well as 2021’s The Marfa Tapes, a critically acclaimed and GRAMMY-nominated, raw and intimate recording with collaborators Jack Ingram and Jon Randall.

The most decorated artist in the history of the Academy of Country Music, Lambert has earned 37 ACM Awards (including the current ACM Entertainer of the Year title and a record-setting nine consecutive Female Artist of the Year Awards), 14 CMA Awards, three GRAMMY Awards, the Nashville Symphony Harmony Award, ACM Gene Weed Milestone Award and ACM Song of the Decade Award, plus was named 2019’s RIAA Artist of the Year. She is the youngest artist ever to serve as the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum’s Artist in Residence, joining a legendary list of predecessors including Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, Tom T. Hall, Jerry Douglas and more.

Her clothing and cowboy boot collection, Idyllwind, is a private-label brand sold at all Boot Barn stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.idyllwind.com.

Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit has raised over $6 million since its inception in 2009. The Foundation’s mission is to promote the adoption of rescue pets, support animal shelters across the country, advance spay & neuter and assist with the transport of animals during times of natural disaster. For more information, visit www.muttnation.com.