Eric Church recently paid tribute to Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson at the 17th Annual ACM Honors, held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in August (Ryman Auditorium) and will be broadcast on Merit Street Media on Tuesday (September 24).
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During the event, Jackson received 26 advertising billboard “Country Airplay No. 1” hit, and was co-writer or sole songwriter on most of those songs – winning an ACM Poet Award for his songwriting.
“Alan Jackson is an institution and an American treasure. I’m honored to be here and play for him,” Church said, before he soulfully performed Jackson’s 1990 hit “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow.”
Before starting his performance, Church also told a story about traveling with another country music celebrity.
“I toured with Hank [Williams] Jr., every night he would play ‘Family Tradition,'” Church recalled. After he tried to put his own spin on the song, “Hank tolerated me for about 30 seconds, and then he pulled his glasses down and said, ‘ Dude, don’t paint over the Mona Lisa. So tonight I’m going to try to paint around the Mona Lisa, okay?
Church’s rough-and-tumble delivery is full of passion, clearly conveying the two artists’ shared experiences of chasing dreams and enduring rejection in Music City. Church received a standing ovation and one of the loudest ovations from the crowd, as well as praise from Jackson himself.
This year, the annual ACM Honors recognized honorees including Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton and Luke Bryan, as well as producer/former label head Tony Brown, music executive Shannon Sanders, songwriter Walt Aldridge, various music venues and several top musicians.
Other performers and presenters for the evening included ACM Honors co-hosts Carly Pearce and Jordan Davis, as well as Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean (Jason Aldean), Jackson Dean, Kameron Marlowe, Lee Ann Womack, Vince Gill, Emmy Lou Emmylou Harris, Tyler Hubbard, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBride, Terri Clark and Keith Urban.
Watch a sneak peek of Church’s performance below:
