King of Country - George Strait received the 2024 Country Music Association's (CMA) Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Artists and elite of the genre, gathered on Wednesday to pay tributes to him.
The Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is a prestigious award that recognises artists who have significantly contributed to the country music genre. Strait has a towering 44 chart-toppers on Billboard's Hot Country Songs list.
Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum and 2024 CMA co-host of the show and winner of the CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson gave inspiring performances to celebrate Strait.
Johnson, a Grand Ole Opry member performed “Give It Away”, a song he co-wrote with Strait. Lambert and McCollum, the Texans, joined forces to render “Troubadour” - a timeless classic.
Speaking about a personal anecdote, McCollum shared, “George Strait's music played while I was in the womb because my mom was such a fan of his — it's the earliest music I remember hearing and falling in love with as a child.”
“She, like myself, is a Texan. “However, she's also, in her own right, a bonafide superstar of whom I've been a fan as long as I can remember. It's always a special honor to work with and learn from her,” McCollum said about Lambert, after reaching a career milestone of performing with Lambert.
After the tributes, George Strait took to stage with Chris Stapleton for a duet on “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” from his recent album “Cowboys and Dreamers”. It was followed by a standing ovation from the crowd, post which Strait thanked the CMAs and the artists who performed his songs on the stage.
He also added, “I want to thank my family who are all here tonight. My wife Norma, my son Bubba, his wife Tamara, my grandkids Harvey and Jillian,” Strait said. “Especially Norma, who has supported me for just shy of 53 years – it's been an amazing 53 years.”
Strait debuted in 1981 with the album Strait Country and has since sold over 100 million albums. With a career spanning three decades, his net worth is estimated at a whopping $300 million.
