Garth Brooks Compares Lainey Wilson To Iconic Female Country Star
(Left) Garth Brooks / Facebook / (Center) Jason Davis / WireImage / Getty Images / (Right) Gilbert Flores / Billboard via Getty Images
Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood Helped Induct Lainey Wilson Into The Grand Ole Opry
Lainey Wilson will forever share a connection to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. The country music power couple was on hand to help induct Wilson into the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, June 7.
Brooks (who joined the Opry in 1990) and Yearwood (who joined in 1999) looked on with pride as Wilson spoke about how much it means to her to be an Opry member.
She said:
“From a very early age, I wanted to play here. I wanted to come here, then I wanted to play here, and then I wanted to be a member. And it feels like I’ve taken a million steps to get there, but it also feels like one big giant leap. And I think that leap is really just a leap of faith. So, I’m very excited and honored.“
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During the ceremony, Yearwood shared her belief that the future of the Opry is in good hands, with artists like Wilson leading the charge. She said, “You get it. You know what it means to love country music. You love the Grand Ole Opry, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Brooks echoed those sentiments. Commenting on the video the Opry posted on Instagram from Wilson’s induction ceremony he said:
“Every @opry member past and present, every fan of country music, past and present are so happy for @laineywilson and the Grand Ole Opry!!!! It’s the perfect marriage! love, g.“
Garth Compares Lainey To One Of Country Music’s Greatest Female Artists – Who Just So Happens To Be One Of Her Role Models
Brooks doubled down on his comments during his June 10 episode of Inside Studio G. He went one step further by comparing Wilson to an iconic female country star who blazed the trail for her and many others.
“She’s the first woman, probably since Reba [McEntire], that you look at and go, this woman is gonna be around for a long, long time. She’s a current fad that’s going to last 40 years,” Brooks said.
He starts talking about Wilson’s Opry induction around the 6:00 mark in the video below.
The comparison to McEntire is a fitting one. She’s one of Wilson’s greatest role models, and was also the person who invited her to join the Grand Ole Opry.
Wilson was a guest performer on the Season 25 finale of The Voice. McEntire (who’s a Voice coach) surprised her onstage by inviting her to become the newest member of the Opry.
In shock, Wilson expressed how much the invitation meant coming from McEntire.
“It is so crazy that you are asking me to be a member because I look up to you so much. I’m not talking about just musically, but the way you carry yourself, your work ethic. You inspire me every day.”
Watch Wilson accept McEntire’s invitation to join the Opry in the video below. Considering how much she respects McEntire, she’d be honored that Brooks compared the two of them to each other.
