Kacey Musgraves Tributes Loretta Lynn With Touching ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ Performance At 2023 GRAMMYs

Musgraves played Lynn’s personal guitar during the performance.

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Lauren Jo Black

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February 5, 2023

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9:01 pm

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Kacey Musgraves, Loretta Lynn Tribute; hoto: Francis Specker/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Kacey Musgraves honored the late Loretta Lynn with a musical tribute performance of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” during the GRAMMYs’ In Memoriam segment.  

For her performance, Musgraves donned a red gown, reminiscent of the gowns Lynn often wore, and a very special accessory: Loretta Lynn’s personal Epiphone guitar. 

Ahead of the show, Lynn’s family shared that they are “touched” that the country music icon’s guitar will be used on the GRAMMYs stage.  

Musgraves delivered a touching performance of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” which was released by Lynn in 1970 and went on to become her signature song. 

The autobiographical tune tells the story of Loretta Lynn’s father, who was a Kentucky coal miner during the Great Depression.

“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,” 

Kacey Musgraves is a longtime supporter of Loretta Lynn and her music. In 2014, the pair famously joined forces to perform “You’re Lookin’ At Country” during the 48th Annual CMA Awards.   

Later, in 2019, The Texas native helped the country music icon celebrate her 87th birthday during a star-studded event in Nashville. During the show at Bridgestone Arena, Musgraves performed Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man).” 

Loretta Lynn is a three-time GRAMMY winner. She passed away on October 4, 2022, at her Tennessee home at the age of 90. 

Kacey Musgraves’ performance also paid tribute to the late Naomi Judd, Mickey Gilley, Olivia Newton-John, and many more as their photos flashed across the screen behind her.

Kacey Musgraves; Stewart Cook/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Kacey Musgraves; Stewart Cook/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards featured performances from Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Chris Stapleton, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and more. 

“Music’s Biggest Night” also included an all-star 50th Anniversary celebration of hip hop, which included performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort. LL COOL J will be on hand to introduce the segment and give a dedication to hip hop.

Kacey Musgraves; Francis Specker/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Kacey Musgraves; Francis Specker/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Several tributes also took place during the In Memoriam segment. Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt paid homage to late Fleetwood Mac member, Christine McVie, with a performance of McVie’s “Songbird.”

Maverick City Music and Quavo also remembered the late Migos rapper, Takeoff, with a special tribute performance of “Without You,” a song that Quavo wrote after his passing.

Shania Twain; Francis Specker/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Shania Twain; Francis Specker/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

First Lady Jill Biden, Cardi B, James Corden, Billy Crystal, Viola Davis, Dwayne Johnson, Olivia Rodrigo, and Shania Twain, and more were on hand to present during the ceremony.

Beyoncé led the pack with nine nominations, including the prestigious Album Of The Year (Renaissance). Following behind Beyoncé are Kendrick Lamar with eight nods, Adele and Brandi Carlile with seven nominations as well as Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Harry Styles, Future, The Dream and Randy Merrill have six. For a full list of 2023 GRAMMY nominees click HERE.

Prior to the GRAMMY Awards, several winners were revealed during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in the City Of Angels. For a full list of winners, visit live.GRAMMY.com.

Co-hosted by GRAMMY-nominated comedian Trevor Noah, the 2023 GRAMMYs broadcasted live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5 at 8/7c on CBS. The coveted awards ceremony also streamed live and on demand via Paramount+.

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.