-The ninth annual Austin City Limits
Hall of Fame Honors,
a celebration of the artists who've made
"Austin City Limits" the longest running
music program in television history.
This year, we honor and induct the late
legendary singer-songwriter John Prine
and country music superstar Trisha Yearwood.
In this second of two episodes,
we celebrate the legacy of Trisha Yearwood with guests
Don Henley,
Brothers Osborne,
Brandy Clark,
Ronnie Dunn,
and Jo Dee Messina.
It's part two of the ninth annual Austin City Limits
Hall of Fame Honors.
-The Austin City Limits Hall of Fame
was created to honor the artists who contributed to the legacy
for the longest running music program in television history.
In this second of two episodes, we celebrate Trisha Yearwood.
-♪ Marry that boy someday ♪
-Here is Trisha from her first "ACL" performance in 1991.
[ "Like We Never Had a Broken Heart" plays ]
♪♪
-♪ Don't be afraid to hold me tight ♪
♪ You know I won't break in two ♪
♪ What we're doing here tonight ♪
♪ Sure beats what we're going through ♪
♪ We both loved and lost before ♪
♪ We know the sadness it can bring ♪
♪ Tonight let's close the door ♪
♪ And hold on to the nearest thing ♪
♪ Let's keep hanging on ♪
♪ So we won't fall apart ♪
♪ Let's make love tonight ♪
♪ Like we never had a broken heart ♪
♪ Don't be afraid to close your eyes ♪
♪ Pretend I'm someone that you love ♪
♪ And I won't have to tell you lies ♪
♪ 'Cause it's not you I'm thinking of ♪
♪ Let's keep hanging on ♪
♪ So we won't fall apart ♪
♪ Let's make love tonight ♪
♪ Like we never had a broken heart ♪
-Trisha's interview with "ACL" in 2000.
-I'm not a person in life who is really open
and I don't wear my heart on my sleeve.
I keep my emotions pretty close to the chest.
So music for me is where I get to do that.
Music is where I get to say things
that I might never say in real life.
And so that's my outlet, you know?
So it is like painting a picture
and just putting all your emotions out there
and saying, "This is how I feel."
And it's the most honest thing that I can think of to do
as an artist is to say, "This is how I feel.
This is what I'm what I know."
I've always been inspired by,
as far as female singers go,
women with big, powerful and distinctive voices,
which is why I latched on at an early age
to Patsy Cline records,
to Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
Ronstadt because that power and emotion in her voice,
I just -- I wanted -- I loved that.
I always wanted to sing like that.
And Patsy because you could hear the breath,
you could hear the cry and the voice.
And she sounded like she was in the room singing with you.
And Emmylou because she's just the ultimate in integrity,
in song choices.
And I've always been a fan of people that tell stories.
That's why I like James Taylor records.
That's why I like George Jones records.
I like stories, you know?
-Trisha's second "ACL" performance in 1996.
-♪ Phone rings, baby cries, TV diet guru lies ♪
♪ Good morning, honey ♪
♪ Go to work, make up, try to keep the balance up ♪
♪ Between love and money ♪
♪ She used to tie her hair up in ribbons and bows ♪
♪ Sign her letters with X's and O's ♪
♪ Got a picture of her mama in heels and pearls ♪
♪ She's trying to make it in her daddy's world ♪
♪ She's an American girl ♪
♪ An American girl ♪
♪ Slow dance, second chance, mama needs romance ♪
♪ And an live-in maid, oh, yeah ♪
♪ Fix the sink, mow the yard, really isn't all that hard ♪
♪ If you get paid ♪
♪ She used to tie her hair up in ribbons and bows ♪
♪ Sign her letters with X's and O's ♪
♪ Got a picture of her mama in heels and pearls ♪
♪ She's going to make it in her daddy's world ♪
♪ An American girl ♪
♪ She's an American girl ♪
♪ Well, she's got her God and she's got good wine ♪
♪ Aretha Franklin and Patsy Cline ♪
♪ She used to tie her hair up in ribbons and bows ♪
♪ Sign her letters with X's and O's ♪
♪ Got a picture of her mama in heels and pearls ♪
♪ She's gonna make it in her daddy's world ♪
♪ An American girl ♪
♪ She's an American girl ♪
Yes, ma'am!
♪♪
♪ She's an American girl ♪
♪ An American girl ♪
♪ Well, she used to tie her hair up in ribbons and bows ♪
♪ Sign her letters with X's and O's ♪
♪ X's and O's ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
♪♪
I dreamed for 26 years
before I made my first album
that I could do this for a living,
so I've only got nine years under my belt
of getting to do what I love to do every day,
and to find a new song and to make it my own,
and to record it in the studio and have it forever on tape,
to have forever, that is a --
that is a dream come true for me every time.
And that's why every album I make is my favorite one
because I got something new to say,
and I hope that I'll have something new to say
for as many years as I can sing.
[ "Walkaway Joe" plays ]
♪ Mama told her baby, "Girl, take it real slow" ♪
♪ Girl told her mama, "Hey, I really gotta go ♪
♪ He's waitin' in the car" ♪
♪ And Mama said, "Girl, you won't get far" ♪
♪ Thus are the dreams of an average Jane ♪
♪ Ninety miles an hour down a lover's lane ♪
♪ On a tank of dreams ♪
♪ Oh, if she could have only seen ♪
♪ But fate's got cards that it don't wanna show ♪
♪ And that boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪ Born to be a leaver ♪
♪ Tell you from the word "go" ♪
♪ Destined to deceive her ♪
♪ He's the wrong kind of paradise ♪
♪ She's gonna know it in a matter of time ♪
♪ That boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪♪
♪ Just a little while into Abilene ♪
♪ He pulls into a station and he robs it clean ♪
♪ She's waitin' in the car ♪
♪ Underneath the Texaco star ♪
♪ She only wanted love ♪
♪ Didn't bargain for this ♪
♪ She can't help but love him for the way he is ♪
♪ She's only 17 ♪
♪ And there ain't no reasoning ♪
♪ So she'll ride this ride as far as it can go ♪
♪ 'Cause that boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪ Born to be a leaver ♪
♪ Tell you from the word "go" ♪
♪ Destined to deceive her ♪
♪ He's the wrong kind of paradise ♪
♪ She's gonna know it in a matter of time ♪
♪ That boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
I grew up watching "Austin City Limits," you know?
So for me, it's an iconic moment,
and to actually realize you're going to be on that stage
standing in front of that skyline,
I mean, nerves, and just what an honor.
I mean, there are -- you know, in country music,
especially when I was a kid in the '70s growing up,
the opportunities to see your favorite artists
on television were few.
But any chance that you could see a country artist on it,
you know, was -- you would just lock on.
And I grew up on -- I grew up on Willie Nelson and Waylon.
I grew up on the Eagles.
I grew up on Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
It's where -- I think it's the first place
I ever saw John Prine perform, so I --
And Emmylou Harris. I loved that music.
And so I loved "Austin City Limits."
So to watch it for all those years
and then to end up being asked to perform, um...
You know, when I see little clips
from that first performance, I see the terror.
[ Laughs ]
I mean, I was just afraid,
but it was such a welcoming place,
and it was one of those -- there's these things
in your career that happen that go,
"Okay, I'm really doing this.
This is a moment. This is --
Mark this time because this is special."
And that's how I felt the first time
and every time I've gotten to perform at Austin City Limits.
I'm so excited for the folks that have said
yes, this lineup of performers.
I -- I'm just -- I can't wait
and I'm -- I can't -- I'm not saying this for camera.
I'm just so honored.
I really am and I just -- I can't wait to be there.
-Please welcome musician,
songwriter and activist Don Henley.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-I was a fan of Trisha Yearwood
the minute I heard her voice coming out of the radio.
I said, "Who in the world is that?"
It was in the spring of 1991, and in the previous decade,
the country music charts
had been pretty much dominated by men.
But things were changing.
That first single, "She's in Love with the Boy,"
raced up the charts, becoming the first debut single
from any female country artist to reach the number 1 position.
[ Cheers and applause ] That's right.
And it stayed there for two weeks.
And a couple of months after that single,
Trisha's debut album came out and I bought the CD.
[ Laughter ]
Certificates of deposit.
[ Laughter ]
You can't really wear out a CD, but I tried.
I loved everything about that album.
I loved the production and the musicianship
and the quality of the material, and pulling it all together
was that voice, that incredible voice.
In late January of 1992,
I saw Trisha on "The Tonight Show"
with Johnny Carson.
And she was just as good in a pressurized
live setting as she was on record.
And around that time I was putting together
a benefit concert
for the Walden Woods Project, and I reached out to Trisha
and she graciously agreed to participate.
And that was the beginning of our friendship.
She was small town Georgia and I was small town Texas.
And so we had an ingrained mutual understanding
and respect.
And also around that time
Trisha had begun recording her second album,
and she asked me if I would come to Nashville
and sing some harmonies on it, and I told her I'd be delighted.
And I ended up singing on two songs,
the title cut called "Hearts in Armor"
and a great storytelling song written by Vince Melamed
and Greg Barnhill called "Walkaway Joe."
[ Cheers and applause ]
And that song shot up to the number 2 position
in the U.S. and Canada,
and it was accompanied by a video
featuring a 22-year-old Matthew McConaughey...
[ Laughter ]
...who was at that time attending UT,
and he was answering local talent calls.
This was before "Dazed and Confused."
[ Laughter ]
And the black and white portion of that video
was shot right here in the Austin area.
It features Matthew.
That album went on to sell over a million copies
and the rest, as they say, is history.
Trisha went on to rack up many more multi-platinum
certifications and Grammy Awards and CMA Awards and ACM Awards,
and in 1999 she was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And if all that weren't enough,
she hosted 18 seasons of her Emmy-winning cooking show...
[ Laughter, cheers, applause ]
...called "Trisha's Southern Kitchen,"
and she has published four cookbooks,
all New York Times best sellers.
[ Applause ]
I have all of them.
[ Laughter ]
Recently in 2019,
in keeping with her ability and her versatility,
Trisha released a collection of Frank Sinatra
covers entitled "Let's Be Frank."
[ Laughter ]
And that album also includes one beautiful original song
that she co-wrote with her husband, Mr. Yearwood.
[ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
I had to.
[ Laughter ]
Anyway, that's a beautiful album and I highly recommend it.
Later that same year, 2019,
she released her highly anticipated new single
"Every Girl in This Town,"
setting the stage for the 2019 release of her country album,
the first one in over a decade entitled
"Every Girl."
And then she launched a nationwide tour.
Trisha is one of the most hardworking people
I know in any profession.
And she has earned every bit of her success,
and the hallmark of her career
has been her unwavering conviction
that a well-written song, no matter the style,
is the foundation on which a singer stands.
[ Applause ]
And her ability to recognize, to discern, and to identify
great songs coupled with her exceptional gift
as a singer has resulted in a stellar 32-year career.
And through it all,
through it all, she has remained just as humble
and kind and generous as anybody you'd ever want to meet.
So it is my great pleasure this evening,
my honor, actually, to welcome my friend
Trisha Yearwood into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
-It's the skyline. It's so awesome.
I am overwhelmed,
first of all, to havethis singer talk about my singing
is just very surreal because one of the best singers
I've ever heard in my whole life
just presented me with that award.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And I just keep going back to being a kid,
watching this show with my folks, discovering new music.
The fact that my name is said
in the same sentence tonight with John Prine,
who I discovered on this show, is overwhelming
and I'm so grateful.
[ Applause ]
I'm also very uncomfortable being honored.
And so today, listening to the performances
that you're about to hear was a lot.
And I got to cry a lot in soundcheck, so that's good.
Hopefully I won't cry too much during the show
because it's such -- it just makes you feel so good
when people come out for you and do this.
And I'm just excited about what you're going to --
what you're going to hear.
I want to -- as much as this is about me, and that's hard,
the people that I love and who love me are here,
my family, my husband, Mr. Brooks.
[ Laughter ]
He lets me call him Mr. Yearwood also at home.
[ Laughter ]
You know how I feel about you.
And I'm so happy to share everything
that I get to do with you.
But I want to talk about music for just a second.
In a world where music is sometimes increasingly hard
to identify as what's real,
the thing about Austin City Limits
is that you know the music here on this stage
is made by real musicians, real artists.
It's all about the music here,
and that's why I'm so honored to be a part of it.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And I want to say that whatever you're doing here
in Austin, you can't ever stop.
This is so important for music moving forward.
Thank you, Don, and thank you, guys, for this honor.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Please welcome Brothers Osborne.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-How's everyone feeling?
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
We've been on a long run this year
and we got the request to come do this.
And we were like, "Of course we have to come here."
This is our first time that we've ever played here.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And me saying our first time was not an accident.
That's me, you know, trying to slip it in.
Hopefully we will be back many times, if you'll have us.
So the other thing though, is Trisha, I mean,
we grew up being fans of hers, and, you know, you always hear
that you don't want to meet your heroes.
And Trisha is absolutely an exception to that.
When you get to know her, you love her more.
And she's one of those very rare individuals
that I have met that I feel like I am better
just being in her presence.
And I feel like my -- just who I am
as a person and our artistry improves
just being around people like that.
She's really incredibly magnetic,
and it's a huge honor to be here.
And so we felt very tepid on what song we were going to do
because there's so many great ones.
And then we asked what song she would like us to sing,
and I was hoping it was going to be one
that didn't have lots of range.
[ Laughter ]
And she picked one that did not have lots of range.
So I was like, "Thanks, Trisha. I knew you were the best."
This is a song that we grew up listening to and loving,
and it's an honor to do it here tonight.
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ "Wrong Side of Memphis" plays ]
♪♪
♪ I've been living on the wrong side of Memphis ♪
♪ Really breaking away this time ♪
♪ A full tank of gas and a '69 Tempest ♪
♪ Taking me to that Nashville sign ♪
♪ No turnin' back, I've come too far ♪
♪ Headed down 40 with my old guitar ♪
♪ This ain't Graceland, well, that's a fact ♪
♪ I ain't driving no pink Cadillac ♪
♪ I've been living on the wrong side of Memphis ♪
♪ Gonna bronze these blue suede shoes ♪
♪ These cowboy boots are getting kind of restless ♪
♪ Ain't got a single thing to lose ♪
♪♪
♪ I've had this dream from a tender age ♪
♪ Calling my name from the Opry stage ♪
♪ I can hear it sing loud and clear ♪
♪ Two hundred miles and I'll be there ♪
♪ I've been living on the wrong side of Memphis ♪
♪ Really breaking away this time ♪
♪ A full tank of gas and a '69 Tempest ♪
♪ Taking me to that Nashville sign ♪
♪ Yes, I've been living on the wrong side of Memphis ♪
♪ Gonna bronze these blue suede shoes ♪
♪ These cowboy boots are getting kind of restless ♪
♪ Ain't got a single thing to lose ♪
♪♪
♪ Whoa-whoa ♪
♪ I've been living on the wrong side of Memphis ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
-♪ I've been living on the wrong side of Memphis ♪
-♪ I got the cowboy boots ♪
♪ A rhinestone suit ♪
♪ I've been living on the wrong side of Memphis ♪
♪ Ye-e-e-e-eah ♪
♪♪
♪ Full tank of gas and a '69 Tempest ♪
♪ Taking me to that Nashville si-i-i-i-gn ♪
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
-Brothers Osborne. Thank you so much.
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
I always say that I didn't feel like
I chose to be a singer.
I felt like I just was, and I had to figure it out.
And when you're a kid, you know, there's no limit.
You know, when you're a child, you can --
If you can dream it, you can do it.
And I just believed I'm a singer and I would sing all the time
and probably drove my parents crazy.
And I think maybe everybody thought,
"Oh, she'll grow out of that" because if you ask --
you ask little kids what they want to be,
they want to be an astronaut or they want to be whatever.
I was going to be a singer,
and I think people thought it was kind of cute,
and then it just never went away.
And so I feel very lucky
because I knew my whole life what I wanted to do.
-Please welcome Brandy Clark.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Thank you.
I feel so honored to be here tonight honoring Trisha.
I was thinking back the first time I ever heard her
sing was on CMT, and it was "She's in Love with the Boy,"
and I was an instant fan, and I think that
Trisha has one of those voices that you remember
where you were the first time you heard it, and I --
I put her on par -- For me,
I mean, she's the Mount Rushmore of singers.
You know, I put her in line with Patsy Cline,
Linda Ronstadt, Karen Carpenter, Trisha Yearwood.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Not only is she an amazing singer,
but her selection of songs
has been impeccable throughout her career,
and there are songs that will be around 100 years from now,
and I think this one is maybe the greatest example of that.
[ "The Song Remembers When" plays ]
♪♪
♪ I was standing at the counter ♪
♪ I was waitin' for the change ♪
♪ When I heard that old familiar music start ♪
♪ It was like a lighted match ♪
♪ Had been tossed into my soul ♪
♪ It was like a dam had broken in my heart ♪
♪ After takin' every detour ♪
♪ Gettin' lost and losin' track ♪
♪ So that even if I wanted, I could not find my way back ♪
♪ After drivin' out the memory ♪
♪ Of the way things might have been ♪
♪ After I'd forgotten all about us ♪
♪ The song remembers when ♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪ We were rollin' through the Rockies ♪
♪ We were up above the clouds ♪
♪ When a station out of Jackson played that song ♪
♪ And it seemed to fit the moment ♪
♪ And the moment seemed to freeze ♪
♪ When we turned the music up and sang along ♪
♪ And there was a God in heaven ♪
♪ And the world made perfect sense ♪
♪ We were young and were in love ♪
♪ And we were easy to convince ♪
♪ We were headed straight for Eden ♪
♪ It was just around the bend ♪
♪ And though I had forgotten all about it ♪
♪ The song remembers when ♪
♪♪
♪ I guess something must've happened ♪
♪ And we must've said goodbye ♪
♪ And my heart must have been broken ♪
♪ Though I can't recall just why ♪
♪ The song remembers when ♪
♪♪
♪ Well, for all the miles between us ♪
♪ And for all the time that's passed ♪
♪ You would think I haven't gotten very far ♪
♪ And I hope my hasty heart ♪
♪ Will forgive me just this once ♪
♪ If I stop to wonder how on Earth you are ♪
♪ But that's just a lot of water ♪
♪ Underneath the bridge I've burned ♪
♪ And there's no use in backtracking ♪
♪ Around corners I have turned ♪
♪ Still I guess some things we bury ♪
♪ Are just bound to rise again ♪
♪ For even if the whole world has forgotten ♪
♪ The song remembers when ♪
♪♪
♪ Yeah, even if the whole world has forgotten ♪
♪ The song remembers when ♪
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you so much.
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
-Brandy Clark. Thank you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
"Song Remembers When" was written by Hugh Prestwood,
who is from Long Island, which you all know
is the mecca for country music, so...
[ Laughter ]
In my dreams, I heard Brandy singing that song,
and I think it was just pure and magical and beautiful.
So thank you, Brandy, for that.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And one last thing --
A lot has been talked about, said about song choice.
And so I have to mention my longtime producer,
whose name is also Garth, Garth Fundis.
He produced Don Williams and he is the song man.
And he brought me "She's in Love with the Boy."
He brought me "The Song Remembers When."
So I want to thank him for being in my corner all these years.
[ Cheers and applause ]
To be in the Hall of Fame sounds so weird to say.
I'll process that later.
And also to be here on the same night that John Prine --
Congratulations to John's -- your family.
[ Cheers and applause ] I'm honored.
Because I had done so many demos in Nashville
for some of the premier songwriters in that town,
as a brand-new artist making her first album,
I got top-drawer songs.
A lot of times a songwriter doesn't want to pitch a song
to a new artist because they're unproven.
But I knew these guys and gals because I had worked with them
and they believed in me,
so I got really great songs right out of the box,
and I feel very fortunate for that.
-She's the one that they call.
She's the one that George Jones called.
She's the one that Emmylou Harris
called to come in and sing.
This woman's got it.
I mean, you know, we can all yak.
That's all we do all day is just yak about
what we've done and how badass we are.
How many of us got a call from Pavarotti
to fly all the way over to Italy to sing?
And it's like -- it's crazy.
So she's -- she's the bomb.
-So, I asked the next performer what song he would like to do,
and he chose this song.
And so we're going to do this together.
I go up to this guy at every award show,
and I usually walk up behind him and I say, "You know
you're the best singer in here," and then I just walk off.
[ Laughter ]
True story. Please welcome Mr. Ronnie Dunn.
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
-So, I wrote, uh --
When Trisha called or somebody sent a text,
I don't remember who it was.
[ Laughter ]
Anyway, I find this song.
It's like -- It's kind of a deep dive.
But it has a real gospel vibe.
And I love that -- those melodies.
And I -- my wife said,
"Don't ask Trisha to sing with you or don't --" you know,
because you're supposed to be sitting in the audience
and we all pay tribute to you, so we'll get you down here
as quick as I can get through in about an hour.
[ Laughter ]
Anyway, I picked this song.
She said, "I'll sing it with you.
Come on, big boy." -Absolutely.
-Take me to school.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪ When you can't walk ♪
♪ And there's chains around your soul ♪
♪ The burden's too heavy ♪
♪ And you've run out of road ♪
[ Crowd cheers ]
♪ 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 ♪
Carry me.
-♪ When you can't speak ♪
[ Crowd cheers ]
♪ 'Cause the words are too strong ♪
♪ And every time that you try ♪
♪ It just comes out all wrong ♪
♪ When your heart's screaming out ♪
♪ But no one can hear your song ♪
♪ Oh, I'll sing it for you ♪
♪ I'll carry you home ♪
-♪ So rest your heart easy ♪
♪ I'll carry you home ♪
♪♪
♪ So wander this world now fearless and free ♪
♪ Climb every mountain and sail every sea ♪
♪ If you wander too far ♪
♪ Into the great unknown ♪
♪ Come out and find me ♪
♪ Carry me home ♪
♪♪
-♪ I'll carry you home ♪
♪ I'll carry you home ♪
-♪ So rest your heart easy ♪
♪ I'll carry you home ♪
-♪ Ohhh, oh ♪
♪ I'll carry you ho-o-o-o-me ♪
♪ I'll carry you home ♪
-♪ Carry you home ♪
-♪ Honey, rest your heart easy ♪
♪ I'll carry you home ♪
-♪ Honey, rest your heart easy ♪
-♪ I'll carry you ♪
♪ Ho-o-o-o-o-o-o-me ♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Ronnie Dunn.
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
-The one song that I said,
"Are you sure you really want to release?"
Because I just thought it was too obvious
and didn't think it was the right choice for her
was a small song called "She's in Love with the Boy,"
which actually became her biggest hit.
So that goes to tell you what I know about this business
and just so, so proud of her.
-You know, a song like "She's in Love with the Boy,"
I'd been waiting my whole life,
since I'm five to make that first album,
and I was 26 when that album came out.
I don't remember us going, "This is the one.
This is the song that's going to put you on the map."
We just liked it. It's a story song
about how nobody's good enough for daddy's little girl.
So we liked the song. We had no idea.
Anybody who says they knew didn't know
what it was going to do.
When it went to number 1,
and then it stayed there for a few weeks,
and then it, like, made history and all these things,
it was such a runaway train.
You know, I went on the road,
I was gone, and we had this number 1.
It's still a song that I sing every night.
I love this song. I love the story.
Good songs never go away. They always --
They stand the test of time. And it's --
It was the beginning of an incredible journey
and it has -- it's still -- it's still the song
that people always want to sing when they talk about
Trisha Yearwood, and I love that.
-Please welcome Jo Dee Messina.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-My first year in Nashville, I turned on
the radio in my car and listened to music.
Every time her voice came on, I knew it was her.
No one sounded like her.
She was --
The quality of the song was impeccable.
The sound of her voice, the strength, the quality,
the way she sang with so much ease.
And being a girl singer,
I still cannot do the things that she does
and that she's been an example of for my entire career
and my life in Nashville.
So you meet her live and you go to see her live
and it's like, okay, let's see.
She's just as strong and her voice is
just as velvety and powerful, and it's just like, oh, man.
Again, as a chick singer, you're like, "Oh, man,
I got work to do."
[ Laughter ]
And so then I meet her and we become friends.
And in my heart, every time we see each other,
there's a laugh, even if it's for a moment.
We're passing each other on the escalators, there's a laugh.
The heart is as beautiful as the voice,
which is as beautiful as the persona.
And so I want to thank the folks here at Austin City Limits
for letting me be a part of this celebration to honor her.
Austin City Limits is the stage where all the cool people play,
and she is the coolest of the people that I know.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Come on.
[ "She's in Love with the Boy" plays ]
[ Crowd cheers ]
Don't be shy. You can sing it with me.
♪ Katie's sittin' on her old front porch ♪
♪ Watchin' the chickens peck the ground ♪
♪ There ain't a whole lot goin' on tonight ♪
♪ In this one-horse town ♪
♪ Over yonder comin' up the road ♪
♪ In a beat-up Chevy truck ♪
♪ Her boyfriend Tommy is laying on the horn ♪
♪ Splashing through the mud and the muck ♪
♪ Her daddy says, "He ain't worth a lick ♪
♪ When it comes to brains ♪
♪ He got the short end of the stick" ♪
♪ But Katie's young and, man, she just don't care ♪
♪ She'd follow Tommy anywhere ♪
♪ She's in love with the boy ♪
♪ And even if they have to run away ♪
♪ She's gonna marry that boy someda-a-a-a-a-y ♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪ Katie and Tommy at the drive-in movie ♪
♪ Parked in the very last row ♪
♪ They're too busy holding on to one another ♪
♪ To even care about the show ♪
♪ Later on outside the Tasty Freeze ♪
♪ Tommy slips something on her hand ♪
♪ He says, "My high school ring will have to do ♪
♪ Till I can buy a wedding band" ♪
♪ Her daddy says, "He ain't worth a lick ♪
♪ When it comes to brains ♪
♪ He got the short end of the stick" ♪
♪ But Katie's young and, man, she just don't care ♪
♪ She'd follow Tommy anywhere ♪
♪ She's in love with the boy ♪
♪ And even if they have to run away ♪
♪ She's gonna marry that boy someda-a-a-a-ay ♪
♪♪
We're not done. You guys still get to sing now.
♪ Her daddy's waitin' up till half past twelve ♪
♪ When they come sneakin' up the walk ♪
♪ He says, "Young lady, get on up to your room ♪
♪ While me and junior have a talk" ♪
[ Laughs ]
♪ Mama breaks in, says, "Don't lose your temper ♪
♪ It wasn't very long ago ♪
♪ When you yourself was just a hayseed plowboy ♪
♪ Who didn't have a row to hoe ♪
♪ My daddy said you wasn't worth a lick ♪
♪ When it came to brains ♪
♪ You got the short end of the stick ♪
♪ But he was wrong and, honey, you are too ♪
♪ 'Cause Katie looks at Tommy like I still look at you" ♪
♪ She's in love with the boy ♪
Come on.
♪ She's in love with the boy ♪
-♪ She's in love with the boy ♪
-♪ And even if they have to run away ♪
♪ She's in love with the boy ♪
-♪ She's in love with the boy ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ What's meant to be will always find a way ♪
♪ She's gonna marry that boy someda-a-a-a-ay ♪
♪♪
Thank you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Jo Dee Messina.
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
You were leaving too fast.
I wanted to hug you and say thank you.
-We can get into some serious trouble together.
-You're the real deal.
Country music is lucky to have you.
Thank you for being here for me tonight.
-Thank you for having me.
[ Cheers and applause ] -Jo Dee Messina.
She sang that almost too good.
[ Laughter ]
I'll never call you again. Thank you.
[ Laughter ] I love her.
She is a bright light and a sweet spirit
and has an amazing voice, so thank you, Jo Dee, for that.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-My favorite Trisha Yearwood song's
"Walkaway Joe," even though she did that with another man.
But it was still great, right?
It's Don Henley. What a great record.
I heard "Walkaway Joe" with the windows down in the truck
coming back into town from Kentucky,
and the second I heard it, played the whole song.
I was so happy for her because my best friend
was going to be just fine in the music business.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-I can't imagine being on this stage
and being honored by Don Henley
and not asking him if he would come up here
and help me finish my portion of the show.
Please make welcome again Mr. Don Henley.
[ Cheers and applause ]
When you called me about -- when you were telling
your speech and you called me about coming
and doing the Walden Woods thing,
you said, "You graciously agreed,"
I was like, "I will mow Don Henley's grass," right?
I will go wherever he asked me to go and do whatever.
But ditto on just the friendship.
I don't -- I try not to ask you to do too many things
because you always say yes, and I appreciate you very much.
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ "Walkaway Joe" plays ]
[ Crowd cheers ]
♪♪
♪ Mama told her baby, "Girl, take it real slow" ♪
♪ Girl told her mama, "Hey, I really gotta go ♪
♪ He's waitin' in the car" ♪
♪ And Mama said, "Girl, you won't get far" ♪
♪ Thus are the dreams of an average Jane ♪
♪ Ninety miles an hour down a lover's lane ♪
♪ On a tank of dreams ♪
♪ Oh, if she could have only seen ♪
♪ But fate's got cards that it don't wanna show ♪
-♪ That boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪ Born to be a leaver ♪
♪ Tell you from the word "go" ♪
♪ Destined to deceive her ♪
♪ He's the wrong kind of paradise ♪
♪ She's gonna know it in a matter of time ♪
♪ That boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
-♪ Just a little while into Abilene ♪
♪ He pulls into a station and he robs it clean ♪
♪ She's waitin' in the car ♪
♪ Oh, underneath the Texaco star ♪
-♪ She only wanted love ♪
♪ Didn't bargain for this ♪
♪ She can't help but love him for the way he is ♪
♪ She's only 17 ♪
♪ And there ain't no reasoning ♪
-♪ So she'll ride this ride as far as it can go ♪
-♪ 'Cause that boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪ Born to be a leaver ♪
♪ Tell you from the word "go" ♪
♪ Destined to deceive her ♪
♪ He's the wrong kind of paradise ♪
♪ She's gonna know it in a matter of time ♪
♪ That boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
-♪ Somewhere in a roadside motel room ♪
♪ Alone in the sun, she wakes up too soon ♪
♪ And reaches for his arm ♪
-♪ But she'll just keep reachin' on ♪
-♪ 'Cause the cold hard truth revealed ♪
♪ What it had known ♪
♪♪
-♪ That boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪ Born to be a leaver ♪
♪ Tell you from the word "go" ♪
♪ Destined to deceive her ♪
♪ He's the wrong kind of paradise ♪
♪ But it was just another lesson in life ♪
♪ That boy was a Walkaway Joe ♪
-♪ Mm, yeah ♪
♪ All he was was a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪ Ooh-hoo, ooh-hoo ♪
-♪ Ooh, Walkaway Joe ♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
-♪ He was a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
Don Henley.
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
-Please welcome back everybody that just sang.
Jo Dee Messina.
Ronnie Dunn, Brandy Clark, Brothers Osborne.
Thank you so much. I love y'all.
Thank you. Thank you, Austin City Limits.
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Cheers and applause continue ]
-I think Trisha Yearwood -- I'll say this.
And it'll be hard for me to get through.
But the great thing is, people who love you that never met you
are even more in love with you after they meet you.
I know I was and I continue to be, so just a huge fan.
Love how you do your business, love how you treat your people.
Your talent is obvious.
Your heart, since you're a little more shy
and less outgoing, is a little more
kept secret from people, but I'm telling you,
if everybody got to see the way I did,
they would all love you as much as I do.
-♪ She only wanted love ♪
♪ Didn't bargain for this ♪
♪ She can't help but love him for the way he is ♪
♪ She's only 17 ♪
♪ And there ain't no reasoning ♪
-♪ So she'll ride this ride as far as it can go ♪
-♪ 'Cause that boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪ Born to be a leaver ♪
♪ Tell you from the word "go" ♪
♪ Destined to deceive her ♪
♪ He's the wrong kind of paradise ♪
♪ She's gonna know it in a matter of time ♪
♪ That boy's just a Walkaway Joe ♪
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]