Family, friends, colleagues and industry insiders gathered at the Country Music Hall of Fame last night (Aug. 22) to celebrate Loretta Lynn’s new exhibit, Loretta Lynn: Blue Kentucky Girl.
Although Loretta was not present—she hasn’t made a public appearance since suffering a stroke in May—artists Margo Price, Brandy Clark and Kacey Musgraves stepped onto the stage to pay tribute to the country music legend.
Margo Price kicked off the evening by performing Loretta’s 1968 No. 1 hit, “Fist City,” before Kacey Musgraves took the stage to read the forward that she wrote for the book based on the new exhibit.
“Imagine how many little girls or boys—shining diamonds like Loretta—sit in their rooms, observing the world around them, learning from their parents’ mistakes, and spilling their songs into notebooks, waiting to be plucked out of their subdivision to become someone that we’re going to herald as the one who broke the mold and established the new normal. I can’t wait to see who’s gonna emerge,” Kacey said. “But for now, I’ll cherish the memories and moments that I’ve been wildly fortunate enough to share with miss Loretta. And I’m going to keep her voice very loud in my head and in my ears, listening to the one who’s never going to be replaced.”
Brandy Clark capped the tribute by performing “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” a tune Loretta took to the top of the charts in 1970.
Loretta’s fans can revisit the past in her new exhibit that opens on Friday, Aug. 25, and runs through Aug. 5, 2018. Loretta’s exhibit features dresses she wore in some of her most well-known album covers, personal memorabilia, photos, awards, instruments and more.
Check out our photo gallery of more than 30 pics.
- Margo Price performed “Fist City”
- Margo Price performed “Fist City”
- Margo Price performed “Fist City”
- Kacey Musgraves read the forward that she wrote for the Hall of Fame’s book based on this exhibit.
- Brandy Clark performed “Coal Miner’s Daughter”
- Brandy Clark performed “Coal Miner’s Daughter”
- The dress Loretta wore on the cover of “Van Lear Rose” album
- The dress Loretta wore on the cover of “Van Lear Rose” album
- The dress Loretta wore on the cover of “Van Lear Rose” album
- Loretta made this dress when she was 14. Sissy Spacek wore it in the movie, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
- Loretta made this dress when she was 14. Sissy Spacek wore it in the movie, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
- Loretta’s dresses
photos by Jason Simanek