It was a big night for Trisha Yearwood at the 2024 CMT Music Awards. The Grand Ole Opry member both received the inaugural June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award, and made her world-premiere performance of her original “Put It In A Song,” part of a forthcoming new album that includes, for the first time, songs that Yearwood penned.
Actress Jane Seymour, who got to know Yearwood when the country music star made a guest appearance on Seymour’s own Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, presented Yearwood with the trophy.
“It is my great honor to be here, handing out a brand-new award that recognizes artists for their humanitarian work,” Seymour said. “This one is named after my dear friend, June Carter Cash. Giving back wasn’t just a part of her life, it was an integral part of who she was. Her voice helped shape country music. But she also used it throughout her career to advocate for the underprivileged, and help emerging artists find their part. Tonight, the inaugural June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award is being given to someone who lives and breathes that same philosophy, the one and only Trisha Yearwood.”
Yearwood, by her own admission, has received plenty of awards and accolades, but the CMT Music Awards marked the first time she was honored for her generosity and philanthropy.
“I have never gotten an award like this,” Yearwood said from stage. “I will say, it’s nice to know you won before you got here. But I don’t think anybody who has ever received a humanitarian award thinks they deserve it, and that is absolutely tracking right now. I would like to thank CMT for this honor, and for naming it for our friend, June Carter Cash, one of the most fierce, one of the coolest, most passionate women I was very lucky to also know. And I knew her just a little bit, but it didn’t take long to see that she embodied the very essence of what this award is about.”
Yearwood also thanked the “whole Carter family” for giving approval for Yearwood to be given the first award named after the country music legend, noting the similarities between the two women, who both married male superstars within the country music genre.
“June Carter Cash was a force, and she was also married to a force. I know a little bit about a life like that,” Yearwood said with a laugh, referring to her marriage to Garth Brooks. “I know it wasn’t always easy, but she found ways to make sure to keep shining her own light, and she had no bigger fan than her husband, Johnny Cash. I also know a little bit about that.”
Yearwood concluded her heartfelt acceptance speech by praising Carter Cash for how she lived her life, walking the walk instead of just talking the proverbial talk, and hoping that others would follow suit.
“My hope is that we can all learn a little bit from June Carter Cash’s legacy, and be a little bit more real, be a little bit more vulnerable,” Yearwood urged. “Be a little bit less about me, and a little bit more about us … I really look at this as a challenge and a calling, just to be better. Garth and I believe that to whom much is given, much is expected, and if you know me, my mantra is ‘Love one another.’ And so my challenge to all of us is to not just say it, but actually go out there and do it.”
A title or release date for Yearwood’s new album has yet to be announced. Keep track of updates at TrishaYearwood.com.
Photo Credit: Getty Images for CMT
