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Today Ringo Starr releases ‘Thankful’, the second track from his forthcoming country music album, Look Up. The song features Alison Krauss and is co-written by Starr, along with Bruce Sugar. The album comes out on January 10, 2025 and was produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett. ‘Thankful’ is available to stream now. “I love this track. I wrote it with my producer and engineer Bruce Sugar and I feel we put an LA country sound to it. For the lyrics, I always like to focus on the positive, and for this song in particular, about what we can be thankful for,” Ringo reflected. “I hope it brings you some joy and peace and love.” Recorded this year in Nashville and Los Angeles, Look Up features 11 songs; nine were written or co-written by Burnett, one by Billy Swan and the other, as previously mentioned, co-written by Starr and Bruce Sugar. Starr sang and played drums on all the songs and co-wrote the album’s closer, ‘Thankful’, featuring Alison Krauss. Burnett enlisted some of Nashville’s finest and hottest talent for the record, including Billy Strings, Larkin Poe, Lucius, Molly Tuttle and the aforementioned Krauss. The album’s debut track, ‘Time On My Hands’, written by Paul Kennerly, Daniel Tashian (who is a co-producer on the album along with Sugar) and Burnett, is currently available to stream. Starr’s lifelong love of country music has been apparent and celebrated throughout his illustrious career. He performed and wrote numerous country and country-tinged songs throughout his years with The Beatles (e.g. ‘Act Naturally’, ‘What Goes On’, ‘Don’t Pass Me By’) as well as with the earlier Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, and recorded a country album, Beaucoups of Blues, in 1970 as his second solo album. His love of Country and the Blues led him to try and emigrate from London to Texas while still a teen, after reading that Lightnin’ Hopkins lived in Houston. The artist’s new album comes after a chance meeting with Burnett at an event in Los Angeles in 2022 (the two had first met in the 1970s), where Starr asked Burnett to write a song for an EP he was recording. Taking the task to heart, Burnett returned with nine songs, all in a country vein, which happily put Starr on a path to record Look Up, his first country album in more than 50 years and his first full-length album since 2019.   To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Hannah Larvin, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com  

American Express presents BST Hyde Park have announced a second headline show with one of America’s most acclaimed singer songwriters, Zach Bryan. After quickly selling out his first show on Saturday 28 June 2025, tickets for an additional show on Sunday 29 June will go on general sale 10am GMT Friday 1 November, with Amex presale beginning 10am GMT Thursday 31 October. Jim King, CEO of European Festivals at AEG Presents says, “The demand to see Zach Bryan has been incredible, with his fans coming from all over the UK to see these exclusive performances. It’s shaping up to be the biggest shows of the summer.” Hailing from Oologah, Oklahoma, Beyan has swiftly risen to become one of the most captivating storytellers and voices of his generation. Starting out while serving in the U.S. Navy, he independently released his debut albums, ‘DeAnn’ (2019) and ‘Elisabeth’ (2020), gaining a huge following through his YouTube performances. In 2021, after signing to Warner Records and leaving the Navy, he released the 34-track album ‘American Heartbreak’. Bryan’s breakthrough continued with collaborations alongside Maggie Rogers, Noah Kahan, Bon Iver, and Kacey Musgraves, earning his first U.S. Number 1 single in 2023 with ‘I Remember Everything’ and landing his first Grammy. His music has drawn comparisons to icons like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, with critics also noting the influence of Bruce Springsteen. 2023’s self-titled album further established him as a modern-day storyteller, with his July 2024 release, ‘The Great American Bar Scene’, blending country, bluegrass, rock and gospel, cementing him as a Gen Z poet and featuring collaborations with John Mayer and Bruce Springsteen. He has amassed over 21 billion global streams, garnered 31 RIAA Gold and Platinum certifications, multiple Grammy nods, and performed sold-out shows worldwide, including the ‘Burn, Burn, Burn’ tour, and the subsequent ‘Quittin Time’ Tour both which broke several arena and football stadium attendance records. Bryan is now set to take the stage at London’s BST Hyde Park for two exclusive UK performances, continuing the legacy of legends who have graced the Great Oak Stage. Zach Bryan joins the first 2025 headliner Jeff Lynne’s ELO. Expect more announcements soon for the 2025 edition of the UK’s most anticipated summer event.   To read more exclusive articles and latest news, see our last issue here. Never miss a story… Follow us on: Instagram: @Maverick.mag Twitter: @Maverick_mag Facebook: Maverick Magazine Media Contact Hannah Larvin, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com