A Long Wait Ends for Country Entertainer George Strait

For George Strait, the fifth time is apparently the charm.

After failing to cash in on four previous Country Music Assn. entertainer-of-the-year nominations, the shy, soft-spoken Texas singer was awarded the organization’s highest honor Monday night during a nationally televised ceremony originating from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.

“I’m so excited,” said Strait, who has had 19 No. 1 country hits since making his MCA Records debut in 1981. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”

Strait, 37, doesn’t offer the original phrasing or distinctive character of such acclaimed country vocalists as Merle Haggard and George Jones, but there is an underlying sense of musical integrity in his mix of the Western swing and honky-tonk traditions.

A fourth-generation cattle rancher with a degree in agriculture from Southwest Texas State University, Strait wears a trademark white cowboy hat, freshly pressed jeans and stiff, starched shirts that underscore his ties to country tradition--as opposed to the music’s rock-oriented or pop-oriented wings. His best-known hits include “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind,” “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” and “Baby’s Gotten Good at Goodbye.”

Other key winners in the association’s 23rd annual awards program included Ricky Van Shelton and Kathy Mattea, who were named top male and female vocalists.

“I thank God he gave me a voice instead of big feet,” joked Shelton, whose “Living Proof” album has been on the country best-seller list for a year.

“I’ve always liked to do this (sing), because I liked the doing of it,” said Mattea, whose current hit is titled “Burnin’ Old Memories.”

Hank Williams Jr., the association’s entertainer of the year for the past two years, was the night’s only double winner. Both awards were tied to the “There’s a Tear in My Beer” project, which featured a duet with the singer’s father, the late Hank Williams. Old footage and sound recordings by the senior Williams were used in producing the video and record.

The late Keith Whitley, 33, who died of an accidental alcohol overdose in May, won single of the year for his hit “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.” Accepting the award, Whitley’s widow, singer Lorrie Morgan, said, “Five months ago on this date, I lost the world’s greatest husband, and country music, in my eyes, lost the world’s greatest singer.”

The Judds, the team of mother Naomi and daughter Wynonna, won duo of the year, marking the fifth straight time the pair has been named either best duo or group of the year.

Hank Thompson, whose numerous country hits in the ‘40s and ‘50s included “Wild Side of Life” and “No Help Wanted,” was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with music publishers Cliffie Stone from Los Angeles and the late Jack Stapp.

Other winners included the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for top album (“Will the Circle Be Unbroken Vol. II”), Highway 101 for top group, Clint Black for newcomer, and Max D. Barnes and Vern Gosdin for best song (“Chiseled in Stone”).