The band’s 21-city tour kicked off January 5 with a three-night stand at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston and winds its way around the country before wrapping up in March with a St. Patrick’s Day performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Over the past 44 years, The Chieftains have made a significant contribution to music, both on their own and in a number of collaborative efforts, scoring six Grammys, an Oscar and an Emmy in the process.

The band’s last two releases, 2002’s Down The Old Plank Road and 2003’s Further Down The Old Plank Road, resulted from a series of historic recording sessions in Nashville.

Both albums featured guest performances by a host of country, bluegrass and roots music artists including Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash, Lyle Lovett, Carlene Carter, Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.