George Strait, moving forward, smashing records

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – George Strait already holds the un-rivaled record for the most CMA Award nominations of any artist in history, and now he has added yet another to the list with a nod for this year’s CMA Entertainer of the Year. The nomination marks Strait’s 83rd CMA Award nomination overall and his 19th in the coveted Entertainer of the Year category.

If Strait repeats his 2013 victory, he will take home his fourth CMA Entertainer of the Year title and the 23rd CMA Award of his legendary career.

“It’s a great honor to be nominated for CMA Entertainer of the Year,” Strait shared after the nominations were announced Wednesday morning (9/3/14). “It’s been an incredible year, and this just puts the icing on the cake!” Also nominated in this category are Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and Keith Urban.

Earlier this year, Strait completed the final leg of his The Cowboy Rides Away Tour with a record-breaking show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The star-studded event brought in the largest crowd of any North American indoor concert in history, topping out with nearly 105,000 in attendance.

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Strait will release the 20-track live album The Cowboy Rides Away: Live from AT&T Stadium, produced by Chuck Ainlay and George Strait for George Strait Productions. This CD features 20 of his numerous hits, most as duos between Strait and the Nashville superstars who performed with him at the record-breaking event at what formerly was called Cowboy Stadium: Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, and others; one song (All My Exes Live In Texas) with all of the stars in choir-format behind him; plus a few that George just performed on his own that incredible night. It concludes with “The Cowboy Rides Away,” the theme of the tour. More on where that CD will be available soon.

However, that was just a theme, not a statement of fact. He hasn’t ‘ridden away.’ The indisputable “King of Country” will continue to record new music for long-time label home MCA Records Nashville, with which he has signed a 5-project contract, and will perform select dates across the country.

All this not bad at all for a young singer who, some 40-someodd-years-ago, played every Tuesday night at Cheatham Street Warehouse, supported by owner Kent Finlay to garner a few new fans with every Ace In The Hole show.

For more information, visit www.GeorgeStrait.com or follow @GeorgeStrait, or simply keep coming back to the Live Music Calendar here on SceneInTown.com.