Terri Clark had the privilege of celebrating hitmaker Lainey Wilson and her record-breaking year with a performance of the hit, “Hang Tight Honey” at the 17th Academy of Country Music Honors ceremony. Wilson was the first honoree to be recognized that evening as a recipient of two very special honors – the ACM Triple Crown Award and the ACM Milestone Award.
The multi-platinum songstress donned a stunning black sequin blazer and classic black Stetson as she stepped in front of the mic with her guitar and brought the energy up inside the Ryman Auditorium. Wilson was seen clapping along to Clark’s performance which perfectly captured the uplifting spirit of the tune penned by Wilson with Jason Nix, Driver Williams, and Paul Sikes.
Prior to the show, Clark discussed her goal of staying true to Wilson’s original recording, but naturally, she also incorporated elements of her ‘90s country sound throughout the entire track. Upon reaching the chorus, her signature vocals belted out the joy Wilson has found in falling in love with someone who truly feels like home, no matter where she is in the world.
Terri Clark performs onstage during the 17th Academy Of Country Music Honors at Ryman Auditorium on August 21, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee; Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
“It’s a fun song. It’s a barn burner, a lot of shotgun lyrics, and I’ve been living with this and really working hard on making sure that I know these lyrics over the last week or so,” Clark told Country Now, noting that she didn’t get a ton of notice prior to the performance. “I’m very excited to get to do it. I’ve really, really been looking forward to it.”
Terri Clark and Wilson have become especially close in recent months as the “Country’s Cool Again” singer joined Clark in re-recording her hit, “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” for her duets collection, Terri Clark: Take Two.
Special Appearances From Dolly Parton And Post Malone
Following Clark’s performance, she turned the audience’s attention to the screen to watch a special video message for Lainey Wilson that was sent in by country music icon, Dolly Parton.
Post Malone, Lainey Wilson and Terri Clark attend the 17th Academy Of Country Music Honors at Ryman Auditorium on August 21, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee; Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for ACM
“I presented your first award at the ACMs and since I can’t be there in person tonight, I wanted to congratulate you now that you are going to be getting the most prestigious ACM Triple Crown Award. Congratulations on both your honors tonight. You know I will always love you,” Parton said quoting her famous tune.
Another surprise guest was on hand to present Wilson with her two awards. The crowd cheered as Post Malone stepped onto the stage, praised his “Nosedive” duet partner, and then invited her to say a few words of her own.
, Lainey Wilson (R) accepts the ACM Triple Crown Award from Post Malone (L) onstage during the 17th Academy Of Country Music Honors at Ryman Auditorium on August 21, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee; Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
Lainey Wilson Highlights The Supporters Of Her Early Career
The Louisiana native has had a Whirlwind year, in which she proudly sings about her latest project of the same name. During her speech, she reminisced about the people who have supported her from the very start because, without them, she might not have been able to achieve a year of so many milestones.
“When I sat down to think about all this, I was like, man, how do you measure a milestone? Is it about miles? Is it about how many people you connect with? How many hands you shake, how many relationships you build? Jerry Cupid, a guy from my hometown, Baskin, Louisiana, a little town of 180 people. He wanted to move to Nashville and be a songwriter producer back in the seventies and my grandfather gave him a little bit of money to help him move to Nashville to get started and he let me live in his parking lot in my camper trailer for the first three years I was here. But also, Jerry Cupid, he let me play my first gig at nine years old at his convenience store, grand opening in Baskin, and I made $20 and I still got the 20 bill. But that right there, that was a milestone.”
She also gave a shoutout to The Cadillac Kings, who allowed her to join their band as they traveled around together in a flatbed F-150 until landing her very own tour bus, which she deemed to be an especially “big milestone.” As a result of the kindness they and so many others showed her in the early days, Wilson has started a nightly tradition in her shows where she chooses one young person from the crowd and crowns them “Cowgirl of the Night.” This is her way of passing down the love and empowerment to someone who may be looking up to her as a role model.
Lainey Wilson accepts the ACM Milestone Award onstage during the 17th Academy Of Country Music Honors at Ryman Auditorium on August 21, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee; Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ACM
“Having your first sold-out show, hearing your lyrics sung back to you. I don’t think the milestones really ever end. And when I thought about Triple Crown, I thought it was pretty ironic that every single night at my shows I get to crown somebody Cowgirl of the night and crowning somebody cowgirl of the night. That means maybe seeing some things in other people that they don’t always see in themselves and recognizing what makes them special. And I know how important it is to make people feel that way and it’s because y’all have done that for me. Just thank you so much for making my dreams come true.”
“Wow, have those 13 years paid off right here in this town,” she added while reminiscing on her very first ACM Awards in 2022 where she earned her first wins with ACM Song of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year.
“I thought, man, okay, 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. I thought, wow, alright, well those 12 years in Nashville are really paying off then. Little time goes by and we made it back to the ACMs in 2024 just for y’all to crown me Entertainer of the Year…Thank you so much to the people who make up this community. Thank you to the Academy of Country Music for these incredible honors. I love y’all. God bless,” Wilson said in conclusion.
Lainey Wilson; Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for ACM
Triple Crown And Milestone Award Qualifications
The prestigious Triple Crown award was presented to Lainey Wilson following her recent win for ACM Entertainer of the Year at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2024. She qualified for the honor after winning ACM New Female Artist of the Year, ACM Female Artist of the Year, and ACM Entertainer of the Year, an achievement only nine other artists have been awarded. The Louisiana native is the first solo woman to achieve the ACM Triple Crown Award in a three-year span and the first artist since The Chicks (1998-2000) to qualify for the ACM Triple Crown in that timeframe.
Her second trophy of the night, the Milestone Award, honors the contributions of Gene Weed, who directed and produced the ACM Awards for more than 30 years. This award is presented to a Country Music artist, duo/group or industry leader for a specific, unprecedented or outstanding achievement in the field of Country Music during the preceding calendar year.
Hosted by Carly Pearce and Jordan Davis, the 17th Academy of Country Music Honors was filmed inside Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and aired Tuesday, September 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. PT on Merit Street. This served as the first time the special has aired on the network as part of a larger partnership between Merit Street Media and the Academy of Country Music.
