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The Mavericks<\/a> just announced that two new singers will lead their expansive 2026 tour, and fans are overwhelming excited for it.<\/p>\n The Music Lives On tour begins July 17 in Kansas City and runs into November.<\/p>\n Tickets for the tour go on sale May 8. A full list of dates is below.<\/p>\n Taking to Instagram, the Mavericks thanked fans for an outpouring of support before revealing what led to a decision to carry forward instead of calling it quits.<\/p>\n Malo’s death “has been as difficult as you can imagine,” the post reads.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/strong><\/em>: Country Music Tours Scheduled for 2026 [Full List]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n “We know that we can never replace Raul\u2026 but we can still, in bold spirit, continue to play this joyous music, and celebrate The Mavericks\u2019 legacy together.”<\/p>\n Two soulful singers will help with that. One had a huge country hit in 2008. The other nearly won America’s Got Talent<\/em> in 2014.<\/p>\n James Otto<\/a> and Emily West will front the Mavericks on tour this summer and fall.<\/p>\n The logistics aren’t totally clear, so it remains to be seen if both will appear at every show or if they’ll alternate. There are no announced plans to record with either.<\/p>\n Comments were overwhelmingly positive.<\/p>\n “Great choices with Emily and James. Emily\u2019s singing on ‘I Should Have Been True’ at the tribute blew me and my wife away,” writes @ick_music.<\/p>\n “YESSS\u2014 this is big time!! Music IS the Medicine. Wonderful news!!” adds @_sarah.monica.<\/p>\n Both Otto and West are known as stunning vocalists with rare vulnerability and sensitivity. Otto notched a No. 1 hit with “Just Got Started Lovin’ You<\/a>” and West reached the Top 40 with “Blue Sky,” a duet with Keith Urban<\/a>.<\/p>\n Four years later she’d finish second on Season 9 of America’s Got Talent<\/em>.<\/p>\n “I believe in my heart Raul would want the band and the music he spent a lifetime creating to play on,” Otto says on Instagram<\/a> after noting his 20-year friendship with the group.<\/p>\n “What an honor it is to continue the legacy of this music Raul gave us while he was here on earth,” West adds<\/a>.<\/p>\n These shows will mark the Mavericks’ first concerts since Malo’s death. While never radio staples, the band built a large, loyal fanbase on the strength of their live show across 30-plus years.<\/p>\n Tributes came pouring in after the 60-year-old’s passing, with hundreds speaking to his kindness and positive energy, in addition to his talents.<\/p>\n Malo’s wife Betty hasn’t yet commented on the new tour, but she has been keeping fans updated on her and her family’s well-being in the months since he died.<\/p>\n July 17 \u2014 Kansas City, Mo. @ Knuckleheads These country singers had so much more to give. See 40 country singers who died much too soon: Keith Whitley, Mindy McCready, Troy Gentry and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So far in 2026, country fans have mourned the deaths of a few of their favorite musicians and other large-looming figures of pop culture. Keep reading to remember the singers, musicians, actors and other notable figures we’ve lost so far this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Mavericks Announce Two New Lead Singers<\/h3>\n
The Mavericks & Friends the Music Lives On Tour Dates:<\/h3>\n
July 18 \u2014 Kansas City, Mo. @ Knuckleheads
July 23 \u2014 St. Louis, Mo. @ the Pageant
July 24 \u2014 Des Moines, Iowa @ Hoyt Sherman Place
July 25 \u2014 Prior Lake, Minn. @ Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
July 31 \u2014 Durham, N.C. @ Carolina Theatre
Aug. 1 \u2014 Charleston, S.C. @ Charleston Music Hall
Aug. 2 \u2014 Knoxville, Tenn. @ Bijou Theatre
Aug. 6 \u2014 Oklahoma City, Okla. @ Tower Theatre
Aug. 7 \u2014 Austin, Texas @ Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater
Aug. 8 \u2014 Dallas, Texas @ Majestic Theatre
Aug. 21 \u2014 Beverly, Ma. @ The Cabot
Aug. 22 \u2014 Webster, Ma. @ Indian Ranch
Aug. 27 \u2014 Red Bank, N.J. @ Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre
Aug. 28 \u2014 Jim Thorpe, Pa. @ Penn\u2019s Peak
Aug. 29\u00a0\u2014 Lansdowne, Pa. @ Lansdowne Theater
Aug. 30 \u2014 Hammondsport, N.Y. @ Point of the Bluff Vineyards
Sept. 10 \u2014 Orlando, Fla. @ The Plaza Live
Sept. 11 \u2014 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. @ Lillian S. Wells Hall at the Parker
Sept. 12 \u2014 Clearwater, Fla. @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
Sept. 18 \u2014 Houston, Texas @ House of Blues Houston
Sept. 19 \u2014 Helotes, Texas @ John T. Floors Country Store
Oct. 29 \u2014 Morristown, N.J. @ Mayo Performing Arts Center
Oct. 31 \u2014 Tarrytown, N.Y. @ Tarrytown Musi\u0107 Hall
Nov. 6 \u2014 Royal Oak, Mich. @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Nov. 8 \u2014 Joliet, Ill. @ Rialto Square Theatre
Nov. 12 \u2014 Shipshewana, Ind. @ Blue Gate Performing Arts Center
Nov. 13 \u2014 Milwaukee, Wisc. @ Pabst Theater
Nov. 14 \u2014 Madison, Wisc. @ Orpheum Theater<\/p>\nR.I.P.: 40 Country Singers and Songwriters Who Died Too Soon<\/h2>\n
Remembering the Country Stars Who Died in 2026<\/h2>\n