Austin native and GRAMMY award winner Gary Clark Jr. honored the late Texas Blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan with “The House is Rockin’” at the 2023 CMT Music Awards by delivering a rockin’ tribute to the guitar virtuoso.
“Well the house is a rockin’ don’t bother knockin’ / Yeah the house is a rockin’ don’t bother knockin’ / Yeah the house is a rockin’ don’t bother come on in,” Clark Jr. sang on the chorus.
Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll were spotted in the crowd rocking out to the classic song.
Written by Vaughan with Doyle Bramhall, “The House in Rockin’” appeared as the first track on his album In Step in 1989. Born in 1954 in Dallas, Texas, Vaughan released six studio albums, starting with 1983’s Texas Flood. Known for blending the influences of blues and jazz on songs like “Crossfire” and “Love Struck Baby,” Vaughan become one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Vaughan died in August 1990 in a helicopter crash, but his music has continued to inspire artists such as John Mayer.
39-year-old Gary Clark, Jr. is known for his fusion of blues, rock and soul music with elements of hip hop. He signed with Warner Bros Records in 2011 and released The Bright Lights EP, followed by the albums Blak and Blu (2012) and The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015). Clark has shared the stage with Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, B.B. King and the Rolling Stones.
In 2014, Clark received a GRAMMY award for Best Traditional R&B performance for the song “Please Come Home”. His latest album, This Land, was released in 2019. In 2020, he won the GRAMMY Award for “Best Rock Song” and “Best Rock Performance” for the song “This Land” from his album of the same name.
Co-hosted by Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, the 2023 CMT Music Awards featured performances from Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, and Tyler Hubbard.
Additionally, the show included one-of-a-kind collaborations, including a 10th anniversary of CMT Next Women of Country celebration featuring Alanis Morissette with Lainey Wilson, Ingrid Andress, Madeline Edwards, and Morgan Wade. Gwen Stefani and Carly Pearce joined forces for a special collaboration, while Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown teamed up for the television premiere of their chart-topping duet, “Thank God.”
The Black Crowes and Darius Rucker delivered a first-time collaboration of “She Talks To Angels,” and Wynonna Judd and Ashley McBryde will also take the stage together.
The show also included a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan from Gary Clark, Jr. and a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute from Billy Gibbons, Chuck Leavell, Cody Johnson, Paul Rodgers, Slash & Warren Haynes and LeAnn Rimes & Wynonna Judd as honorary “Honkettes.”
Rising stars Avery Anna, Chapel Hart, Jackson Dean, Lily Rose, Nate Smith, and Megan Moroney made their CMT Music Awards performance debut on the Ram Trucks Side Stage.
Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Charles Esten, Dixie D’Amelio, Dustin Lynch, HARDY, Ian Bohen + Jen Landon (Yellowstone), Jon Pardi, LeAnn Rimes, Madison Bailey (Outer Banks), Max Thieriot (Fire Country), Megan Thee Stallion, Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things), Parker McCollum, Peter Frampton, Shania Twain, Steve Howey (True Lies) and Travis Kelce appeared as presenters.
The coveted awards show aired live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Sunday, April 2 at 8/7c on CBS. It was also available to stream live and on-demand via Paramount+.
