Trisha Yearwood Honors Late Figures of Country Music on ACM Awards

This was a perfect tribute to those we lost this year.

Written by Cillea Houghton
Trisha Yearwood Honors Late Figures of Country Music on ACM Awards
Trisha Yearwood performs for the 55TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™. Hosted by Keith Urban, the 55TH ACM AWARDS™ will be broadcast Wednesday, Sept. 16 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on CBS All Access. Photo Credit: Brent Harrington/CBS

Trisha Yearwood delivered a beautiful In Memoriam at the 2020 ACM Awards with a somber performance of “I’ll Carry You Home,” honoring the lives lost in the country music community over the past two years

“This year, the country music world lost cherished figures. This song is for those friends whose early presence is missed,” Yearwood reflected from the Grand Ole Opry stage, noting that the spirits of those who have passed live on. Standing elegantly on the expansive stage supported by a pianist and three socially-distanced background singers, Yearwood’s crisp voice hit all the right notes, her soulful and honest performance honoring the lives lost.

Behind her, images of the deceased scrolled across the screen including John Prine and Joe Diffie, both of whom passed away in 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. Grand Ole Opry star Jan Howard and Willie Nelson’s longtime drummer Paul English were also featured, along with hit songwriter busbee, who passed away from a rare form of brain cancer in 2019.

The memoriam came to a close with beaming photographs of Charlie Daniels and Kenny Rogers before the screen faded to gold.   

“I’ll Carry You Home” is featured on Yearwood’s 2019 album Every Girl.  

The 55th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Keith Urban, were live from Nashville tonight (9/16) on CBS at 8/7c.

Click here to see the winners and follow along with all of our 2020 ACM Awards coverage.