Scotty McCreery takes home one of the most coveted awards of the year

Photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry

Grand Ole Opry Moment of the Year: Scotty McCreery

When Scotty McCreery first stepped onto the “American Idol” stage back in 2011 and tore into those first few notes of that Josh Turner country classic, everyone knew that he was meant for the Grand Ole Opry stage.

Videos by Rare

Flash forward five years, and Scotty finds himself not only a fixture on country music’s most coveted stage, but also the winner of the first-ever Grand Ole Opry Moment of the Year award in the inaugural Rare Country Awards.

RELATED: Watch Scotty McCreery deliver a chilling cover of a modern country classic

Up against tough competition via performances from Cole Swindell, Carrie Underwood, RaeLynn and Toby Keith, Scotty led the way in the fan-voted category for his tear-inducing rendition of his song “Five More Minutes” back in June 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb8o8fgMs3A

“As soon as I started singing, I could tell the song was going to hit them as much as it had already hit me,” Scotty told Rare Country earlier this year. “When I was up onstage, I could see that the crowd was singing it word for word, so that’s always a good sign.”

RELATED: Scotty McCreery’s version of “The Dance” is the most beautiful thing you’ll hear all day

It’s also a good sign for Scotty going into 2017, as the country cutie prepares to take the genre by storm with new music and a new attitude. But no matter what happens in Scotty McCreery’s career, one thing is for sure — no one loves him more than his devoted fans.

What do you think?

Carrie Underwood shined brighter than ever in 2016

Carrie Underwood reigns as Rare Country’s Female Artist of the Year