McAlister Kemp Will Replace Billy Ray Cyrus At CMC Rocks The Hunter

Sydney/Newcastle country duo McAlister Kemp have been announced as the replacement for American Billy Ray Cyrus at March's CMC Rocks The Hunter camping festival.

Late last week the Achy Breaky Heart singer, who was part of the first announcement, pulled out of the festival after falling ill and being advised by doctors not to fly. Organisers have announced the local duo of Drew McAlister and Troy Kemp as the replacement this morning.

A statement read, “By now, most of you will have heard the sad news that due to a medical condition, Billy Ray Cyrus will no longer be able to perform at the festival. When we announced the news on Friday, we were inundated with suggestions for who should perform in his stead, and one artist emerged as a clear favourite – McAlister Kemp.”

The CMC Music Award and Golden Guitar winners will play the main stage on Saturday night from 7.45pm to 9pm. Their latest record Country Proud was released March 2012 and debuted at number one on the ARIA Country Chart.

The second announcement for the festival came in December, before the locals rounded out the bill earlier this year.

The CMC Rocks the Hunter festival takes place on 15 – 17 March at Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley, with the main program of the festival taking the stage on Saturday 16 March from 2pm until 11pm. Tickets are available here.