George Strait Has Illustrious Fan Club

March 27, 2009 — It’s been two dozen years since George Strait won an award from the Academy of Country Music for the first time in his career. And he keeps on picking up trophies.

This year, he earns an extremely exclusive honor as the ACM names him the Artist of the Decade in a special ceremony that will be held April 6, the day after the 44th annual awards are given out in Las Vegas. Plenty of his fellow artists will be on hand to pay homage to the Cowboy, and some of them do double duty by honoring him in the current Country Weekly cover story.

Among the quotes in the magazine:

• "If there’s one artist I try to emulate my career after, it’s George Strait," Blake Shelton said. "I’ve had five No. 1 singles; he’s had over 50. That’s what I want. When I was around 14 or 15 years old, his single ‘Gone As a Girl Can Get’ was on the radio. It was then that I realized how great and cool George was. Then the Pure Country movie came out soon after that. When ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ was on the radio, all the girls in high school really liked it and wanted me to learn how to play it on the guitar. Needless to say, I wasn’t going to pass up attention from the girls, so I learned to play it."
• "Without a doubt, George Strait has unknowingly influenced most — if not all — artists and bands on country radio today," observed Mike Eli, of the Eli Young Band. "There hasn’t been a day in my life that I didn’t look at him with complete and utter amazement at the honesty and truth he has brought to country music song after song."
• "There are just a few things you can count on in this world: taxes, dyin’ ... George Strait!" Jack Ingram said. "I grew up knowing the words to George Strait songs the same way we learn to speak English ... You just know it. He’s a part of our culture like baseball and apple pie. His music comes standard in every pickup truck sold in the state of Texas — or should!"

Blake and Jack will both be part of the Las Vegas celebration in April, as will Alan Jackson, Montgomery Gentry, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Lee Ann Womack, Jamey Johnson, LeAnn Rimes, John Rich and Keith Urban, just to name a few. It will air May 27 on CBS as George Strait: Artist Of The Decade, An All Star Concert Special.

Previous Artist of the Decade winners include Marty Robbins (1960s), Loretta Lynn (1970s), Alabama (1980s) and Garth Brooks (1990s).