Country Music

Classic Country Music Hits

Country Music

ONE VERSE. LESS THAN 30 SECONDS. AND THE ROOM WENT STILL. When Brooks & Dunn slipped into Amarillo by Morning, nothing was dressed up. No update. No drama. Just country music, left exactly where George Strait has always kept it. The camera found George. He didn’t react. He listened. And in that stillness, the song stopped sounding like a tribute — it sounded like a life being quietly read aloud. Days earlier, Donald Trump had called him the King of Country. Tonight, the title wasn’t announced. It was understood. When Vince Gill later said George’s work was “true and genuine,” it felt less like praise… and more like a closing line. The music didn’t look back. It paused. And waited for you to notice why.

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Country Artists Pay Tribute To The “King Of Country,” George Strait, At Kennedy Center Honors

“We can hardly imagine the country music phenomena without its ‘King of Country,’” said President Donald Trump on Dec. 6 in the Oval Office as he presented George Strait and the other 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees with medallions.

Trump’s sentiment continued to ring true during the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, which occurred on Dec. 7, but was broadcast on CBS on Dec. 23.

Introducing the tribute to George Strait was Vince Gill, who said, “He gives such a true and genuine view of country music…your authenticity is why we call you our King.”

From the balcony, Strait could be seen smiling and even tearing up at times during his tribute.

The songs that were performed showed the strength in Strait’s body of work, with music performed from his second album, the 1982 release Strait From the Heart; all the way to his 2008 album, Troubadour.

Brooks & Dunn Perform “Amarillo By Morning”

Country duo Brooks & Dunn kicked off the tribute to Strait by performing “Amarillo By Morning.” Strait appeared misty-eyed as he listened to them sing.

This song, while it was originally released in 1973 by Terry Strafford, would go on to become one of the most enduring hits of Strait’s career when he released his rendition of it on his 1982 album Strait From the Heart.

Video

Lyrics

Amarillo by mornin’
Up from San Antone
Everything that I got
Is just what I’ve got on
When that Sun is high
In that Texas sky
I’ll be buckin’ at the county fair
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo I’ll be there
They took my saddle in Houston
Broke my leg in Santa Fe
Lost my wife and a girlfriend
Somewhere along the way
But I’ll be lookin’ for eight
When they pull that gate
And I hope that
Judge ain’t blind
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s on my mind
Amarillo by mornin’
Up from San Antone
Everything that I got
Is just what I’ve got on
I ain’t got a dime
But what I’ve got is mine
I ain’t rich
But Lord, I’m free
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s where I’ll be
Amarillo by mornin’
Amarillo’s where I’ll be

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“Tonight, I want to sing this for the man I’ve spent my whole life watching.” That was how Vince Gill opened his tribute — and from that moment on, the room knew this wasn’t just another honors performance. Standing beneath the lights of the Kennedy Center Honors, Vince Gill didn’t rush or embellish. He spoke plainly about watching a Texas singer choose the long road — and learning what authenticity looks like by paying attention, year after year. Then he sang Troubadour. Not as a showcase, but as thanks. A song about endurance and humility, delivered softly, as if meant for one person alone: George Strait, seated in the room. Weeks earlier, George had surprised the industry by honoring Vince with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the CMA Awards. This night felt like the quiet answer to that moment. When the final note faded, Vince lifted a hand — not to the crowd, not to the cameras — but toward George. George met it with a small nod. No speeches. No spectacle. Just respect, exchanged in silence.

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Kane & Katelyn Brown’s Marriage Isn’t a Celebrity Fairytale—It’s a Modern Country Love Story Built on Faith, Family, and Quiet Strength: From Their Unusual Engagement to a Private Wedding, Three Kids, and the Duet That Proved Their Bond Is Real. “Thank God “- where faith, family, and gratitude speak louder than any spotlight ever could.

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AFTER MORE THAN 40 YEARS TOGETHER, LOVE NO LONGER NEEDED A REASON TO SPEAK. For Toby, love didn’t sharpen with time — it softened. Not weaker. Calmer. Close enough to recognize itself without asking. That’s why “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” feels less like a confession and more like a pause. A moment where affection isn’t chasing permission — it’s acknowledging truth. Not desire rushing forward, but certainty settling in. Marriage, here, isn’t a promise repeated. It’s a habit that never grew careless. Silence that knows when to stay. Nothing presses for more. Nothing needs to be proved. After all those years, love doesn’t speak louder. It simply stays.

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Country Music

ONE VERSE. LESS THAN 30 SECONDS. AND THE ROOM WENT STILL. When Brooks & Dunn slipped into Amarillo by Morning, nothing was dressed up. No update. No drama. Just country music, left exactly where George Strait has always kept it. The camera found George. He didn’t react. He listened. And in that stillness, the song stopped sounding like a tribute — it sounded like a life being quietly read aloud. Days earlier, Donald Trump had called him the King of Country. Tonight, the title wasn’t announced. It was understood. When Vince Gill later said George’s work was “true and genuine,” it felt less like praise… and more like a closing line. The music didn’t look back. It paused. And waited for you to notice why.

Country Music

“Tonight, I want to sing this for the man I’ve spent my whole life watching.” That was how Vince Gill opened his tribute — and from that moment on, the room knew this wasn’t just another honors performance. Standing beneath the lights of the Kennedy Center Honors, Vince Gill didn’t rush or embellish. He spoke plainly about watching a Texas singer choose the long road — and learning what authenticity looks like by paying attention, year after year. Then he sang Troubadour. Not as a showcase, but as thanks. A song about endurance and humility, delivered softly, as if meant for one person alone: George Strait, seated in the room. Weeks earlier, George had surprised the industry by honoring Vince with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the CMA Awards. This night felt like the quiet answer to that moment. When the final note faded, Vince lifted a hand — not to the crowd, not to the cameras — but toward George. George met it with a small nod. No speeches. No spectacle. Just respect, exchanged in silence.

Country Music

Kane & Katelyn Brown’s Marriage Isn’t a Celebrity Fairytale—It’s a Modern Country Love Story Built on Faith, Family, and Quiet Strength: From Their Unusual Engagement to a Private Wedding, Three Kids, and the Duet That Proved Their Bond Is Real. “Thank God “- where faith, family, and gratitude speak louder than any spotlight ever could.

Country Music

AFTER MORE THAN 40 YEARS TOGETHER, LOVE NO LONGER NEEDED A REASON TO SPEAK. For Toby, love didn’t sharpen with time — it softened. Not weaker. Calmer. Close enough to recognize itself without asking. That’s why “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” feels less like a confession and more like a pause. A moment where affection isn’t chasing permission — it’s acknowledging truth. Not desire rushing forward, but certainty settling in. Marriage, here, isn’t a promise repeated. It’s a habit that never grew careless. Silence that knows when to stay. Nothing presses for more. Nothing needs to be proved. After all those years, love doesn’t speak louder. It simply stays.