When “King of Country Music” George Strait accepted the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 CMA Awards on Nov. 20, his children and grandchildren were in the audience to cheer him on.

Strait, whose successful career has spanned more than 40 years, was expected to thank his family in his acceptance speech after some of his biggest hits received a star-studded tribute at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

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“Last but not least, my family who are all here tonight – my wife Norma, my son Bubba, his wife Tamara, my grandchildren Harvey and Jilliann – so wonderful to have you all here, but especially Norma, who supported me Although it was just under 53 years old in December, it was also an astonishing 53 years,” Strait said.

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.

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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 fame and status through concert performances, humanitarian efforts and philanthropy, streaming songs, record sales and public representation at the highest levels.”

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.

George Strait’s grandchildren watch as he accepts the CMA Lifetime Achievement Award originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com