Lainey Wilson may be responsible for making country music cool again. But the former Hannah Montana impersonator hasn’t forgotten who first made the genre cool for her.
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The “Bell Bottom Country” singer isn’t above getting starstruck either. Wilson, 31, grew visibly emotional during a March 8 performance at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, as she welcomed country music titan Randy Travis to the stage.
“Right Where He Belongs:” Lainey Wilson Praises Randy Travis
“I want to introduce to the stage one of my heroes, one of the reasons I fell in love with country music, a dear friend of mine now,” Wilson said. “Y’all give it up for the one, the only, the country music legend Randy Travis.”
Travis, 64, suffered a life-threatening stroke in July 2013 that effectively ended his singing career and left him largely confined to a wheelchair. Wilson seemed honored to take over the wheelchair from the “He Walked on Water” singer’s wife, Mary.
“Front and center, right where he belongs,” Wilson drawled, as Travis grinned broadly and waved to the cheering crowd.
Randy Travis ‘Makes Me Feel Like I Got a Place in this Industry,’ Wilson Says
By anyone’s standards, Wilson has proven her country bona fides. Still, the Country Music Association’s 2023 Entertainer of the Year took on a tone of reverence as she discussed her friendship with Travis.
“Any time I’m anywhere near, y’all show up,” Wilson said, affectionately squeezing the seven-time GRAMMY winner’s shoulder. “And when you have Randy Travis side stage — first of all, that’s a little nerve-wracking. I ain’t going to lie to you.
“But also, it makes me feel like I can really do this,” she continued. “It makes me feel like I got a place in this industry.”
Wilson Stuns at Houston Rodeo Debut
Wilson’s tiny hometown of Baskin, Louisiana, could have filled NRG Stadium 300 times over at the singer-songwriter’s Houston Rodeo debut March 9. The “Hillbilly Hippie” drew a crowd of nearly 75,000 — this year’s largest to date.
[RELATED: Lainey Wilson Feels a Shift Coming for Country Music: “Us Girls Got A Lot to Say”]
Culture Map Houston called Wilson’s performance “the birth of country music’s newest star,
adding that, “Anyone who came into Saturday’s show thinking Wilson was a shrinking pop star was set straight.”
Featured image by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage
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