Trisha Yearwood undoubtedly left some country fans a little misty-eyed on Wednesday night (Sept. 16), as she took the 2020 ACM Awards stage to pay tribute to those we've lost this year in the country music community.

She performed "I'll Carry You Home," a powerful piano ballad that appears on the singer's 2019 studio album, Every Girl. 

"When you can't walk and there's chains 'round your soul / The burden's too heavy and you've run out of road / And you're praying out loud / As you stumble through the rain and snow / I'll walk out and find you / I'll carry you home..." Yearwood sang in the song's poignant first verse.

Yearwood mentioned a few by their nicknames in recognizing the purpose of her performance. The song was the most moving during an unusually somber ACM Awards show. While fans didn't see a list until halfway through, memories of legendary songwriters, producers, singers and executives hung in the air at the Grand Ole Opry House.

Earl Thomas Conley was the first name and face to be superimposed behind Yearwood, and more came quickly and appropriately. Radio legend Bob Kingsley, songwriter John Prine, producer and songwriter Busbee, '90s hitmaker Joe Diffie and Country Music Hall of Famers Charlie Daniels and Kenny Rogers were the more recognizable faces.

Yearwood's performance was particularly gut-wrenching in 2020, as we near the end of what has been a difficult year in the country world and beyond. Since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic reached the U.S. in early March, it has not only shut down the touring industry and kept fans and artists alike from enjoying their normal summer schedules of country concerts, it also impacted artists on a personal level, claiming the lives of Joe Diffie and John Prine.

Outside of the pandemic, we've had to say goodbye to a number of important artists, too. Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Justin Townes Earle, Little Richard and many more were all sadly among those that Yearwood honored during her performance.

See Country Stars Who Died In 2020

 

The 2020 ACM Awards broadcast from Nashville this week for the first time ever, having been moved from its usual April time slot in Las Vegas due to the pandemic. Keith Urban hosted the show.

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