Sometimes, it doesn’t feel real that we have been without Loretta Lynn for a year.
While she might no longer be on this earth, her music legacy has continued to grow, making her presence still alive within the country music industry.
In 1972, when she became the first woman to win the CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year, Loretta Lynn made it known that she would be a force to be reckoned with, so it only made sense for her to be the focal point of the 2022 CMA Awards, which was held shortly after her passing.
Opening up the 56th Annual CMA Awards, Carrie Underwood, Reba, and Miranda Lambert honored the legacy of Loretta Lynn with a killer medley of her hits.
Carrie Underwood steps out, laying down a phenomenal cover of her 1966 hit “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man).” Then Miranda Lambert joins Underwood on stage to perform “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’.” As Lambert is the queen of savage love songs, this choice was perfect for her as she sings witty lyrics about a drunk husband wanting to cozy up to his wife.
When Reba joins the other women on stage, the audience begins to roar while the opening chords of “You’re Lookin’ At Country” begins to play. The Oklahoma native kills the twangs in the 1971 track, changing the words to highlight the impact that Lynn had on the industry:
“If you’re looking at Loretta,
You’re looking at country.”
All three artists join forces to bring the phenomenal tribute home with “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Probably one of Lynn’s most famed tracks, it highlights her roots growing up in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, as a coal miner’s daughter.
The legacy of Loretta Lynn continues to live on through breathtaking performances like this. Glad to see the CMA Awards get things right every once in awhile.