Country music is known to stand the test of time, and the same can be said for the artists who are still touring their classic songs spanning literal decades. After getting their starts as far back as the 1940s, Alabama, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Willie Nelson continue to perform to this day. Keep reading for a look at three long-lasting country stars.
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Alabama
Founded by Randy Owen and Todd Gentry in 1969, and joined shortly thereafter by the late Jeff Cook, Alabama has been going strong for more than five decades.
Following a seven-year break after the 2007 release of Songs of Inspiration II, Alabama released Southern Drawl in 2015 and American Christmas two years later.
As for touring, in 2024, Owen and Gentry set off on their ROLL ON II North America Tour. The following year, Alabama continued to perform. They have shows scheduled all over the U.S. through Dec. 5.
“It’s beautiful to be able to give the world a community based on Southern-inspired country music,” Owen told The Tennessean in 2024. “To do that and still take no prisoners when we’re on stage, anywhere we play in the world, it’s all magical.”
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys date all the way back to the 1940s. Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, Richard Sterban, and Joe Bonsall made up the original quartet.
The first three members remain in the band today, while Bonsall was replaced by Ben James in 2023, one year before his death. They released their latest album, Mama’s Boys, in 2024.
The current quartet plays shows to this day, with shows scheduled through Dec. 20.
“Right now, I don’t have any end date in sight. I just started my 60th year with the Oak Ridge Boys, and I have no one to come home to,” Allen told Taste of Country in June. “Singing and the fans on the road, they’re all my family now. And this group of guys I work with, we all love each other, and we love what we do. So I don’t know when the end date will be.”
“The fact that God has blessed us for so many years…when He gets His mind made up that we’ve done enough, He will tell us, ‘It is enough. Go on home,’” he added. “We’ll keep singing as long as God keeps blessing our career.”
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson’s career isn’t slowing down at all. Since his rise to fame in the 1960s, Nelson has continued to tour and release new music, most recently, Oh What a Beautiful World, in April 2025. His 78th solo LP, Workin’ Man, is due out Nov. 7.
As for his time on the road, Nelson keeps busy with Outlaw Fest, a traveling festival that also features Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, and more. On Sept. 20, the 92-year-old is scheduled to play Farm Aid 40 in Minneapolis.
“Jokingly, I retire after every tour,” Nelson told AARP Magazine in 2023. “But I’m always ready to go back again. I like the bus. I have everything I need on the bus. It’s not that bad.”
Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for Shock Ink
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