Mary Chapin Carpenter Accepts Poet’s Award at 2023 ACM Honors
Mary Chapin Carpenter was among the honorees during the 2023 ACM Honors broadcast on Fox on Monday (Sept. 18), and she gave a humble acceptance speech.
Carpenter was not present during the official ceremony at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium on Aug. 23, but she did record a video message that was played as she received the ACM Poet's Award, which honors excellence in songwriting. The iconic singer-songwriter thanked the ACM voters for the honor in a pre-taped statement, followed by a musical tribute from her good friend Trisha Yearwood.
Carpenter thanked not only her fans, but her friends and colleagues in the Nashville scene for their support over the years, ending by saying, "Stay mighty!"
Yearwood took the stage at the Ryman to perform a lesser-known song from Carpenter's catalog titled "This Shirt," which she identified as one of her own favorites.
"This Shirt" originally appeared on Carpenter's second album, State of the Heart, in 1989, and she updated it in a re-imagined version for her 2018 album, Sometimes Just the Sky.
Chris Stapleton received the ACM Triple Crown Award at the 2023 ACM Honors, while Kane Brown accepted the ACM International Award. Clint Black also received the Poet's Award, and K.T. Oslin earned it posthumously. Charlie Daniels received a posthumous ACM Spirit Award at the ceremony, which aired on Fox on Monday night.
Lee Brice, Lady A, Billy Ray Cyrus, Brett Young, Brandy Clark and the War and Treaty were among the other artists who gave tribute performances to recognize the evening's honorees. Carly Pearce hosted the 2023 ACM Honors, which will be available to stream via Hulu beginning Tuesday (Sept. 19).
