'I Feel Like My Old Rascally Self': Amy Grant Returns with Christmas Tour After Serious Head Injury

Iconic singer Amy Grant was among the honorees Sunday night at The Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. 

Her familiar toothy smile was evident at the event as she continues to recover from a head injury she received after falling from a bicycle on July 27. 

Grant, along with actors and musicians like Gladys Knight, George Clooney, Tania León, and the band U2 were all celebrated at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which annually honors a select group of people for their artistic influences on American culture. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their spouses attended, as did members of the president's Cabinet and Congress.

The event will be televised Wednesday, Dec. 28 on CBS.

Grant, 62, is also now back on the concert road after taking her doctor's advice and canceling all of her fall tour dates to give herself time to heal. 

She and singer Michael W. Smith began their concert tour simply titled CHRISTMAS last Friday night in Dallas, Texas. The pair will continue with four more tour dates from Dec. 6 through Dec. 9.  Then Grant's husband, Vince Gill, will join her at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee from Dec. 12-21 to complete the tour. 

During an exclusive interview with Fox News, she was asked how it felt to return to the stage to perform after her accident four months ago. 

"Last week was my first time back on stage, and I can't think of a more gentle way to get back into the limelight than doing a Christmas concert with my dear friend Michael W. Smith," Grant said.

"I was nervous that first day. I forgot lyrics to songs that I wrote. I'm just on a healing journey, but this time here. You know, love and kindness is also very healing, and I'm not kidding – I feel filled up from head to toe," she said. 

Grant acknowledged that it was Gill who gave her a "grounding" place so she could heal after falling from her bike after hitting a pothole. As CBN News reported, Grant was injured while riding with a friend in Nashville. The fall left her unconscious for almost 10 minutes with a concussion. 

"He has just been so patient," Grant told Fox News. "Vince has a kind of way of grounding the space that we're in, even without saying a word."

"I think early on I said, 'What if I'm different, what if I'm not the same?' and he said, 'Hey, every day we wake up a little different, and we love each other, and it's good.'" 

She added, "I feel like my old rascally self."

A spokesman for the six-time Grammy Award winner told CBN News about the accident at the time, confirming "she was wearing a helmet and taken to Vanderbilt where she was treated for cuts and abrasions."

After being hospitalized for a couple of days, she continued her convalescence at home.

The singer also told Fox she thinks that since the COVID pandemic, audiences come into a concert venue with a different kind of appreciation for a live performance. 

"Proximity matters and I just think since then, audiences and performers are just so appreciative for the gift of each other. It makes everything a beautiful, shared experience," Grant said. 

Gill and the couple's daughter Corrina paid homage to Grant at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium during her recovery in August, performing Gill's 2019 single, When My Amy Prays during several performances. Written by Gill, the song honors his wife's deep Christian faith. 

In a video taken of the performance on Aug. 5 and posted to YouTube, Corrina changed the lyrics of the song to When My Mama Prays. At the song's conclusion, the audience gave her a standing ovation.

Watch below as Amy Grant and Vince Gill's daughter, Corrina, performs "When My Mama Prays." 

Strong Christian Faith

As CBN News has reported over the years, Grant is known for her strong Christian faith and is one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. As a singer and songwriter, her career spans four decades and is still going strong. 
 
Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the iconic album, Heart in Motion. The crossover album launched her career to new heights and introduced audiences to hits like "Baby, Baby," "That's What Love is For," and "Every Heartbeat." 

Grant will continue touring in 2023. Her website lists all of Grant's upcoming tour dates.

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