George Strait Wins First-Ever CMT Music Award For His Charley Pride Tribute: ‘This Is Really Special To Me’
The King of Country Music, George Strait is officially a CMT Music Award winner! On Monday (April 11) evening, the…
George Strait; Photo Courtesy of John Shearer/Getty Images for CMT
The King of Country Music, George Strait is officially a CMT Music Award winner!
On Monday (April 11) evening, the Texas native took home his first-ever CMT Belt Buckle during the 2022 CMT Music Awards.
Strait was awarded the trophy for CMT Performance Of The Year for his performance of Charley Pride’s “Is Anybody Goin’ To San Antone” during CMT Giants: Charley Pride in 2021. CMT Giants honored the late country music icon with performances from Strait as well as Garth Brooks, Darius Rucker, Alan Jackson, Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton, Luke Combs and more.
While Strait was not onsite in Music City, he accepted the award virtually with a special video message that played during the star-studded show.
“Wow, I can’t believe I won. I’m sorry I’m not there tonight, but I want to say thank you to all the fans who voted for me, I really appreciate that, and thank you to CMT,” Strait said in the clip. ”This is really special to me because this is a tribute song to the late Charley Pride, my friend, and I want to say hi to Charley’s family out there. Thank you very much!”
Artists from George Strait’s home state of Texas dominated the 2022 CMT Music Awards, with Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, Cody Johnson, and Maddie & Tae’s Maddie Font taking home big wins during the ceremony.
The 2022 CMT Music Awards featured performances from Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Walker Hayes, Old Dominion, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Cody Johnson, and more.
Also taking the stage with never-before-seen collaborations were Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams, Jimmie Allen with Monica and Little Big Town, Mickey Guyton and Black Pumas, Thomas Rhett and Riley Green, Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson. The Judds also joined forces for their first televised performance in over two decades.
Presenters for Country Music’s Biggest Party included Gabby Barrett, Faith Hill, Isabel May, Jimmie Allen, Rob Corddry, Jordan Davis, Billy F. Gibbons, Gayle King, Taylor Lautner, Dustin Lynch, Martina McBride, Joel McHale, Kacey Musgraves, Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France + Antoni Porowski, LeAnn Rimes, Dylan Scott, and Dennis Quaid.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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