George Strait was on hand to accept the CMA’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award during the ceremony on Wednesday night (Nov. 20).

The moment came directly after an all-star tribute to him, which concluded with a duet performance from Chris Stapleton and the King of Country himself.

But arguably, the biggest stars of the night weren’t the ones onstage.

After Stapleton presented Strait with his trophy, the country legend spoke directly to his family in the audience. His wife Norma was seated in the crowd, along with his son Bubba, daughter-in-law Tamara and grandkids George “Harvey” and Jillian Louise.

Onstage, Strait also expressed his gratitude to God, his fans and the country music industry. He offered his compliments to the artists involved in his tribute: Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, Jamey Johnson and Lainey Wilson.

“I wanna thank all of these great artists who performed some of my songs that I’ve recorded over the years. It’s amazing to hear y’all do them,” he said, joking, “I’m so glad I got ’em before you.”

He also saved a mention for his longtime manager Erv Woolsey, who died in March of 2024.

Strait rarely appears at awards shows, but this particular award is an extremely special honor. The CMA does not give it out every year, and only a select few group of country legends have won since the award’s inception in 2012.

The Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is reserved to celebrate artists who have “attained the highest degree of recognition in country music,” according to a statement from the CMA. Winning artists have achieved name recognition outside the genre as well as within in, both for their music and for humanitarian work and general public-facing representation.

The award’s titular star — Willie Nelson — won the inaugural trophy back in 2012. Since then, artists like Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson and Johnny Cash have been recipients.

In addition to receiving the award and giving a speech, Strait was also at the center of a tribute performance at the 2024 CMA Awards.

The CMAs aired live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on ABC. Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson and Peyton Manning co-hosted the show.

*Remember: The best way to watch the CMA Awards is on ABC with ToC on your phone.