When the “king of country music” George Strait accepted the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 CMA Awards on Nov. 20, his family, including his grandchildren were in the audience cheering him on.
Strait, whose successful career spans over 40 years, would go on to thank his family in his acceptance speech, after some of his biggest hits were given a star-studded tribute at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
“Last but not least, my family who are all here tonight — my wife Norma, my son Bubba, his wife Tamara, my grandkids Harvey and Jilliann — so great to have y’all here, but especially Norma, who supported me for just shy of 53 years in December, it’s been an amazing 53 years too,” Strait said.
George Strait’s family watches as Strait accepts the CMA Lifetime Award, Nov. 20, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Courtesy of Country Music Awards
George Strait accepts the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award onstage during The 58th Annual CMA Awards, Nov. 20, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Strait and his wife Norma married in 1971, about a decade before his debut album, “Strait Country,” was released in 1981. The couple’s son, George “Bubba” Strait Jr., is married to his wife Tamara Strait and they have two children, son Harvey and daughter Jilliann.
Strait joins a select list of country music stars who have been honored with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, which according to a press release, “recognizes those who have achieved both national and international prominence and stature through concert performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, streaming numbers, record sales and public representation at the highest level.”
They include the award’s namesake, Willie Nelson, as well as Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn and Alan Jackson.
First appeared on abcnews.go.com