LIST: 10 Country Stars Recognized At The Kennedy Center Honors Before George Strait
on Aug 15, 2025
George Strait Named As A 2025 Kennedy Center Honoree
On August 13, President Donald Trump named the stars who will be recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors later this year, and George Strait is among them.
The other honorees are KISS, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, and Gloria Gaynor.
Speaking about Strait, President Trump said:
“Over an extraordinary four-decade career, George has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, amassed 60 No. 1 hits — wow — and produced 33 platinum-certified albums, more than any other living American.“
Trump continued, “He is believed by millions of people to be just as good as you can get. He is beloved by hundreds of millions of people all over the world … they call him the ‘King of Country.’”
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Strait is the first country star to be included in a class of Kennedy Center honorees in five years. The last country artist to receive the honor was Garth Brooks, but he wasn’t the first.
Over time, 10 country artists have been celebrated by the Kennedy Center Honors. See the full list below before Strait becomes the 11th star to join the ranking.
Which 10 Country Artists Received A Kennedy Center Honor Before George Strait?
Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff was the first country artist ever recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors. His fellow honorees were Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Fayard Nicholas, Harold Nicholas, Gregory Peck, and Robert Shaw.
Emmylou Harris, Steve Wariner, Chet Atkins, Bill Monroe, and Mark O’Connor appeared during the ceremony to honor Acuff. The program aired on CBS on December 26, 1991.
Johnny Cash
“The Man in Black” received recognition from the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996. Other honorees that year were Edward Albee, Benny Carter, Jack Lemmon, and Maria Tallchief.
Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, and Cash’s daughter, Rosanne, honored him during the ceremony with a medley of his songs. The medley included iconic tracks such as “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Ring of Fire.”
The 1996 Kennedy Center Honors aired on December 26, 1996.
Willie Nelson
Cash’s fellow Highwayman Willie Nelson became the next country star recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors. He joined the 1998 class, which included Fred Ebb, John Kander, André Previn, Shirley Temple Black, and Bill Cosby.
The 1998 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony aired on CBS on December 30, 1998.
One of the standout moments from the ceremony was when Dwight Yoakam sang “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” in tribute to Nelson.
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn became the first female country artist recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors. Her 2003 class included James Brown, Carol Burnett, Mike Nichols, and Itzhak Perlman.
Sissy Spacek, the actress who played Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter, spoke during the ceremony, which aired on CBS on December 26, 2003.
Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, and Patty Loveless delivered musical tributes. Loveless, a Kentucky native like Lynn, had the honor of singing her signature song “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
Dolly Parton
Following in Lynn’s footsteps came Dolly Parton, who the Kennedy Center recognized in 2006. The other honorees were Andrew Lloyd Webber, Zubin Mehta, Smokey Robinson, and Steven Spielberg.
An all-star lineup of celebrities turned out to honor Parton during the ceremony. Actress Reese Witherspoon spoke at the event, and Kenny Rogers, Carrie Underwood, Alison Krauss, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, and Vince Gill delivered tributes. They performed songs such as “Islands in the Stream,” “Jolene,” and “I Will Always Love You.”
The ceremony aired on CBS on December 26, 2006.
George Jones
“The Possum” received his flowers when he was recognized as a Kennedy Center honoree in 2008. His class included Morgan Freeman, Barbra Streisand, Twyla Tharp, and The Who.
The ceremony aired on CBS on December 30, 2008. Brad Paisley, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, and Garth Brooks performed tributes during the program.
Jackson had the honor of performing Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which many consider the greatest country song of all time.
Merle Haggard
The Kennedy Center recognized Merle Haggard in its 2010 class of honorees. He received recognition alongside Jerry Herman, Bill T. Jones, Paul McCartney, and Oprah Winfrey.
A bunch of superstar performers turned out to honor “The Hag” at the ceremony, including Brad Paisley, Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Kid Rock, and Miranda Lambert. They sang some of his timeless songs, including “Silver Wings,” “Workin’ Man Blues,” and “Today I Started Loving You Again.”
The program aired on CBS on December 28, 2010.
Reba McEntire
After participating in other artists’ tributes in prior years, Reba McEntire was recognized as a Kennedy Center honoree in 2018. Her class included Cher, Philip Glass, Wayne Shorter, and the creators of Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Alex Lacamoire).
McEntire’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony aired on CBS on December 26, 2018.
Many of McEntire’s famous friends and former collaborators paid tribute to her during the program. Kelly Clarkson sang “Fancy,” Lady A performed “Is There Life Out There” and “The Greatest Man I Never Knew,” and Brooks & Dunn sang “Why Haven’t I Heard from You.”
Broadway legend Kristin Chenoweth sang “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly” from Annie Get Your Gun, which McEntire starred in. Plus, her Reba co-star Melissa Peterman delivered a moving speech.
Linda Ronstadt
While not strictly a country artist, Linda Ronstadt has scored country hits and performed in a country trio (fittingly named Trio) with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. So it seemed appropriate to include her in this list.
Ronstadt was recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019. Her class included Earth, Wind & Fire, Sally Field, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Sesame Street.
Those who paid tribute to Ronstadt during the ceremony included Flor de Toloache, Carrie Underwood, Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, and Aaron Neville. The program aired on CBS on December 15, 2019.
Garth Brooks
Until George Strait was named as a member of the 2025 class, Garth Brooks was the last country artist recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Brooks was part of the 2020 class, which included Debbie Allen, Joan Baez, Midori, and Dick Van Dyke. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their ceremony was delayed until 2021, and aired on CBS on June 6, 2021.
Brooks teared up throughout the ceremony, as artists such as Kelly Clarkson, James Taylor, and Gladys Knight performed tributes to him. They sang “The Dance,” “The River,” and “We Shall Be Free,” respectively.
Fans can tune into the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors on CBS on December 22 to watch George Strait be recognized as the newest country-singing honoree. Congratulations to him!
