Nashville, TN —The Country Music Association has revealed Country Music icon George Strait as the 2024 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Strait will accept the honor during “The 58th Annual CMA Awards,” following a star-studded performance by several artists who deeply admire Strait. “The 58th Annual CMA Awards” airs live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, Nov. 20 on ABC.
“There have been few other artists as authentically Texas and authentically Country as George Strait, and Country Music fans all over the world have been better for it,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “As a three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and the most nominated artist of all time, he serves as an inspiration and icon to many of the great, new artists we know today. I am thrilled we are awarding him with this deserving honor.”
Strait’s unrivaled career, spanning more than 40 years, includes 60 No.1 singles and boasts 33 Platinum or multi-Platinum-selling albums. The Texas Country star is praised for his innate ability to collide comfortable and worn with fresh and exciting every time he steps on stage or into the studio.
Strait is the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over three decades, has sold more than 70 million albums and earned more than 60 major entertainment industry awards. His 31 studio albums, three live albums, and 11 compilation albums have led to one of Country Music’s most decorated careers with three CMA Entertainer of the Year Awards (1989, 1990, 2013); 17 CMA Award wins, the most-nominated artist with 83 total CMA Award nominations and membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.
The CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to an iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in Country Music. The award 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. The artist receiving this award has positively impacted and contributed to the growth of the genre over the course of many years and has proven to have an unprecedented historical impact on fans and industry alike.
Previous recipients of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award include, Willie Nelson (2012), Kenny Rogers (2013), Johnny Cash (2015), Dolly Parton (2016), Kris Kristofferson (2019), Charley Pride (2020), Loretta Lynn (2021) and Alan Jackson (2022).