Tim McGraw Fights Back Tears While Thanking the Women Behind His Legendary Career

For most country singers, there was little time to look back. Always trying to write the next hit song or spending countless hours on tour, there was little time for an artist to remember the path that led them to stardom. But when Tim McGraw learned he was going to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the country legend was shocked by how fast time had gone. Standing in front of those he cherished most, McGraw couldn’t help but use his induction to celebrate the women who made his dreams possible. 

When McGraw walked to the podium, the singer was already fighting back tears. And during the Medallion Ceremony, he promised, “I’m going to cry because I cry all the time. There’s a lot of estrogen in my house.” The feelings were understandable as only a few feet away, his mother, Betty D’Agostino, sat beside his wife, Faith Hill, and their three daughters. 

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Able to look down and see his entire life before his eyes, McGraw started with his mother. The one who started it all, he told her, “You have been my rock through it all. You nurtured, you provided, you endured. You are the one who stayed. You sacrificed more than any of us understood at the time and the pain you carried was real. And now so is the joy we share in this room tonight.” 

[RELATED: Concertgoer Complains After Tim McGraw Posts a Video She Took of His Onstage Tumble]  

Tim McGraw Goes From Husband To Father

After McGraw honored the woman who raised him, he transitioned to the next phase of his life – marriage. Not that long ago, McGraw celebrated his 30th anniversary with Hill. Posting a touching tribute to their love, he added to that message during his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. “You know our story, but what you don’t know is she is the most loving, compassionate, the best person I know. She’s so solid and I am more solid because of her. She is just the most beautiful person I know inside and out…Faith, I love you. I love you Faith.” 

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And lastly – his daughters. Watching the love he shared with Hill blossom into Grace McGraw, Maggie McGraw, and Audrey McGraw, he considered his greatest accomplishment to be fatherhood. 

“Gracie, Maggie and Audrey, my three girls, my heart, you’re the best thing we’ve ever made. Nothing in our careers even comes close. And I realize the gift that comes with having famous parents and I also realize the price. You’ve paid it with grace and you’ve grown into women that I’m more proud of than any award or number one single that I could ever have. I love you girls so much.”   

McGraw spent decades collecting No. 1 songs, awards, and memories from stages around the world. But when given the chance to look back at everything he accomplished, he could only see his family. 

(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)