SAM BEAM AND JESCA HOOP + MARLON WILLIAMS Beam steps out from behind his nom de guerre, Iron & Wine, to record a duets album with folk chameleon Hoop and tour the results. Be sure to arrive in time to see Williams, a marvelous emerging singer-songwriter from New Zealand. May 22. Tickets: $29-$35. Wilbur Theatre. 800-745-3000, www.thewilbur.com
DIERKS BENTLEY Bentley returns to Mansfield as package tour headliner on the heels of a new album, “Black,’’ that offers his typical mix of a little bit bro and a lot more heartache. Newcomers Tucker Beathard and Cam and journeyman Randy Houser are along for the ride. June 11. Tickets: $35.50-$60.25. Xfinity Center, Mansfield. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com
THE DIXIE CHICKS They’ve been a long time gone — for 10 years, last releasing an album and playing here in support of it in 2006 — so whether or not the Chicks still consider themselves part of the genre, this might be the biggest of the summer’s ginormous-country shows. June 14. Tickets: $43.50-$153.50. Xfinity Center, Mansfield. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com
MATTHEW AND JILL BARBER Each of these siblings has an established singer-songwriter career in their native Canada, but they didn’t get around to recording together until recently. The result, suitably titled “The Family Album,’’ puts their originals side by side with choice covers of fellow-Canucks Neil Young, Ian Tyson, and Leonard Cohen. June 15. $20. Club Passim, Cambridge. 617-492-7679, www.passim .org
THE MAVERICKS Since they returned to action in 2012, the Mavs have been making a summer visit to the area a regular thing; this year, you have a couple of chances to join their Latin-lounge-country-swing dance party. June 25. Tickets: $31.50-$50. Indian Ranch, Webster. 508-943-3871, www.indianranch.com; June 30. Tickets: $39-$61. South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset. 781-383-9850, www.themusiccircus .org
SAM OUTLAW At the age of 30, Angeleno Sam Morgan chucked an established career in advertising, took his mother’s maiden name, and started working out a brand of country music that updates classic honky-tonk, countrypolitan, and other styles. He calls it “SoCal Country.’’ This is his first visit to the area. June 26. Tickets: $10. Atwood’s Tavern, Cambridge. 800-838-3006, www.atwoodstavern.com
VINCE GILL It’s been more than a decade since Gill ruefully sang “it’s a young man’s town,’’ but the singer-songwriter-picker — and given his onstage wit and storytelling charm, you can add natural showman to that list — remains one of country music’s giants. His recent release, “Down to My Last Bad Habit,’’ shows he’s yet to lose his fastball. July 16. Tickets: $50-$72. South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset. 781-383-9850, www.themusiccircus.org
CASE/LANG/VIERS One of the more intriguing shows of the summer, this is one of those collaborations that results from something serendipitous — in this case, k.d. lang’s whimsical e-mail to Neko Case and Laura Viers suggesting that the three near-strangers should make a record together. And thus was case/lang/viers born. July 23. Tickets: $58. Boarding House Park, Lowell. 978-970-5200, www.lowell summermusic.org
THE CALEB KLAUDER BAND It’s a different form of trad for this show: The Burren’s Backroom Series looks west, instead of east, departing from the various forms of Celtic that make up its typical fare and bringing in left-coaster Klauder and his band for some seriously fine honky-tonk fare. July 27. Tickets: $23. The Burren, Somerville. 800-838-3006, www.burren .com
TONY JOE WHITE A live date with a legend: At 73, White is a long way from “Polk Salad Annie,’’ the 1969 single that he’s probably best known for, but a winding career spent making his singular swamp music continues to this day. Aug. 4. Tickets: $40. The Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley. 877-536-7190, www.bullrunrestaurant.com STUART MUNRO
Stuart Munro can be reached at sj.munro@verizon.net.
