Jamey Johnson, Chris Stapleton Sing for George Strait at CMA Awards

George Strait was honored with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 CMA Awards. Lainey Wilson kicked off the homage with a note-perfect take on Strait’s signature “Amarillo by Morning,” followed by Jamey Johnson’s plainspoken but swaggering rendition of “Give It Away.”

Parker McCollum and Miranda Lambert traded verses on Strait’s 2008 hit “Troubadour,” a fitting song for the occasion. To cap things off, Strait emerged to reprise “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame,” his duet with Chris Stapleton, from his album Cowboys and Dreamers released earlier this year. 

Paying tribute to Strait was a fitting batch of artists, all of whom have either opened for, sang with, or collaborated with the King in recent years. But it’s somewhat surprising that honoring Strait took as long as it did: With a staggering 83 nominations and 17 awards, he is the most nominated artist in the history of the CMA Awards. Strait’s last award was 2013 Entertainer of the Year. 

Recent recipients of the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award include luminaries like Charley Pride and Dolly Parton. 

Johnson’s performance, meanwhile, was a sharp rejoinder to the media attention he’s received this week. Performing just days after being arrested in Tennessee for marijuana possession, the 49-year-old singer-songwriter sounded invigorated and triumphant as he worked through Strait’s 2006 Number One, which Johnson co-wrote with Bill Anderson and Buddy Cannon.