Carrie Underwood Spotlights Female Opry Trailblazers With Powerhouse Medley at the ACM Awards
Carrie Underwood returned to the stage at the 2020 ACM Awards on Wednesday evening (Sept. 14) to deliver a medley performance spotlighting trailblazing female Grand Ole Opry members. Her performance rounded up snippets of some of the best-loved hits by Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton.
“Patsy and Loretta, Martina and Barbara, Reba and Dolly,” Underwood said from the Opry stage. “These strong voices mean so much to me and to all the other female artists who stand on their shoulders. They’re some of my heroes, and I’m so honored to stand alongside them as a fellow member of the Grand Ole Opry. It’s my pleasure to pay tribute to these legendary ladies as we celebrate the Opry’s 95th anniversary.”
The singer’s spirited medley contained portions of Cline’s “Crazy,” Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” Mandrell’s “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” Parton’s “Why’d You Come In Here,” McEntire’s “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” and McBride’s “A Broken Wing.”
When she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1960, Cline was the first solo female artist ever to join that prestigious institution. She made history again in 1973, when she became the first woman to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Lynn followed closely in Cline’s footsteps, joining the Opry two years later in 1962. Parton’s induction came in 1969. Mandrell became a member in 1972, McEntire in 1986 and McBride in 1995. Finally, Underwood joined the ranks of these superstar women in 2008.
It wasn’t the first time that Underwood graced the ACM Awards stage this year. She kicked off the show with another greatest hits medley alongside her fellow Entertainer of the Year nominees: Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett and Luke Combs. The winner of the Entertainer of the Year trophy will be revealed at the close of the 2020 ACM Awards.
It’s a busy awards show season for Underwood, who’s also up for the Entertainer of the Year trophy at the 2020 CMA Awards, set to take place in November. Aside from her roles in those ceremonies, the singer is gearing up to drop her holiday album, My Gift, on Sept. 25. The season collection features a collaboration with pop star John Legend, as well as a duet with Underwood’s son, Isaiah.
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