Lionel Richie has been told by doctors to rest his famous pipes, forcing him to cancel his performance at the annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on July 4. The music legend himself has hand-picked country superstar Martina McBride to take his place.

"I am extremely disappointed to cancel my performance with the Boston Pops but must follow my doctor's orders," Lionel said in a statement (via CBS Boston). "It was such an honor being asked to celebrate the Fourth of July with this legendary orchestra and I hope to perform with them in the future."

The concert along the Charles River Esplanade in Boston usually garners about half a million firework and music lovers each year, and even though we won't be hearing 'All Night Long' or 'Hello,' Martina is expected to bring the best flavors of Nashville to Boston.

Lionel has been spending a lot of time in Nashville lately, working on a duets album with famed country producer Tony Brown. Collaborators on the project include Darius Rucker ('Stuck on You'), Tim McGraw ('Sail On'), Kenny Rogers ('Lady'), Willie Nelson ('Easy'), Little Big Town ('Deep River Woman'), Blake Shelton ('You Are') and Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band ('All Night Long').

Watch Martina McBride's 'Teenage Daughters' Video



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