<\/p>\n
John Michael Montgomery is gearing up for the last performance of his career. <\/p>\n
The country music<\/a> hitmaker will perform is final show on Friday, Dec. 12 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.<\/p>\n \u201cThis Friday we are bringing the show home to the legendary, Rupp Arena!\u201d Montgomery wrote in a Facebook post<\/a> on Monday. \u201cI have been touring for 30 years and I can\u2019t think of a better way to close this chapter!\u201d<\/p>\n Montgomery, 60, burst onto the country music scene back in 1992 with the release of his first single, \u201cLife\u2019s a Dance.\u201d <\/p>\n The Kentucky native has since charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including seven No. 1 singles: “I Love the Way You Love Me,” \u201cI Swear,\u201d \u201cBe My Baby Tonight,\u201d \u201cIf You\u2019ve Got Love,\u201d \u201cI Can Love You Like That,\u201d \u201cSold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)\u201d and \u201dThe Little Girl.” Several of Montgomery\u2019s singles crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 with \u201cLetters from Home\u201d being his highest entry on the chart at No. 24. <\/p>\n Overall, the musician has released 11 studio albums that have amassed millions in sales in addition to multiple gold and platinum certifications. Montgomery has also won four Academy of Country Music awards and two Country Music Association awards in addition to three Grammy nominations<\/a>.<\/p>\n The singer announced<\/a> his plans to retire from performing live on Jan. 1, 2024, saying that he had \u201cdecided to wind down\u201d his touring career.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate and blessed to be able to do what I love for so many years so please join me on my journey as I say goodbye to the road life,\u201d Montgomery added without providing an exact reason as to why he was retiring. \u201cThanks so much for your support for the last 3 decades, it\u2019s meant so much me.\u201d<\/p>\n Montgomery recently spoke with James Shotwell of Country Minute<\/a> about his decision to retire and sent a special message to the fans who cannot attend his final tour.<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate everything and all these years,\u201d <\/b>he said, according to a clip of his interview posted on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about the fans for me anyway. You know, it ain\u2019t about Nashville. It ain\u2019t about any of that stuff for me. For me, it\u2019s always been about getting onstage and watching the people enjoy what I do,\u201d Montgomery said. \u201cAll I can say is thank you for the support, and it\u2019s tough to say goodbye, but it\u2019s something that you just gotta go, \u2018Thank y\u2019all very much, but it\u2019s time to go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n