Tommy Howell's Nashville residency will bring Charlie Sheen, 'Cobra Kai' cast and more to town

Nashville's never seen a musical residency quite like what Tommy Howell has up his sleeve.

You might have known the actor and musician previously by his oft-credited name, C. Thomas Howell — yep, he's the guy who played "Ponyboy" in 1983's "The Outsiders," co-starred in "Red Dawn" and made his film debut at age 15 in a little movie called "E.T."

40 years and 200-plus roles later, Howell has planted roots in Nashville and is now stepping out as a singer-songwriter. Last month, he released his debut album, "American Storyteller," a gritty blend of country, rock and blues produced by Roger Miller's son, Dean Miller.

On the heels of that release, Howell has planned an ambitious 24-week residency at City Winery Nashville, and he's bringing his friends from Hollywood along for the ride.

"Backstage With Tommy Howell and Friends" kicks off May 13, and is set to run weekly through November 18. Each show features special guests, and the first five he's announced give you a sense of how unpredictable (and fun) this thing will be:

∙ Cast of "Cobra Kai" on May 13

∙ Charlie Sheen (of Charlie Sheen fame, also co-starred with Howell in "Red Dawn") May 19

∙ Kevin Dillon (a fellow '80s teen actor best known as "Johnny Drama" on "Entourage") on May 26

∙ A reunion of Howell's "E.T." castmates, including star Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace and Robert MacNaughton on June 2

∙ Comedian Adam Carolla ("The Adam Carolla Show"/The Man Show") on June 9

"I’ve always loved music, and grew up watching the old Johnny Cash-type variety shows," Howell tells The Tennessean.

"Whether it was Johnny, John Denver or Sonny and Cher, they all had one thing in common — fun! Everyone shared stories, great music and brought their friends along to talk about life on the road, film, recording sessions and everything in between."

Howell says he's "taking full advantage of my 40-plus years of being in the entertainment business" with his guest bookings.

"(I'm) taking an opportunity to connect with friends and relationships forged through life in the trenches, and to get to know new, interesting people who'd be fun to hang out, or maybe play music with. It will just be a good, old fashioned, stress-free environment to get together and jam, tell stories and exchange some laughs."

And possibly the most important reason he's doing this, Howell says, "is simply to grow as an artist."

"It’s a chance of a lifetime to put in a lot of work each week and see it pay off right in front of you, through smiles and applause. Once you’ve experienced that, there’s nothing better."

All dates will have two performances at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public at noon CT on March 17 at citywinery.com/nashville. City Winery Vinofile Members will have early access to tickets starting at noon on March 15.

Learn more about Howell's music and the residency at tommyhowellmusic.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tommy Howell Nashville residency will bring Charlie Sheen, 'Cobra Kai' cast