Austin City Limits: Country, Hosted by Asleep At The Wheel Frontman Ray Benson, Premieres September 6 with a performance from Willie And The Wheel, the duo of Asleep At The Wheel and Willie Nelson. The remainder of the season will feature additional performances from Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Tammy Wynette, and more!
NASHVILLE, TN – (August 29, 2023) – Today, Circle, the award-winning country music and lifestyle network and official TV home of the Grand Ole Opry, announced the second season of Austin City Limits: Country, a curated selection of iconic performances and intimate interviews from Austin City Limits that are now exclusive to the network. Hosted by Asleep At The Wheel frontman and Austin local Ray Benson, season two will feature legendary artists like Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Trisha Yearwood, Tanya Tucker, Toby Keith, Tammy Wynette, Wynonna Judd, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Turnpike Troubadours, and others. Fans can tune into the weekly series starting Wednesday, September 6 at 10/9c pm.
“We’re thrilled to bring a new season of exclusive Austin City Limits performances and interviews to Circle,” said Circle Network’s General Manager, Drew Reifenberger. “On our network, we strive to bring great country music and lifestyle programming to our viewers from all generations, and this season of ACL: Country does just that with performances ranging from Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton to Tammy Wynette and Tanya Tucker.”
“The city of Austin and the iconic Austin City Limits program is dear to my heart and has been a steady part of my career in music,” said host Ray Benson. “I’m thrilled to be hosting season two of Austin City Limits: Country – anyone who’s a fan of the last several generations of country music won’t want to miss this.”
Austin City Limits: Country takes performances from Austin City Limits, the longest-running music program in television history, and combines them with never-before-seen interviews for a unique, behind the scenes look at some of country music’s most celebrated performers. Viewers will be able to enjoy these original performances, broadcast for the first time since their initial run, while host Ray Benson provides new commentary, history, and information for each act, giving fans a glimpse into what was going on in the featured artist’s career at the time the show was recorded.
Season two will feature exciting performances, including Miranda Lambert performing her album Kerosene and Chris Stapleton belting out his album Traveler. Viewers won’t want to miss the never-before-seen interviews with legendary artists who have graced the ACL stage including Lee Greenwood, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, and John Conlee.
The licensing of these famous Austin City Limits (ACL) performances cements Circle Network’s ongoing commitment to bringing country music and lifestyle programming to its viewers. Over the course of 48 seasons, ACL has won a rare institutional Peabody Award, is the only television program to be awarded the National Medal of Arts, and has been specially recognized by TIME Magazine and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. ACL continues to air weekly on PBS from Austin’s Moody Theater, the home to ACL. Now, its most renowned country episodes will make their way to Circle Network.
Austin City Limits: Country will air Wednesday nights starting on September 6, for a total of 13 episodes, concluding on November 29 with exciting performances from Chris Stapleton and Turnpike Troubadours.
For more information on how to watch Circle, please visit: FindCircleNetwork.com. Plus, viewers will be able to catch up on past seasons of Circle Network’s shows including Austin City Limits: Country free on the Circle Now app, available on all mobile app stores plus Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, LG, Android TV and more.
