Miranda Lambert helped kick off the 2022 CMA Awards ceremony by joining fellow country stars Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire on the stage for a jaw-dropping tribute to the late country icon Loretta Lynn. The trio was the perfect way to open this year's awards, the first to take place after losing such an important member of the country music community.
This is a big night for Miranda Lambert, who has had one heck of a year professionally. The country star is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for her latest album Palomino and Female Vocalist of the Year. She is a powerhouse, and that's exactly what she delivered on stage when she followed up her opening number with a performance of one of her own songs from Palomino — "Geraldene."
The song was originally recorded in Marfa, Texas as part of her collaboration with Jon Randall and Jack Ingram, The Marfa Tapes. As Lambert explained in an interview with Stage Right Secrets, the song somewhat nods to Dolly Parton's iconic "Jolene" but is definitely not trying to compete with a classic song of that caliber. Lambert, Randall and Ingram did their own thing, recording the song that was heavily influenced by ZZ Top under the Marfa skies.
"We wrote, we were writing to that vibe, even just with acoustic on a picnic blanket and Marfa," she explained. "So the fact that we finally got their produced was like, full circle. In fact, that's the song that Jon and Jack got in a fight about when we were writing."
"My favorite Geraldene is the one that we did on the hill in Marfa [Texas]. [There was] one take where I mess up and I fall off time. I like the raw, real one-take Marfa 'Geraldene' is probably my favorite," Lambert added.
As memorable as the recorded version of the song is, Lambert is always incredible live, and this performance she knocked out of the park. From her strong vocals, infectious energy, and seriously cool leather outfit, it was definitely one of the standout moments of the night.
