Every year at the Grammys, a special segment takes place in which artists take a moment to remember the legends who have passed away that year. During this year's segment, Reba McEntire performed her song "Trailblazer" alongside Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson.
Videos by Wide Open Country
While on the red carpet, McEntire shared why the song had a slightly different meaning for her that night. Earlier this year, McEntire lost her stepson, Brandon Blackstock, to a fight with melanoma. Reba was married to Blackstock's father, Narvel Blackstock, for 26 years, so Brandon was like an older son to her in many ways.
"It really is special to me because my son is one that we're honoring. He passed away in August, and so, Brandon is gonna be up onstage with Brandi and me and Lukas," she shared. "We miss him a bunch."
Back in August, Reba wrote a special statement following Brandon's passing. The country legend took to Instagram to share the sad news with fans.
"Last week, my stepson/oldest son Brandon Blackstock went home to be with God. His struggle is over and he is in eternal peace in God's presence," she wrote. "There is no one else like him, and I'm thankful for the time we had together. His legacy and laughter will be carried on through his family. Rest in peace cowboy. Happy trails to you till we meet again."
Lainey Wilson Shares What "Trailblazer" Means to Her
Reba performed a slightly tweaked version of "Trailblazer," which was initially written by Lainey Wilson, Brandy Clark, and Miranda Lambert. The original version is meant to be an ode to the women of country music who came before them and set the stage for today's country artists.
At this year's CMAs, Miranda, Lainey, and Reba did a touching performance of the song onstage. Lainey spoke with Billboard on how special writing that song was, especially because she's looked up to Miranda and Reba for so long.
"When you're writing a song, and you get that feeling, it's like the Holy Spirit feeling. And you just feel it all over your body. [This song] definitely had that," she explained. "I remember thinking that this could be a song that a grandmother, a daughter, and a grandchild could listen to. We were just having a conversation about how both [Miranda and Reba] have influenced me and about passing the torch and blazing trails for each other. Generation after generation, it's going to continue, but we got to keep blazing those trails for the next one."
Watch the full performance of "Trailblazer" from the CMAs here.
