Sheryl Crow and Olivia Rodrigo have history. They’ve performed together at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, at Crow’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, and then again in Nashville during a stop on Rodrigo’s headlining arena tour the following year.
So, Rodrigo’s appearance in Nashville on Monday night during a dinner honoring Crow’s achievements as a songwriter shouldn’t have come as the biggest surprise.
And yet, in an evening filled with A-level performances by Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, Jason Isbell, Lauren Daigle, and Melissa Etheridge, it was an undeniable showstopper.
Crow, who released her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club in 1993, was the 2026 recipient of the BMI Troubadour Award, an annual honor given out by the performing-rights organization each September in Nashville. Last year, the trophy went to John Fogerty; previous recipients have included Lucinda Williams, John Prine, John Oates, John Hiatt, Robert Earl Keen, and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons.
While the star power of both the honoree and those who perform in tribute makes the event a particularly special evening, it’s the intimacy of the dinner that elevates it above other Music City industry parties. On Monday, guests like Maren Morris, Amanda Shires, Jesse Welles, Peter Frampton, Kix Brooks, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Jeff Hanna, and “Choosin’ Texas” co-writer Luke Dick mingled before the performances — and a chicken dinner — got underway.
