Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Quavo, and Kacey Musgraves were among the artists to take part in tribute performances to the late Christine McVie, Takeoff, and Loretta Lynn at the 2023 Grammy Awards. 

Country star Musgraves opened the medley with a tribute to Lynn with a humble performance of her signature song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Poised barefoot on a stool with Lynn’s acoustic guitar in hand, Musgraves’ soft voice introduced the famous opening line: Well, I was born a coal miner’s daughter. With an altar of roses and flowers at her bare feet, Musgraves’ performance featured images of other country icons who’ve passed away over the past year, including Naomi Judd and Mickey Gilley.

Following Musgraves were Quavo and Maverick City Music in tribute to Takeoff, the 28-year-old Migos rapper who was shot and killed in Houston in November 2022. Tears rolled down my eyes / Can’t tell you how many times I cried, Quavo sang in the opening line of his tribute song to his nephew, “Without You.” The lyrics reference the time the pair went to Coachella together and the rapper wishes he had a time machine as he shares I miss how you smile at me. Quavo was then joined by a choir of voices in Maverick City Music, who sang the chorus of Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” with a dark background illuminated by the light of the stars behind them. 

The tribute ended with a touching ode to Fleetwood Mac’s McVie. Crow was seated at a piano adorned with floral arrangements while Raitt appeared across from her. McVie’s bandmate, Mick Fleetwood, was positioned off to the side of the stage, playing a bongo drum as Crow and Raitt serenaded the room with McVie’s powerful “Songbird,” as the two traded soft, tender vocals. Raitt’s voice was strong and steady, capturing the emotion of the song. The performance ended with Fleetwood taking his hat off in salute to his collaborators. 

Jeff Beck, David Crosby, Lisa Marie Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Anita Pointer, and Twitch are among the many other fallen icons whose faces were shown onscreen throughout the performances.

Prior to his Grammy “in memoriam” performance of Fleetwood Mac‘s 1977 Rumours track “Songbird,” along with Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt during the 65th annual Grammy Awards, drummer Mick Fleetwood said that he doesn’t see a future for his legendary band following the death of their keyboardist and songwriter Christine McVie, who died on November 30, 2022, at 79.

“I think right now, I truly think the line in the sand has been drawn with the loss of Chris [McVie],” said Fleetwood during an interview at the 65th annual Grammy Awards. “I’d say we’re done, but then we’ve all said that before. It’s sort of unthinkable right now.”

Fleetwood added that all the Mac members are still busy working on their individual projects and performing outside of the band as well. “They all get out and play,” added Fleetwood, “so I’m gonna be doing the same thing, finding people to play with.”

About The Author

Cillea Houghton

Staff Writer

A proud native of Cape Cod, MA, Cillea is currently a staff writer for American Songwriter based in Nashville. She’s primarily covered country music, but her interests extend to film, TV, social justice and more. Her work has also appeared in Variety, ABC Audio, Taste of Country, Sounds Like Nashville, Urbaanite and others.Her musical taste ranges from Britney Spears (who she’s been a diehard fan of for more than half her life) to Alice Cooper, with a little bit of everything in between. When she’s not at a show or conducting an artist interview, she’s studying Italian, with plans to move abroad and explore the world. She’s grateful her lifelong passion for writing has turned into a career and considers herself blessed to get to cover music for a living.