If there was any question if Patty Loveless still had the vocal prowess she was known for during her reign at country radio during the late ’80s and all through the ’90s, those questions were quickly answered with her performance at the CMA Awards.
The country music icon performed “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” with Chris Stapleton and his wife, Morgane. The song, one of the standouts of the three-hour live broadcast, was included on her 2001 Mountain Soul album.
Loveless was first recruited by Stapleton to sing with him as part of the recent Kentucky Rising benefit, raising money for recovery efforts after the state’s devastating floods earlier this year.
“It’s so good to be back home, y’all,” Loveless said during her appearance at the benefit show with Stapleton. “This all came together last week. Chris texted me and he said, ‘Hey, can you give me a call?’ I called him. I was sitting down at the fish pond with my husband, and Chris said, ‘Hey, can you come and do this with us?’ It’s been a while. I can’t say no to Chris Stapleton, that’s for sure. I love this guy. He is just a wonderful, wonderful, beautiful person. Thank you Chris for asking.”
Stapleton and Loveless performed both “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” and “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am,” one of Loveless’ biggest hits, during Kentucky Rising. Watch those performances here and here.
Stapleton added another CMA Award to his growing collection. The 44-year-old won the trophy for Male Vocalist of the Year, a category he has won a total of six times. Stapleton shared the category with Eric Church, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson and Morgan Wallen.
“Thank you so much for this,” Stapleton said when accepting the honor. “Thank you. It means so much … All the guys in the category all deserve this award, and everybody’s killing it. I’m so honored to be a member of the country music community. I promised my daughter I’d give her a shout-out. It’s her birthday tonight, so happy birthday. She’s 12 tonight. I love you. This is for you.”
Stapleton was just announced as George Strait‘s touring partner for a series of stadium shows in 2023, with Little Big Town serving as the opening act. Find music and tour dates at ChrisStapleton.com.