They don’t miss.
A few weeks back, Washington, D.C. hosted the annual Kennedy Center Honors, and this year the spotlight shined on the King of Country Music alongside cultural heavyweights like KISS, Sylvester Stallone, Broadway great Michael Crawford, and disco icon Gloria Gaynor.
By now, you’ve probably heard the venue has been rebranded as the Trump–Kennedy Center. While President Donald Trump skipped the Honors during his first term, he’s taken a much more hands-on role in his second—appointing country singer Lee Greenwood to the board and naming himself chair as part of a broader organizational overhaul.
Most people know the Kennedy Center—formerly The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts—because of this annual ceremony that inducts a new class of artists and entertainers. Situated in D.C., it stands as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Over the years, country royalty like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, and George Jones have all been honored there.
So it felt only right that country’s biggest names turned out to salute George Strait. Miranda Lambert delivered a pitch-perfect take on “Run,” while Brooks & Dunn brought the house down with “Amarillo by Morning.”
Released in 1982 on Strait from the Heart, “Amarillo by Morning” peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs and has lived on as a genre-defining classic—arguably Strait’s most beloved song. Ironically, despite his 60 No. 1s, this one never topped the chart.
Strait has long called it his favorite:
“My most favorite song I’ve ever recorded… people always requested it. This one’s called ‘Amarillo By Morning.’ I love singing it.”
And hearing Ronnie Dunn tackle that vocal? Still elite. Brooks & Dunn and Miranda Lambert were the perfect choices to honor Strait’s legacy—covering him is no easy feat, but seasoned pros like them made it look effortless. Don’t be surprised if Brooks & Dunn find themselves as future Kennedy Center honorees.
The full ceremony airs tonight on CBS and streams on Paramount+. If this snippet is any indication, it’s pure perfection—and I can’t wait to see the whole performance.
“Amarillo by Morning.”