Kacey Musgraves never fails to honor her predecessors in country music. One of her most stunning tributes to a musical legend came in 2023, when she performed “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in the wake of Loretta Lynn’s death.
Videos by American Songwriter
Though Musgraves may not be a coal miner’s daughter, she managed to evoke Lynn’s spirit in this performance. Well, I was born a coal miner’s daughter / In a cabin, on a hill in Butcher Holler / We were poor but we had love / That’s the one thing that daddy made sure of / He shoveled coal to make a poor man’s dollar, she sings in her smooth vocals.
To make the performance even more special, Musgraves played the song on Lynn’s own Epiphone guitar. The younger country singer looked the picture of the icon. “She infuses humor and sarcasm, which I always appreciate,” Musgraves once said of Lynn. “I also relate to Loretta’s love of rhinestones.”
Though the song was an obvious nod to Lynn at the GRAMMY Awards, the song was meant to serve for the entire “In Memoriam” segment of the show. Musgraves’ performance was emotional enough to act as an ode to every loss of talent in 2023.
In the summertime we didn’t have shoes to wear
But in the wintertime we’d all get a brand new pair
From a mail order catalog
Money made from selling a hog
Daddy always managed to get the money somewhere
Lynn passed away in October of 2022. “Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, October 4th, in her sleep at home at her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills,” the family of Loretta Lynn said in a statement at the time. “The family has asked for privacy during this time, as they grieve. An announcement regarding a memorial will be forthcoming in a public announcement.”
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.