Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire Kick Off 2022 CMAs with Loretta Lynn Tribute

The 2022 CMAs kicked things off with a heartfelt tribute to one of their own.

Country music's biggest night opened its annual award show Wednesday night in Nashville with a medley remembering country legend Loretta Lynn, who died on Oct. 4 at age 90.

Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood joined forces for a star-studded performance that honored Lynn's trailblazing contributions to women in country music.

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The tribute opened with some throwback clips of Lynn at CMA Awards of the past, before the night's openers toasted the legend with a poignant four-song performance.

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Underwood started it off by standing center stage as she played through the opening lines of the 1966 classic "You Ain't Woman Enough (to Take My Man)," before Lambert sang some of Lynn's hit "Don't Come Home a-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)."

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McEntire then sang a touching version of the 1971 hit "You're Lookin' at Country" before all three women joined forces for an ensemble performance of "Coal Miner's Daughter" to wrap up the tribute.

The performers opted for plenty of fringe, too, and made nods to some of Lynn's various eras with a series of photographs showing behind them.

Upon Lynn's death last month, each of the women who graced the stage at Bridgestone Arena for the tribute took to social media to share their memories of the star.

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McEntire, a longtime friend of Lynn's who credited the star with inspiring her own career, shared a statement that compared Lynn to her mother Jacqueline, who died in March 2020.

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"Mama and Loretta were four years apart, mama being the oldest. They always reminded me a lot of each other. Strong women, who loved their children and were fiercely loyal," the star wrote. "Now they're both in heaven getting to visit and talk about how they were raised, how different country music is now from what it was when they were young. Sure makes me feel good that mama went first so she could welcome Loretta into the hollers of heaven."

She continued: "I always did and I always will love Loretta. She was always so nice to me. I sure appreciate her paving the rough and rocky road for all us girl singers."

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Underwood, meanwhile, shared a humorous anecdote about the time she and Lynn met for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry — and Lynn "smacked me on the rear end!"

"This is one of my most favorite stories to tell," Underwood wrote. "I think it sums up her personality pretty well. She was a cantankerous little pistol…friendly and sweet…never afraid to be herself and speak her mind."

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Carly Pearce, who released the song "Dear Miss Loretta" on her album 29, called Lynn "one of the greatest there ever will be," while Lambert said "she blazed so many trails for all of us girls in country music."

The 2022 CMAs are airing live Wednesday night from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.