Is Lauren Akins too biased to stand on the stage and sing her husband’s praises? Probably. But she’s so, so good at it that it feels like she’s the best woman for the job.
So there she was on stage on Wednesday night (Oct. 16) at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center to present Thomas Rhett with his 2019 CMT Artists of the Year award.
“Being married to a musician can be tough. When Thomas Rhett started out, I remember sharing a bunk with him on the tour bus. And let me tell you, it is a tight squeeze in those bunks. It might not have been that bad, but there were ten other guys on the bus, too. Spending 180 nights on the road means he’s away a lot,” she shared, “but even when we weren’t there with him, he kept his family in his heart and in his music.”
She wouldn’t have it any other way, she said, because her husband gets to live his dream, follow his passion and do the thing she knows God created him to do.
The love story continued when Thomas Rhett came on stage to play “Dream You Never Had,” a song about the very life they are living.
When it was time for him to pick up the award he’ll take home to Akins and his two daughters (and the one on the way), Thomas Rhett put Akins first when he gave her a hug and a kiss before he even started his speech. “Thank you so much, CMT, for such an amazing honor. I don’t know about you, but sitting in that seat over there watching the whole night, I cried,” he said about his reaction to the speeches from Kane Brown and Ashley McBryde. Especially Brown, whose drummer died recently in a car accident.
“I don’t know if this is very conventional, but can I just pray, really fast? Is that okay with everybody? Father God, we love you so much. Loss is something that we can’t comprehend, and so right now I pray that you would be with Kane and his family and his drummer Kenny and his family, and bring them peace that only you know how to bring somebody. Thank you for this night. God bless country music. We love you, Jesus. And in your name we pray. Amen.”
