Tanya Tucker didn’t let health issues stop her from honoring Paul Overstreet. On Oct. 18, the singer attended her longtime friend’s Country Music Hall of Fame’s Medallion Ceremony, despite battling some serious injuries.
“I was in Costa Rica about three days ago. No alcohol involved, but I fell down a flight of stairs,” Tucker told the crowd at Nashville’s CMA Theater, per Country Now. “So I got x-rays when I got back to Texas and I called and got the results yesterday. They said, ‘Go to your nearest ER.’ So I said, ‘I ain’t got time for that.’”
“I got internal bleeding and my lungs may be collapsed, but I’m here,” she continued. “I would not miss this opportunity for one of my best friends to Paul Overstreet.”
Tucker went on to give a heartfelt speech about Overstreet, whose songs she’s recorded several times over the course of her career.
“Every line, not just the titles or the hooks, but every well-written line was always straight from that big old heart of his,” she praised. “… The brilliant songwriting of Paul Overstreet speaks for itself.”
Tucker also spoke about her personal relationship with Overstreet. She noted that he is “the friend and the brother that will always be there for me.”
“Wherever it was and whatever it was,” she said, “Paul Overstreet has been one of my best and most faithful friends.”
She ended her speech by stating, “Paul, the Country Music Hall of Fame is exactly where you deserve to be. And tonight I’m thrilled to be the person who gets to do the honors.”
What to Know About Paul Overstreet’s Country Music Hall of Fame Induction
Museum CEO Kyle Young also spoke about Overstreet during the ceremony, stating, “Paul took his own ups and downs and turned them into three-minute messages of hope for millions of listeners—title by title, song by song, hit by hit.”
Overstreet was additionally honored with performances. Blake Shelton sang “Some Beach,” Dean Dillon performed “If I Could Bottle This Up,” and Jamey Johnson lent his voice to “Forever and Ever, Amen.”
Overstreet is one of the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The ceremony was in honor of him, Tim McGraw, and The Stanley Brothers.
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
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Author: Paige Gawley