A classy move from the King.
There’s no doubt that George Strait is one of the greatest country singers to ever impact the genre. With the 60 #1 hits, which is the most by any artist in history, 27 #1 albums and over 100 million records sold worldwide, it’s truly hard to imagine there ever being another artist quite like the King.
Of course, he’s scored hits with some of the most iconic songs in country music history, ranging from the likes of “Amarillo By Morning” and “All My Exes Live In Texas” to “Troubadour” and “The Chair.” Though there’s absolutely no denying his status as one of the most influential artists, singers and storytellers in the genre, one thing that has always surrounded conversations around Strait has been his songwriting (or lack thereof).
Though he may not have written a majority of his biggest hits, there’s absolutely no denying he’s given a voice and iconic renditions to a plethora of some of the most impactful songs and songwriters in the genre’s history. And because of this, he was honored by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame last night with an incredibly rare award.
On a star-studded night that saw Taylor Swift become the youngest-ever inductee during the ceremony at Music City Center alongside Lyle Lovett, Shawn Camp, Lee Thomas Miller, and Bruce Channel, Strait was given the “Career Maker” Award — an honor only handed out once to Reba McEntire in 2018.
During his acceptance speech, Strait would give it all back to the songwriters, who include the likes of legendary songsmiths such as Dean Dillon, Gary Nicholson, Sanger “Whitey” Shafer, Dennis Linde and many more, noting that they “made his career.”
“I think they got this turned around, because they made my career. That’s the way I feel. I truly do and I always will.”
Additionally, the Texas legend would show some love to Nashville. After noting how much he’s loved Music City and recording in it, he’d once again thank all the songwriters with whom he’s collaborated throughout his illustrious 45-year career.
“I’ve always loved coming to Nashville and recording here and being here and being around these guys and seeing them from time to time. I just want to say thank y’all. All of you who sent songs my way and made my career. I appreciate it very much. Thank you.”
Undoubtedly, Strait receiving the “Career Maker” award is due to the fact that the “Love Without End, Amen” singer has recorded a staggering 264 songs either written or co-written by 72 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame members, including 65 Top 40 singles. Even more incredibly, 44 of these songwriters were not in the HOF upon the “I Cross My Heart” singer’s first recording of one of their songs.
In other words, Strait played a tangible role in many songwriters’ placement in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“The Chair”
