While celebrating country music, the 2024 CMA Awards welcomed numerous stars to the stage like Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Jamey Johnson, and even George Strait. With each singer giving a powerful performance, nothing compared to when Ashley McBryde paid special tribute to Kris Kristofferson. Passing away back in September, McBryde decided to give a simple performance of “Help Me Make It Through the Night.”
Easily one of the top performances at the 2024 CMA Awards, McBryde discussed the impact Kristofferson had on her while growing up. She told Billboard, “He’s one of my favorite songwriters. So Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, John Prine, this is how the list goes, and it’s my father’s favorite musician-songwriter. It’s his favorite voice to listen to.”
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While listing off her father’s favorite singers, McBryde also detailed how he used “Help Me Make It Through the Night” to teach her how to play. “My father taught me to play that song when I was like seven years old, before I even had a guitar of my own. And I had no concept [at that age] of who writes songs and who sings songs and all that. So if I can just keep it together, I think it’s going to be a good moment.”
Ashley McBryde Names Her Favorite Verse Of “Help Me Make It Through The Night”
With McBryde growing up with Kristofferson’s music, she jumped at the chance to honor his rich legacy in country music. And when it came to “Help Me Make It Through the Night”, she explained one of her favorite verses. “‘Let the Devil Take Tomorrow/ Tonight, I need a friend.’ I mean, I was just a little girl singing that with my dad. I was raised in a really strict, religious household, too. So [it was] interesting to hear my father sing something like, ‘Let the devil take tomorrow. Tonight, I need a friend.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve never heard [something that says] I don’t care what it costs me. I’m not worried about it.” I’ve never heard it put that way, at that age. And Kris Kristofferson is responsible for me being a songwriter.”
As for her performance, the video gained over 111,000 views as fans commented, “Now that was the purest of country music! Thank you Ashley for sharing with the world what we should be hearing!” Another fan added, “One of the best voices in MUSIC. Her voice is so clear and filled with emotion. She always sounds present in the moment. This tribute to Kris Kristofferson was on point.”
(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
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