Ashley McBryde paid tribute to the late Kris Kristofferson with a stripped-down, acoustic rendition of Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night” at the 2024 CMA Awards.

Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, McBryde sang the classic song about loneliness and connection over a montage of photos from Kristofferson’s life, including a shot of the singer with his friends Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” written in 1970, was number 71 on the list Rolling stone‘s 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time.

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A tribute to Kristofferson, who died in September at the age of 88, was one of the most anticipated moments of the evening. Perhaps the country’s most poetic and introspective songwriter, Kristofferson was the thinking man’s outlaw country star. Versions of his songs, such as Johnny Cash’s “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down,” Ray Price’s “For the Good Times” and Sammi Smith’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” have long been considered among the greatest moments of Nashville.

In his broader career, Kristofferson was also a Rhodes scholar, flew helicopters and served in the military. Kristofferson, who retired from touring several years before his death, also left his mark as an activist and actor for social justice.

McBryde, who won CMA Artist of the Year in 2019, is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year alongside Kelsea Ballerina, Megan Moroney, Lainey Wilson and Kacey Musgraves. Before the awards ceremony, she announced that she would release a new single, “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs,” on December 6. Last year she was nominated for album of the year Ashley McBryde presents: Lindevilleher ambitious concept album.

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