Carrie Underwood Honors Late Country Legend With Cover Of 80s Classic

Carrie Underwood covered a Joe Diffie classic when she took the stage at the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Underwood delivered her rendition of “Home,” a country anthem that Diffie released in the late 1980s, when she performed in the star-studded Opry lineup on Tuesday evening (June 4). Lauren Alaina , Russell Dickerson , Dailey & Vincent , Kip Moore and others were also at the Opry for the “ unofficial kickoff ” to CMA Fest, taking place in Nashville beginning Thursday (June 6) and running through Sunday (June 9). The Opry shared a few snippets from Tuesday evening’s show on its Inistagram story, including Underwood’s cover of “Home,” plus her performance of “Drunk and Hungover” from the deluxe Denim & Rhinestones album, 2015’s “Smoke Break,” and more.

“Home was a swimming hole/ And a fishing pole/ And the feel of a muddy road/ Between my toes/ Home was a back porch swing/ Where I would sit/ And mama'd sing 'Amazing Grace’/ While she hung out the clothes/ Home was an easy chair/ With my daddy there/ And the smell of Sunday supper on the stove/ My footsteps carry me away/ But in my mind I'm always going home”

Diffie released “Home” on his 10-track album, A Thousand Winding Roads , in 1989. Diffie died in March 2020. He was 61. Throughout his career, Diffie was known for hits like “John Deere Green,” “Pickup Man” and others. Many of his most well-known songs appear on HARDY’s HIXTAPE: Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE , a tribute to the late singer-songwriter. The project included collaborations with Brooks & Dunn , Reba McEntire , Darius Rucker and many others. The album also included Toby Keith ’s final recorded vocal on “Ships That Don’t Come In.”

Underwood also paid tribute to Keith , who died earlier this year after a years-long battle with stomach cancer, during an Opry performance in April. Keith “passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5 surrounded by his family.” He was 62. Underwood covered “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” in his honor.