Video: Tanya Tucker Releases 'When the Rodeo Is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go?)' Music Video

The official music video for 2x Grammy-winning entertainment legend and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker’s new song, “When the Rodeo is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go?),” premiered yesterday via CMT, making its broadcast premiere on CMT, CMT Music, CMT Equal Play on PlutoTV and Paramount Times Square Billboards.

Dedicated to the late Larry Mahan, a professional rodeo cowboy who won six all-around world championships and two bull riding world championships, the video celebrates the lives and careers of rodeo legends and features several prominent figures from that community including champion saddle rider, Bobby “Hooter” Brown—a member of both the Rodeo Hall of Fame and Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. The video also features Craig Dillingham, who wrote the song alongside Billy Don Burns.

Filmed at Y.O. Ranch in Mountain Home, TX, the video was directed by Joanne Gardner, who came out of retirement specifically for the project after filming several of Tanya’s past videos, including “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane,” which won Top Country Video of the Year at the 1993 ACM Awards, making Gardner the first female director to win the award.

Reflecting on the song, Tanya shares, “I was in LA, the night before the first session started. Brandi sent me a song, saying ‘If you like it, we’ll start with it. I gave it to Craig [Dillingham, Tanya’s boyfriend] to listen to. He comes back in a minute, and I asked him, ‘Did you like it?’ and he says, ‘Like it? Hell, I wrote it!’ He’d never pitched it to me, but Brandi did. It’s one of those songs that just stays with you.”

“When the Rodeo is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go?)” is from Tanya’s acclaimed new album, Sweet Western Sound, which debuted at #3 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart and #4 on the Current Country Albums chart earlier this month, garnering over a million streams across platforms to date.

Produced once again by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings and released via Fantasy Records (stream/purchase here), Sweet Western Sound reunites the award-winning trio following Tanya’s landmark 2019 album, While I’m Livin’, which reintroduced her to a new generation and went on to win the GRAMMY for Best Country Album as well as Best Country Song (“Bring My Flowers Now”).

In celebration of the new music, Tanya is in the midst of her “Sweet Western Sound Tour” with upcoming stops at Houston’s Heights Theater, Fort Worth’s Billy Bob’s, New York’s SummerStage in Central Park, Knoxville’s Tennessee Theatre and Atlanta’s Atlanta Symphony Hall among others. See below for complete tour itinerary.

Sweet Western Sound stands on Tanya’s exquisitely warm and wizened vocals and a spectacular collection of cut-deep songs—an assertive and confident declaration of vitality and purpose from an irrepressible and irreplaceable country music icon.

In addition to songs by Tanya, Carlile and Jennings, the album features contributions from Bernie Taupin, Phil and Tim Hanseroth, JT Nero, Billy Don Burns and Craig Dillingham as well as a voicemail-generated rhyme from Tanya’s hero and close friend, the late great Billy Joe Shaver, which opens and closes the album.

“Sweet Western Sound is another revelation and I'm excited to see what folks think of our new endeavor,” says Tanya. “It's ALWAYS a trip working with Brandi and Shooter. I didn't know if we’d be working together again on a new album after While I’m Livin’!! But we did it! Lots of new things we did this time and I even co-wrote some of the songs, which means a lot to me. Brandi says we're MAGIC together, and I'm starting to believe her!!!!” 

Tanya Tucker CONFIRMED TOUR DATES

June 28—Houston, TX—The Heights Theater
June 30—Fort Worth, TX—Billy Bob’s
July 1—Miami, OK—Buffalo Run Casino
July 10—Austin, TX—ACL Live
July 22—Fort St. John, BC—Energetic County Fair
July 26—Vancouver, BC—Commodore Ballroom
July 28—Calgary, AB—Calgary Folk Music Festival
July 30—White Sulphur Springs, MT—Red Ants Pants Music Festival
September 7—Marietta, OH—The Peoples Bank Theatre
September 9—Orillia, ON—Casino Rama Entertainment Centre
September 14—New York, NY—SummerStage in Central Park
September 15—Shippensburg, PA—H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center
September 20—Nashville, IN—Brown County Music Center
September 22—Florence, KY—Turfway Park Event Center
September 23—Huntsville, AL—Orion Amphitheater#
September 28—Knoxville, TN—Tennessee Theatre
September 29—Atlanta, GA—Atlanta Symphony Hall
October 4—Fayetteville, AR—Walton Arts Center – Baum Walker Hall
October 6-8—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Music Festival
October 13-15—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Music Festival
+co-headline with Ashley McBryde and special guests Neal McCoy and Easton Corbin
#with Brandi Carlile

Photo credit: Michael Franz

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