George Strait
has been named artist of the decade by the Academy of Country
Music, which will honor him with a TV special on CBS in 2009. The TV taping will take place in Las Vegas on April 6. Only
four other acts have been honored as artist of the decade:
Marty Robbins
in 1969,
Loretta Lynn in 1979,
Alabama
in 1988 and
Garth Brooks in 1998. In related news, the ACM Awards will
be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 5 -- about six weeks earlier than usual.
Reba
McEntire will return as the host of the ACM Awards. Tickets for both events will be available on Nov. 6.
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