John Prine, Trisha Yearwood inducted into 'ACL' Hall of Fame with special night of music

Laughter rang out and tears flowed Thursday night at ACL Live. Country superstar Trisha Yearwood and the late John Prine, an unparalleled and beloved singer-songwriter, were added this year to the "Austin City Limits" Hall of Fame, which was founded in 2014.

I hope all the performances make it to the broadcast of the show, which will air in 2024 as part of the 49th season of the longest-running music program on TV.

One favorite was Allison Russell doing Prine's "Storm Windows," after telling a sweet story about how her young daughter loves his music and requests it in the car.

Another was Valerie June, who gave a more joyous tone to Prine's often mournful "Angel From Montgomery."

Yearwood brought out Ronnie Dunn, whom she called the best singer in the world, for a duet of her "I’ll Carry You Home." It felt like church at ACL Live, not an unfamiliar feeling when "Austin City Limits" is putting on a show, and one of those "only in Austin" nights.

And talk about chills: It felt like we all got them when the cast closed with Prine's "Paradise," which triggered one of the biggest ovations in a night of ovations.

More: Remembering John Prine in the saddest of springs

Some artists, such as Kurt Vile (Prine's "How Lucky"), acted as a one-man band, but many of the performers were accompanied by the "Austin City Limits" house band, once again led by the great Lloyd Maines, an original inductee to the Hall of Fame. Maines, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Willie Nelson and producer Bill Arhos were the initial group.

The rest of the band: David Grissom (guitar), Chris Gage (keyboards, accordion), Bill Whitbeck (bass, vocals) and Tom Van Schaik (drums).

What else happened at the hall of fame show?

Video tributes played before each half of the show. Mr. Yearwood, Garth Brooks, honored his wife in her video, revealing that he advised against releasing the single, "She's In Love With the Boy" from her debut record. (It hit No. 1 on the charts.) We also were reminded that Yearwood is not only a country music legend; she's also a best-selling cookbook author and Emmy-winning host of a cooking show, "Trisha's Southern Kitchen."

Matthew McConaughey, who starred in Yearwood's video for "Walkaway Joe" before he was a star, also appeared. From the stage, Yearwood shouted out his music video co-star, Larissa Clark, who was in the audience and we hear got to meet Yearwood, too.

From 2014: Willie Nelson, Double Trouble, Emmylou Harris and more musical heavyweights celebrate ‘Austin City Limits’ first Hall of Fame inductees

Before Prine's video, which included clips of his nine appearances on the show, longtime executive producer Terry Lickona revealed that they had planned to induct Prine in 2020. The pandemic started and Prine was an early victim of COVID. After his death, the "ACL" team felt they should wait for the initial pain to pass before inducting him.

What's next for 'Austin City Limits'

The first half of the 49th season is airing now. Next up is Margo Price / Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway on Oct. 28, followed by Jorge Drexler on Nov. 4, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit on Nov. 11, and Foo Fighters on Nov. 18. The second half of the season will air in the spring.

And then there's the big thing in 2024: October 17 will mark 50 years since "Austin City Limits" began with Willie Nelson taping the pilot in the Austin PBS Studio 6A on the University of Texas campus, now an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame landmark. Both Lickona and Luis Patiño, CEO of Austin PBS, teased a year filled with celebrations and events to honor the milestone.

Dave Grohl asked at the recent Foo Fighters taping if we all knew how special the show and its crew are, and reminded us to appreciate them. Thursday night showed exactly what he meant.

Trisha Yearwood induction performances

• "She’s in Love With the Boy": Jo Dee Messina

• "I’ll Carry You Home": Trisha Yearwood and Ronnie Dunn

• "The Song Remembers When": Brandy Clark

• "Wrong Side of Memphis": Brothers Osborne

• "Walkaway Joe": Trisha Yearwood and Don Henley

John Prine induction performances

• "Souvenirs": Tommy Prine

• "How Lucky": Kurt Vile

• "Storm Windows": Allison Russell

• "All the Best": Nathaniel Rateliff

• "Yes, I Guess They Oughta Name a Drink After You": Tyler Childers

• "Angel From Montgomery": Valerie June

• "Paradise": cast

Musicians at the 'ACL' Hall of Fame 2023 induction:

• Trisha Yearwood - vocals

• Jo Dee Messina - vocals

• Ronnie Dunn - vocals

• Brandy Clark - vocals

• T.J. Osborne - vocals, guitar

• John Osborne - guitar, vocals

• Don Henley - vocals

• Tommy Prine - vocals, guitar

• Kurt Vile - vocals, guitar

• Allison Russell - vocals, banjo

• Nathaniel Rateliff - vocals, guitar

• Tyler Childers - vocals, guitar

• Valerie June - vocals

• Lloyd Maines - steel guitar, guitar

• David Grissom - guitar

• Chris Gage - keyboards, accordion

• Bill Whitbeck - bass, vocals

• Tom Van Schaik - drums

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: See who inducted Trisha Yearwood, John Prine into ACL Hall of Fame