Jamie Foxx Honors George Strait at ACM Artist of the Decade Concert

Jamie Foxx told a story on the Academy of Country Music Awards show back in April about how he used to listen to George Strait when he was a young man growing up in small Terrell, Texas. He said that "You Look So Good In Love" was one of his favorite songs and that he would hopefully get to sing it for everyone when the Academy of Country Music honored its Artist of the Decade during a special concert in May. He then introduced the hit-making country superstar that was nominated for several awards that night, including Entertainer of the Year. Wednesday evening (the show was actually taped on April 7), Jamie Foxx was just one of the many performers who graced the stage to honor the quiet Texan who has been charting number one songs since the early 1980's.

Jamie Foxx was introduced as "a man who has won absolutely no Academy of Country Music awards" but that humbling bit of information did not stop the Oscar-winner from telling his own George Strait story, letting him know that he had black fans as well. Growing up in little Terrell, Texas, he said that when he found out George Strait was coming to town when he was 14, he told friends, "'I didn't care what side of the tracks I gotta go over, I'm going on the other side of the tracks to see George Strait.' I took a big risk that night."

But there was no risk involved honoring the man who had 57 #1 country hits to his credit.

He said the owner of the club wouldn't let him in, but he told everybody for years that George Strait had come to his town. He also said that no one believed him. But one day he actually met George Strait, who found out where Foxx was from. He said he had once played in Terrell, Texas.

Foxx sang "You Look So Good In Love," just like he promised. With a little jazz-tinged guitar playing, Foxx sang a heartfelt homage to a man one knew he actually admired.

George Strait is the fifth Artist of the Decade honoree of the Academy of Country Music. He follows Marty Robbins, Loretta Lynn, Alabama, and Garth Brooks.

It was Garth Brooks that handed him the Artist of the Decade trophy.

Besides Jamie Foxx, the Artist of the Decade was honored by performances by Brooks and Dunn, Jack Ingram, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, John Rich, LeAnn Rimes, Blake Shelton, Lee Ann Womack, Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.

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Sources:

"George Strait: Artist Of The Decade Concert," CBS Television

CBS.com