Terri Clark and Lainey Wilson have formed a close friendship, with the country music icon including Wilson on her latest Take Two album. Clark paid tribute to Wilson at the recent ACM Honors ceremony with a performance of Wilson’s recent hit single, “Hang Tight Honey.”
Wilson was in attendance to receive the ACM Milestone Award and the ACM Triple Crown Award, the latter given to her for winning the ACM New Female Artist of the Year, ACM Female Artist of the Year, and ACM Entertainer of the Year trophies.
Clark said it is artists like Wilson who made her feel like her hard work all of these years had paid off well for her.
“The whole time I was on the road the last 30 years, playing the county fairs and the festivals, bars and clubs, I’ve always wondered, ‘Is there a little girl in this audience that this will have some sort of impact on, who’s going to go on and do great things?’” Clark shared. “You wonder what kind of legacy you’re going to leave, and I’m so proud of Lainey. She has pole-vaulted over everything, and I think it’s a testament to her work ethic, her talents, and her showmanship. There’s no slowing her down.”
In accepting the Triple Crown Award, Wilson reflected on her path to becoming one of country music’s biggest stars, winning numerous trophies and accolades.
“In 2022, I went to my very first ACM Awards,” Wilson recalled. “We showed up with a couple of nominations, and we left the first time an ACM Awards winner for Song of the Year, with ‘Things A Man Oughta Know,’ and New Female Artist of the Year. And wow, I thought, those 11 years in Nashville are really starting to pay off. And then I put out a record that year, I came back to the ACMs with a few nominations, and we took home Female Artist of the Year, and I thought, ‘Wow. All right. Those 12 years in Nashville are really paying off.’
“And then, a little time goes by, we made it back to the ACMs in 2024, just for you all to crown me Entertainer of the Year,” she added. “And wow, have those 13 years paid off right here in this town.”
Courtesy of the CMA
There was no one more fitting than Clark to honor Wilson, who has been one of Wilson’s biggest inspirations over the years.
“When I think about growing up in the ’90s, I think about those women that were just blazing some trails, and she was a part of that,” Wilson told Everything Nash and other outlets backstage at her Grand Ole Opry induction earlier this year, where Clark was also celebrating her 20th anniversary as an Opry member. “Just the way that she’d get up there with her acoustic guitar and just rock out, and not give a dang. It made me feel like I could do that too. The night that I got invited to the Opry, it was February 14, 2020, and she introduced me to the stage. And so, tonight, it’s just a full-circle moment for this to be lined up again.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry / Chris Hollo