George Strait honored by Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum

Artists who share Native roots, similarities and deep career connections to Country Music Hall of Famer and genre king George Strait honored the 2024 recipient of the Country Music Association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award with a moving performance Wednesday night.

Those names included Grand Ole Opry member and co-writer of his two-decade-old favorite “Give It Away,” Jamey Johnson, Texans Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum, who collaborated on another two-decade-old favorite, “Troubadour,” and a colleague CMA Entertainer of the Year winner Lainey Wilson.

Regarding his partnership with Lambert, McCollum noted that the performance continues a series of “dream come true” scenarios of alliances with the “Kerosene” vocalist, with whom he collaborates on the duet “Santa Fe” from her 2024 album “Postcards From Texas “. “

“She’s a Texan like myself,” he said. “However, she is also a bonafide superstar in her own right, who I have been a fan of for as long as I can remember. It is always a special honor to work with and learn from her.”

“Troubadour,” the triple-platinum-selling title track to Strait’s 25th studio album, has been a favorite of McCollum’s sets since his teenage roots on the scene.

“George Strait’s music was playing 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,” McCollum added.

This article originally appeared on the Nashville Tennessean: CMA Awards: Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, more honor George Strait