Steve Miller is heading back to the stage with a deeper purpose—and some very special company. As a longtime Jazz at Lincoln Center board member, Miller is teaming up with country icon Marty Stuart and his powerhouse band, The Fabulous Superlatives, for two Music From Appalachia concerts on December 7 and 8 at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater. The second show will also be livestreamed on the Jazz at Lincoln Center Facebook page.

This event is more than a concert—it’s a musical exploration. After previous shows highlighting the legacies of Miles Davis, T-Bone Walker, and the blues triangle of the Mississippi Delta, Chicago, and Texas, Miller is now turning his focus to the unique blend of mountain music and blues that came out of Appalachia.

“The blues came over with the slaves and developed primarily in the Mississippi Delta,” Miller explained to Billboard. “But Appalachian blues is fascinating—it grew out of coal mining communities where African and European musical traditions collided. You had Scots-Irish folk music mixing with Delta blues, banjos and fiddles blending with blues guitars. It’s a sound shaped by shared labor, hardship, and storytelling.”

The setlist will feature timeless songs like “In the Pines,” “Old Hat,” “No Hard Times,” “John Henry,” “The Great Speckled Bird,” and “The Unseen Hand.” Mississippi’s Pastor Evelyn Hubbard will join on organ, and both the performances and musical arrangements will be archived as part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s expanding blues education efforts.

Miller’s collaboration with Stuart goes beyond the stage—they’ve shared performances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in Nashville, building chemistry through mutual respect. “They’re one of the best live bands on the planet,” Miller says. “It’s a thrill to work with them and give them a new platform outside the Americana world.”

And the collaboration won’t stop there. The Steve Miller Band will tour next summer with Marty Stuart and The Fabulous Superlatives, promising more genre-crossing moments and spontaneous jam sessions. “They’re already asking to do ‘Jet Airliner’ and ‘Going to the Country,’” Miller laughs. “It’s going to be a blast—and I’ll be getting mandolin lessons along the way.”

In addition to performing, Miller has been combing through his archives as he approaches his 50th recording anniversary. Despite some reluctance, he’s discovered “three or four CDs’ worth” of unreleased material—studio gems and live cuts he now plans to release next year. “I’m a perfectionist, so some of it drives me crazy,” he admits, “but others find it really interesting. So I’m letting go and putting it out.”

After the tour and archival releases, Miller plans to take a well-earned break to reflect, write, and reset. “I’ve been touring nonstop for 16 years,” he says. “Now I want to think about what’s next—how I want to go out, what kind of music I want to leave behind.”