WHO: Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, and the iconic George Strait.
WHAT: A tribute to this year’s Country Music Association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award winner, performed by two stars from the current generation.
WHY IT’S SO GREAT: The CMA’s lifetime achievement award—named for its first honoree, Willie Nelson—isn’t the sort that gets handed out easily. The association doesn’t run down a list and simply pick the next name in line. It was first issued in 2012, but some years, there isn’t an awardee. Last night in Nashville, though, the ninth performer (and third Texan) to be presented with the prize got an all-star tribute as part of the CMA Awards ceremony. We’re talking, of course, about George Strait, the seventeen-time CMA Award winner and legendary King of Country.
The part of the ceremony honoring Strait kicked off with a performance of “Amarillo by Morning” by Female Vocalist of the Year winner Lainey Wilson. After, Jamey Johnson sang “Give It Away,” and then things got extremely Texan as Lindale-raised Miranda Lambert and Conroe’s Parker McCollum took on “Troubadour,” the title track to Strait’s 2008 album.
The song, written by Texas natives Leslie Satcher and Monty Holmes (from Paris and Lubbock, respectively), is one of the more reflective parts of Strait’s storied oeuvre. It’s a looking-back-at-life anthem that opens with the line, “I still feel twenty-five most of the time,” before exploring the way that the memory of youth lingers even as we age. It’s a fitting choice to honor someone receiving a lifetime achievement award.
The tribute performances wrapped up with the King himself, joined by pal and superfan Chris Stapleton, playing “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame,” their duet from Strait’s most recent album, Cowboys and Dreamers. No such hall actually exists, but the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is pretty close. Strait joins Willie, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, and Alan Jackson on the extremely short list of honorees.
During his acceptance speech, which you can watch below, Strait acknowledged the singers involved in the musical tribute. “I want to thank all of these great artists who performed some of my songs that I’ve recorded over the years. It’s amazing to hear y’all do them,” he said. “I’m so glad I got ’em before you.”
