“Opry 100: A Live Celebration” was filled with memorable performances, from Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood’s duet to Kelsea Ballerini’s cover of a Barbara Mandrell classic to a special tribute to Dolly Parton.
But one moment is being touted as the evening’s highlight: Carrie Underwood’s tribute to Randy Travis. The American Idol judge took the stage to sing two of Randy’s songs, “Three Wooden Crosses” and “Forever and Ever, Amen.” At the end of the second song, Carrie joined Randy in the audience, where he was seated in the front row with his wife, Mary Davis.
Carrie gave Randy the microphone for the final “Amen,” and his involvement was met with a standing ovation from the crowd. The moment was made more powerful because Randy suffered a stroke in 2013 and, as a result, has aphasia, which affects his ability to communicate.
The Opry shared a photo from when Randy invited Carrie to be an Opry member 17 years ago, and fans commented on the performance with message like, “Best performance of the night. When Randy sang Amen wow” and “we’re emotional 🥹❤️” Another wrote, “Favorite performance of the night. Definitely made me tear up a little🥹.”
One country fan said, “Why do I sob every time someone sings Randy’s songs? Don’t even get me started on the end of “forever and ever amen” when Randy does the final amen ❤️” and another replied, “I knew when Carrie got out from behind the mic stand & started walking toward the side what was probably gonna happen & still bawled like a baby.”
Randy’s fans can expect to see more of him soon. The singer is hitting the road for a More Life Tour with 30 dates across the country. For the concerts, Randy will be joined by his band and guest vocalist James Dupré.
To watch the full performance, stream Opry 100: A Live Celebration on
Katie Bowlby is Digital Director at Country Living, where she covers pop culture news including country music, Yellowstone, and all things HGTV, plus gift guides and product reviews. She has been with Country Living for more than 11 years. Before that, she worked for Southern Living. The Indiana University grad also stitches up the cross-stitch pattern for every issue of the magazine.
