Miranda Lambert Recalls the Kris Kristofferson Moment She Considers “One of the Highlights” of Her Career—and How It Honored Merle Haggard

Earlier this month, Miranda Lambert and some of the brightest stars in country music took over the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Tennessee for her Music for Mutts benefit concert. More than a night of great country music, the benefit raised money for her Mutt Nation foundation which helps fund animal shelters and adoption efforts nationwide. The night saw Lambert collaborating with several of her fellow country stars. She even teamed up with Lukas Nelson to pay tribute to Kris Kristofferson.

While many artists would choose to perform one of Kristofferson’s songs as a tribute, Lambert and Nelson took a different path. The “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down” songwriter was a fan of Merle Haggard’s work. At the same time, Lambert counts both artists among her heroes. So, she and Nelson performed a stunning rendition of “Silver Wings” to honor both late icons.

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Lambert took to social media to talk about the moment and her song choice. “One of the highlights of my career was singing this song with Kris Kristofferson to honor Merle Haggard,” she wrote. “Lukas Nelson and I decided to do a Merle song at Mutt Nation’s Music for Mutts show because Kris loved Merle too,” she added.

Miranda Lambert and Kris Kristofferson Honor Merle Haggard

Before she sang “Silver Wings” with Lukas Nelson during the Mutt Nation show, she sang it with Kris Kristofferson during the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. That year, Merle Haggard received the prestigious award alongside Jerry Herman, Bill T. Jones, Paul McCartney, and Oprah Winfrey.

The Kennedy Center Honors is presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts every year. The award goes to artists who have made an indelible mark on American culture and influenced future generations of artists. The honor doesn’t just go to musicians but also to those involved in dance, theater, opera, movies, and television.

Watch Lambert and Kristofferson honor Haggard with “Silver Wings” below.

About the song, Haggard said, “It was written on a plane—a 707 coming out of Phoenix, Arizona going to LA with Bonnie Owens. I looked out and those silver wings were just gleaming. I thought, ‘What a great premise for a song.’”

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