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George Strait

October 24, 2023

George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is credited for pioneering the neotraditional country style in the 1980s,[2] famed for his authentic cowboy image and roots-oriented sound at a time when the Nashville music industry was dominated by country pop crossover acts. Given his influence on the genre, Strait has been named the "King of Country Music" by writers and music critics.[3][4][5][6] Strait currently holds the record for most number one songs on all charts by an artist, in any genre of music."[3][7]

George Strait
Strait performing in 2014
Background information
Birth nameGeorge Harvey Strait
Born (1952-05-18) May 18, 1952 (age 71)
Poteet, Texas, U.S.
OriginPearsall, Texas, U.S.[1]
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • actor
  • record producer
  • rancher
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
DiscographyAlbums discography
Singles discography
Years active1976–present
LabelsMCA (MCA Nashville)
Member ofAce in the Hole Band
Spouse(s)
Norma Strait
​
(m. 1971)​
Websitewww.georgestrait.com
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1971–1975
Rank Corporal
Unit25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks

Strait's success began when his first single "Unwound" was a hit in 1981, helping introduce the neotraditional movement to the mainstream. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts. In the 2000s, Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour. Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.

By 2009, he broke Conway Twitty's previous record for the most number-one hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty's 40.[8] Strait has amassed 60 number-one hits.[9] "Give It All We Got Tonight" was number one in 2013,[10] breaking a record also previously set by Twitty. Strait holds the record for most number one songs on all charts by an artist in any genre of music."[3][7]

Strait is also known for his touring career when he designed a 360-degree configuration and introduced festival style tours. For example, the Strait Tours earned $99 million in three years.[11] His final concert for The Cowboy Rides Away Tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in June 2014, drew 104,793 people, marking a new record for largest indoor concert in North America.[12]

Strait has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[13] He holds the RIAA record for most certified platinum albums by any artist, with 33 certified platinum albums. Strait also has 13 multi-platinum and 38 gold albums. His best-selling album is Pure Country (1992), which sold 6 million (6× platinum). His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box (1995), which sold 2 million copies (8× Platinum due to being a box set with four CDs). According to the RIAA, Strait is the 12th best-selling album recording artist in the United States overall selling over 69 million records across the United States.[14]

Early life Edit

George Harvey Strait Sr. was born on May 18, 1952, in Poteet, Texas,[1] to John Byron Strait Sr. (January 11, 1922 – June 4, 2013),[15] and Doris Jean Couser (June 26, 1930 – January 30, 2010).

He grew up in nearby Pearsall, in Frio County,[1] where his father was a junior high school mathematics teacher and the owner of a 2,000-acre (810 ha) cattle ranch outside of Big Wells, Texas.[1] The family worked at the ranch on the weekends and in the summers.[1] When George was in the fourth grade, his father and mother were divorced, and his mother moved away with his sister, Pency. George and his brother John Jr. (1950–2009), were raised by their father.[16]

Strait began his musical career while attending Pearsall High School, where he performed in a rock and roll garage band, known as the Stoics, taking most influence from the Beatles.[17] "The Beatles were big," Strait confirmed. "I listened to them a lot and that whole bunch of groups that were popular then." His musical preference soon turned to country with singers Hank Thompson, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, and Frank Sinatra influencing his style. Strait did not tune to the country music radio often as a youth, usually listening to the news and the farmer's report. His introduction to country music came mostly by way of live performances, which, according to Strait, could be heard in every town in Texas.[18]

Marriage and military service Edit

He eloped with his high school sweetheart, Norma Voss. The couple initially married in Mexico on December 4, 1971. That same year, he enlisted in the United States Army as an infantryman. While stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii as a part of the 25th Infantry Division, Strait began performing with an Army-sponsored band, "Rambling Country", which also played off-base under the name "Santee".[19] On October 6, 1972, while still in Hawaii, George and Norma had their first child, Jenifer.[20] Strait served in the United States Army from 1971 to 1975 and ultimately attained the rank of Corporal.[21]

Higher education Edit

After Strait was honorably discharged from the Army in 1975, he enrolled at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos. He graduated with a degree in agriculture.[22]

Strait was also presented an honorary doctoral degree by his alma mater – Texas State University in San Marcos – in a private ceremony on May 26, 2006.[22] Strait is a loyal alumnus of Texas State; in 1985 he established an endowment fund for the development and operation of the Freeman Ranch for agricultural purposes, land and wildlife management, and gifts of scholarships.[22]

Music career Edit

1970s Edit

 
George Strait had his first performance at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, Texas on October 13, 1975.[23]

During his college years, Strait joined the country band Stoney Ridge, answering a flyer the band posted around campus looking for a new vocalist. Strait renamed the group the Ace in the Hole Band, and quickly became the lead; they began to perform at different honky-tonks and bars around south and central Texas, traveling as far east as Huntsville and Houston.[24] They gained a regional following and opened for national acts such as The Texas Playboys. Soon, his band was given the opportunity to record several Strait-penned singles, including "That Don't Change The Way I Feel About You" and "I Can't Go On Dying Like This" for the Houston-based D label. However, the songs never achieved wide recognition, and Strait continued to manage his family cattle ranch during the day to make some extra cash.[24][25]

While he continued to play with his band, without any real connections to the recording industry, Strait became friends with Erv Woolsey, who operated one of the bars in which the Ace in the Hole band played, and who had previously worked for the major label MCA Records. Woolsey convinced some of his Music Row (Nashville) connections to come to Texas and to listen to Strait and his band play. Impressed with the performance, but concerned that they could not market the Western Swing sound that the band featured, they left without a deal.

After several unsuccessful trips to Nashville in search of a record deal in which Strait was turned down by every label in town, he considered giving up music altogether. He was offered a job designing cattle pens and decided to take it. He gave the band notice that he was leaving, but after a discussion with his wife, she convinced him to give music one more year. Not long afterward, MCA signed Strait to a recording contract in February 1981. The initial deal was for one song. If the single did well, the label would then consider doing an album.[26] The Ace in the Hole band remained with Strait, performing as the backup and touring band for the now solo career of Strait.[25]

1980s Edit

In the spring of 1981, Strait released his first single for MCA Records, titled "Unwound", which climbed to number six on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that year, and was included on his debut album Strait Country. The record featured two more singles including "Down and Out", a number-16 hit for Strait, and "If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home)".[27]

 
"Amarillo by Morning," which tells the story of a Texas rodeo cowboy, was originally recorded and written by Terry Stafford in 1973. In 1982, Strait recorded the song with a more Western-based instrumentation. The song has become a signature song associated with Strait, and has been referred as one of the greatest country songs of all time.[28][29]

Strait Country was hailed by critics as a "new-traditionalist" breakthrough that broke the trend of pop-influenced country prevalent at the time.[27] 1982 saw the release of Strait's second album, the critically acclaimed Strait from the Heart, which featured the first number-one single of his career, "Fool Hearted Memory", and the top-five Western ballad "Amarillo by Morning" originally sung and written by Terry Stafford in 1973 that would later become one of Strait's signature songs.[30] In 1983, Strait made his first appearance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, when the headlining star, Eddie Rabbitt became sick with the flu. Performing at that rodeo has since become a mainstay throughout his career. He has made more than 20 appearances at the rodeo and played for more than one million fans.

Strait recorded 17 number ones during the decade, including a string of five that lasted from 1983 to 1984[31] from his next two albums Right or Wrong, his first number-one album and the CMA award-winning Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind. The next year, he won the CMA award for top male vocalist, and released his first greatest hits compilation, which featured songs from his first three albums. Also in 1985, Strait released Something Special, the third-straight number-one album of his career, featuring the number-one single "The Chair".[27] In 1986, Strait repeated as the CMA vocalist of the year and released his fourth number-one album #7.

Strait and his family were struck with tragedy when his 13-year-old daughter, Jenifer, was killed in a one-car, alcohol-unrelated accident in 1986. She was riding in a Ford Mustang driven by Gregory Wilson Allen, 18, of Staples, Texas. Allen was subsequently charged with a class A misdemeanor for vehicular homicide. Mike Cox, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, said, "The responding trooper determined the cause of accident to be excessive speed and that the car did not negotiate the turn properly. Jenifer was riding in the front passenger seat, and none of the four occupants was wearing seat belts at the time.[32] When the vehicle flipped over onto its passenger's side, Jenifer was partially ejected, killing her on impact.[32][33] The incident caused Strait to greatly limit his contact with the media. He stopped doing interviews for many years after the accident; he and his family did not wish to discuss Jenifer's death.[34]

His grief did not hinder his performance, however, or his output, as he went on to release 11 straight number-one hits, starting with "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her" in 1986 and ending with "Ace in the Hole" in 1989.[31] The singles spanned four albums, including #7, Ocean Front Property in 1987, If You Ain't Lovin' You Ain't Livin' in 1988, and 1989's Beyond the Blue Neon, all of which reached the number-one spot on country album charts. Ocean Front Property was the first country album to ever debut at number one on the charts by any artist. The streak included such songs as "Ocean Front Property", "All My Ex's Live in Texas", "Famous Last Words of a Fool", and "Baby Blue". Strait finished the decade by winning the CMA Entertainer of the Year award in 1989. One year later, he won the award again.[27]

1990s Edit

 
Strait performing live at the 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, Maryland on April 7, 2008

Strait began the decade with the release of his 10th studio album, Livin' It Up, which featured two number-one hits, including "Love Without End, Amen", his first multiweek hit, and "I've Come to Expect It From You". Both songs remained first for five weeks in 1990. Chill of an Early Fall shortly followed in 1991, and received positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly noted that the album marked a shift for Strait from "repeating himself" in his previous works to producing different material.[35] It produced the number-one songs "If I Know Me" and "You Know Me Better Than That", but ended his streak of 31 straight top-10 hits with the cover of "Lovesick Blues", which peaked at number 24. The record blocked his run of eight top-charting albums with its peak of number four. In the spring of 1992, Holding My Own was released. It did not produce any number ones, but did include two top-five songs, including "So Much Like My Dad".

Later in 1992, Strait played the main character in the film Pure Country, and released the film's soundtrack. It was his most successful studio album, producing such hits as "Heartland", "I Cross My Heart", and "When Did You Stop Loving Me", and peaked at number one and number six respectively on the Country and Billboard 200 album charts. The success continued with his next album, Easy Come, Easy Go in 1993, which reached the top five on the Billboard 200 and featured the hits "I'd Like to Have That One Back", "The Man in Love with You", and the number-one title track.[27]

His next four albums, including Lead On in 1994, Blue Clear Sky in 1996, Carrying Your Love with Me in 1997, and 1998's One Step at a Time, all charted at number one, with Blue Clear Sky claiming the spot on its debut week, and Carrying Your Love with Me peaking at number one on the Billboard 200 for the first time in Strait's career. This series of albums produced eight number-one singles for Strait, including "You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody", "Carried Away", "One Night at a Time", and "I Just Want to Dance with You".[27]

During this period, Strait also released a four-disc, box-set career retrospective, Strait Out of the Box, in 1995, which became the second-best selling box set ever with shipments of 8 million in the United States. He was named as the CMA's Top Male Vocalist in 1997 and 1998.[27] Starting in 1997, and continuing until 2001, Strait headlined the George Strait Country Music Festival, which included artists such as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and others.[27]

In an effort to introduce these acts to as many fans as possible, the festival promised not to visit any market more than twice. It played only a small number of dates, usually no more than 20 a year, but still managed to be the ninth-biggest grossing tour of 1998.[36]

Strait completed the decade with the album Always Never the Same in 1999, which peaked at number two on country charts and matched the cross-over success of Pure Country by reaching number six on the Billboard 200. The record produced the hits "What Do You Say to That", "Meanwhile", and the number-one "Write This Down". Reviews of the album's material were generally mixed, but Entertainment Weekly observed that at this point in his career, Strait could record the "most lightweight" material and "make it soar" on the radio with his "grace".[35] All in all, Strait scored 17 number-one hits on the Billboard country airplay charts in the decade, and carried his successes into the next century.[16]

2000s Edit

 
Strait on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour, XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut, February 23, 2013

Strait released a self-titled album in 2000, which despite a number-one and number-seven showing on the country and Billboard 200 album charts, respectively, produced no number-one singles, and was the first studio album of his career to not be certified platinum. The singles "Go On" and "If You Can Do Anything Else" were released from the record, with both peaking in the top five. In May 2001, The Road Less Traveled was released. Reviews for the album were mostly positive; Rolling Stone described it as sticking to the formula, "but adds a few twists that make it superior to his last few releases."[37] It featured "vocal processing", and was considered by some critics as an experimental album.[25] Three singles were released from it, two of which reached number one, including "She'll Leave You with a Smile", his 50th on combined charts and "Living and Living Well", both of which reached the top 30 of Billboard Hot 100, with the former peaking at number 23, Strait's highest rank on the chart. The single "Run" peaked at number two and reached number 34 on the Billboard 100. Strait released two records in 2003. For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome was a recording of the last Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to take place in the Astrodome. The performance itself set the record for paid attendance at the venue, with 68,266 people, breaking Latin superstar Selena's previous record of about 67,000 in 1995.[38]

His next album, Honkytonkville was described as "a fiery set of hard country", and was praised "for its mixture of the old Strait with his modern, superstar self."[25] It did not produce any number ones for Strait, but included the hits "Cowboys Like Us" and a cover of Bruce Robison's "Desperately". His 2004 performance at Reliant Stadium set a new rodeo attendance record, with 68,679 spectators. That year, he issued a greatest hits package billed as 50 Number Ones, chronicling the number-one hits of his career from all charts, starting with "Fool Hearted Memory" and ending with "She'll Leave You With a Smile." A new track, "I Hate Everything", was also included, and became his 51st overall number one in 2004.

The next year, Somewhere Down in Texas arrived, which produced the hit "You'll Be There", marking Strait's first appearance on the adult contemporary chart. The next year, he embarked on a tour that included only 18 performances, but grossed over $15 million. He attributed this success to the fact that his band and he are "musically very tight", have a large pool of songs to draw from, and perform those songs very similarly to how they sound on their albums.[39]

 
Strait on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour, XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut, February 23, 2013

On October 3, 2006, Strait marked his 30th year in the music industry with the release of a new album titled It Just Comes Natural. The album was recorded in Key West, Florida, in Jimmy Buffett's Shrimp Boat Sound Studio (said to be a better recording location due to lack of allergy flare-ups during recording process), which was also the recording location of Troubadour.[citation needed] It featured 15 new songs. Strait's long-time friend and songwriter, Dean Dillon, co-wrote two of the songs on the album. It received generally positive reviews from critics. People, in their four-star review, remarked, "If ever there was a natural in country music, it's Strait," while USA Today raved that "he continues to make such consistent quality look easy". The first single from the album, "Give It Away" reached number one, making one of its co-writers, country legend "Whispering Bill" Anderson, the first songwriter to have a number-one hit in five different decades. The title track, "It Just Comes Natural" became his 42nd Billboard number one.[citation needed]

In 2007, "Wrapped" reached number one on the Mediabase 24/7 country music charts, giving Strait his 55th overall number-one single. From January through April of that year, Strait headlined a 23-date arena tour with country-music legend Ronnie Milsap and then-newcomer Taylor Swift. He released a new album titled Troubadour on April 1, 2008. The CD contained 12 tracks, including a duet with Patty Loveless and another with long-time songwriter Dean Dillon. The lead single from the album, "I Saw God Today", debuted at number 19 on the Radio and Records and Billboard charts. It is the highest debut ever for a single from Strait and the fourth-highest debut for a song in country-music history. Troubadour debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 album charts, selling over 160,000 copies in its first week of release. "River of Love", the third single from the album, became his 57th number-one song in 2009.[40]

 
Strait on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour, Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, March 1, 2014

In April 2009, Strait was honored by the Academy of Country Music with the Artist of the Decade Award, which was presented to Strait by the previous ACM Artist of the Decade, Garth Brooks. In June of that year, he headlined the first event at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Strait's single "Living for the Night" was released on May 28, 2009, and was written by Strait, his son Bubba, and Dean Dillon. The song was the lead single from his album Twang, released on August 11, 2009. Twang was certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies.[citation needed]

2010s Edit

In 2010, Billboard ranked Strait number one in the top-25 country artists of the past 25 years.[41] On September 6, 2011, Strait released the album, Here for a Good Time, which yielded two number-one singles—"Here for a Good Time" and "Love's Gonna Make It Alright"—bringing Strait's number-one singles total to 59. The album's third single, "Drinkin' Man", was less successful, peaking at number 37.

In October 2012, Strait released the single "Give It All We Got Tonight",[42] which was included on his album Love Is Everything, released on May 14, 2013. The song initiated a "60 for 60" movement by Strait's label, to make the song his 60th number-one single on all country charts while he was still 60 years old.[43] The song reached the top of the Mediabase charts in May 2013. The album's next single, "I Believe", reached number 50 on the U.S. Country Airplay chart, making it Strait's first single to miss the top 40. Strait won the 2013 CMA Entertainer of the Year award.

In November 2013, Billboard presented Strait with its Legend of Live honor during the 10th annual Billboard Touring Awards ceremony.[44] The award honors the concert industry's top artist based on Billboard's Boxscore chart and box-office performance.[45] Strait is the first country artist to receive Billboard's highest touring accolade.[46] On April 19, 2015, Strait made a guest appearance at the 2015 ACM Awards, he performed "All My Ex's Lives in Texas" and his new single "Let it Go".[47]

In 2016, Strait was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "Forever Country", for a mash-up track of "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "On the Road Again", and "I Will Always Love You", which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards.[48]

In 2018, Strait released a single called "Codigo", after a brand of tequila produced by a company in which he had invested.[49]

The Cowboy Rides Away Tour Edit

Main article: The Cowboy Rides Away Tour
 
Strait on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour, XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut, February 23, 2013

On September 26, 2012, Strait announced that he was retiring from touring, and that his Cowboy Rides Away Tour would be his last.[50][51][52] Tickets for both arenas and stadiums on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour sold out in a matter of hours. The tour started on January 18, 2013, in Lubbock, Texas, and was divided into two legs: 21 concerts in 2013 and 26 concerts in 2014. The tour ended in Arlington, Texas, on June 7, 2014. Strait was supported on the tour by his longtime 11-member touring group, the Ace in the Hole Band. For the 2013 leg, Martina McBride was the opening performer.[50]

On January 9, 2014, Strait initiated the second leg of the tour, which featured the opening performers Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Merle Haggard, Chris Young, Ronnie Dunn, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and Asleep at the Wheel.[53] Many of these performers gathered together for the tour's final concert in Arlington, Texas on June 7, before 104,793 fans—the largest ticketed attendance ever at a single concert in the United States. The concert also set a record for the largest gross at a single-show country concert, $18,194,374, and broke the 33-year-old record as well for "largest indoor concert ever," easily surpassing the 87,500 fans who attended the December 5, 1981, Rolling Stones concert at the New Orleans Superdome (opening acts, The Neville Brothers, followed by George Thorogood and the Destroyers).

A live album recorded from the final concert in Arlington titled The Cowboy Rides Away: Live from AT&T Stadium was released on September 16, 2014, with DVD/CDs of the concert being released on November 10, 2014, with Walmart exclusively releasing a deluxe edition including two CDs, as well. This deluxe DVD is the entire over three-hour concert and the accompanying two CDs have 28 of the 40 songs sung that night.[54] On August 29, 2014, the Country Music Television channel broadcast a two-hour concert special of the event titled George Strait: The Cowboy Rides Away.[54] This CMT concert special had 1+1⁄4 hours of music from the concert and interviews.

Musical style Edit

Strait's style of country music has been largely labeled as neotraditional country, which relies on traditional instrumentation in country music, i.e. fiddle and pedal steel guitar.[55][2][56] His style has also been labeled as Texas country, Western swing,[57][55] and honky-tonk.[55][57]

Personal life Edit

 
Strait at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in 2005

Strait eloped in Mexico with his high school sweetheart Norma in December 1971.[58] Their first child, Jenifer, was born on October 6, 1972. Their son, George Harvey Strait Jr., known as "Bubba", was born in 1981.[59]

Jenifer was killed in an automobile accident in San Marcos on June 25, 1986, at age 13. The family set up the Jenifer Lynn Strait Foundation, which donates money to children's charities in the San Antonio area.[60] George Strait Jr., who is a graduate of Texas State University, competed as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association team-roping competitor.[61] Strait was able to watch his son compete at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2006 shortly before taking the stage for his own performance.[62] On April 10th, 2009 John Byron “Buddy” Strait, who was George’s older brother, passed away at the age of 58. Since 2010, Strait has served as spokesman for the VF Corporation's Wrangler National Patriot program, a campaign designed to raise awareness and funds for America's wounded and fallen military veterans and their families.[63] Strait says, "I've been a part of the Wrangler family for a long time... when they came to me with the idea for supporting fallen and wounded American veterans and their families, I knew I wanted to get involved."[63] He also appeared in commercials for Tractor Supply Company.[64]

In February 2012, Strait became a grandfather when George Strait Jr. and his wife Tamara had their first child, a son, George Harvey Strait III.[65]

 
Vaqueros del Mar 5, George Strait auctions off his boots for the troops: George Strait, Tom Cusick, David Feherty

Strait owns a Gulfstream G450 business jet; its tail number is N518GS.[66] His personal aircraft is housed at the Landmark Aviation facility in San Antonio. He teamed up with Texas Governor Greg Abbott to help with disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey which devastated coastal areas of Texas.[67]

Strait along with long-time friend and business partner Tom Cusick created the Vaqueros Del Mar (Cowboys of the Sea) Invitational Golf Tournament and Concert held annually at Strait and Cusick's Texas Hill Country resort Tapatio Springs Resort near Boerne, Texas. The Invitational raises money for David Feherty's Troops First Foundation, benefiting wounded servicemen, servicewomen and their families. Since its beginning in 2012, more than US$5 million have been raised by the events.[68][69][70] In January 2018, George Strait was named the 2018 Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference, a statewide group of business and political leaders. Strait was honored for his fundraising efforts in the wake of the widespread flooding following Hurricane Harvey.[71][72]

Discography Edit

Main articles: George Strait albums discography and George Strait singles discography

In more than 30 years of recording, all of which have been spent with MCA Records, George Strait has garnered 61 number-one songs on all country charts (including Mediabase 24/7, the former Radio & Records chart, and the now-defunct Gavin Report chart), and has more number-one hits than any other artist in a single genre. His 44 Billboard country number-one hits are a record, four more than Conway Twitty's total that includes several duets with Loretta Lynn.[73] Additionally, Strait is also the first artist in the history of Billboard to have at least one single enter the top 10 of a Billboard chart for 30 consecutive years, starting in 1981 when his debut single "Unwound" peaked at number six on the Hot Country Singles chart. All of his top-10 singles have been on that chart.[74] Strait has sold more than 68 million records in the United States alone,[75] and his certifications from the RIAA include 13 multiplatinum, 33 platinum, and 38 gold albums.[76]

Filmography Edit

Strait has acted in several films. He had a bit part in The Soldier (1982) and starred in Pure Country (1992). He also appeared as himself in Grand Champion (2002).

The film Pure Country featured George Strait in the lead role as Dusty Chandler, a famous country singer who strays too far from his country roots and traditional sound. It provided the opportunity for Strait to branch out from his own traditional country sound for a more rock-and-roll approach. The film had little success at the box office and took in only $15 million, but the soundtrack also called Pure Country, produced several hit singles for Strait. It has become his best-selling album to date. Strait had a limited role in the sequel to Pure Country, Pure Country 2: The Gift.[77]

Year Title Role
1982 The Soldier Himself
1992 Pure Country Wyatt "Dusty" Chandler
2002 Grand Champion Himself
2003 King of the Hill Voice of Cornell
2010 Pure Country 2: The Gift Himself

Honors and awards Edit

 
George Strait Country Music Hall of Fame plaque

Strait holds the record for most number-one albums and singles, gold albums, platinum albums, and multiplatinum albums in the history of country music, and is 11th in the most number-one albums in all other genres. Strait is third only to Elvis Presley and The Beatles with the most gold and platinum albums in the history of music.[78] Strait has been certified as the 12th-best selling artist in American history, with career record sales of 70 million in the United States.[79]

Strait has held the world record for most number one hit singles across all charts and genres with 60 number-one hits since 2013,[3][7] and is the only artist in the history of music of any kind to have a top-10 hit every year for 30 years. He is also second all-time in top-10 hits in the history of music, currently five away from breaking the all-time record held by Eddy Arnold, who had 92 in his historic career. Strait has won 22 CMA Awards, including consecutive Entertainer of the Year honors in 1989 and 1990, and also just recently won that same honor in 2013 (and is the only artist to win the top honor in three different decades) and holds the career record for CMA nominations (as a whole) and the most consecutively of all time.

As of 2009, he holds the record for the most CMA awards. Strait also holds those same records for wins and nominations for the Academy of Country Music Awards. Strait was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006, performing his then-latest number-one hit "Give it Away" right before accepting his replica Hall of Fame plaque at the 40th CMA Awards. He was only the second artist (after Eddy Arnold in 1966) to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while still actively recording and producing chart-topping hits and albums.

As of June 8, 2010, Strait was named the top country-music artist of the past 25 years according to Billboard. In October 2008, the Academy of Country Music Awards named Strait their Artist of the Decade for the 2000s. He was presented the award by the previous winner Garth Brooks. Past winners of the award are Marty Robbins (1960s), Loretta Lynn (1970s), Alabama (1980s), and Garth Brooks (1990s).[80] With the win of the entertainer-of-the-year award in 2013, he is the only artist to ever win that award in three different decades and also was the oldest winner. The win is currently the longest span between wins for that award, as well. Strait is also tied with Merle Haggard for the most male vocalist-of-the-year awards.

On June 1, 2013, Strait appeared at the Alamodome, in San Antonio, Texas, before 70,000 fans in the last concert of the first half of his two-year farewell tour. Governor Rick Perry, who was in attendance with First Lady Anita Thigpen Perry, announced that May 18, Strait's birthday, would be "George Strait Day" in Texas each year.[81]

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Strait at number 156 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[82]

Year Award Category Work Ref
1985 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist — [83]
1985 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year — [84]
1985 Country Music Association Album of the Year Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind [84]
1986 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist — [83]
1986 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind [83]
1986 Music City News Country Male Artist of the Year —
1986 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year — [84]
1986 Billboard Year-End Awards Top Country Artist —
1987 Billboard Year-End Awards Top Country Artist —
1988 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist — [83]
1989 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year — [84]
1989 Special Connie B. Gay Award —
1989 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year — [83]
1989 Special Presidential American Success Award —
1990 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year — [84]
1990 Radio & Records Country Performer of the Year —
1991 American Music Awards Favorite Country Male Artist —
1993 Academy of Country Music Tex Ritter Movie of the Year Pure Country [83]
1995 Academy of Country Music Single of the Year "Check Yes or No" [83]
1995 ASCAP Voice Of Music Award —
1996 TNN/Music City News Video of the Year "Check Yes or No"
1996 TNN/Music City News Single of the Year "Check Yes or No"
1996 TNN/Music City News Album of the Year Lead On
1996 Music City News Country Single of the Year "Check Yes or No"
1996 Country Music Association Single of the Year "Check Yes or No" [84]
1996 Country Music Association Album of the Year Blue Clear Sky [84]
1996 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year — [84]
1996 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist — [83]
1996 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year Blue Clear Sky [83]
1996 Radio & Records Best Single "Check Yes or No" [83]
1996 Radio & Records Best Male Vocalist —
1996 Radio & Records Most Valuable Performer —
1997 TNN/Music City News Album of the Year Blue Clear Sky
1997 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year — [84]
1997 Country Music Association Album of the Year Carrying Your Love With Me [84]
1997 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album Blue Clear Sky
1997 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist — [83]
1997 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year Carrying Your Love With Me [83]
1997 Radio & Records Best Album Blue Clear Sky
1997 Radio & Records Best Male Vocalist —
1998 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year — [84]
1998 American Music Awards Favorite Country Male Artist —
1998 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album Carrying Your Love With Me
1998 Radio & Records Best Male Vocalist —
1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Song "I Just Want to Dance with You"
1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Line Dance Song "I Just Want to Dance with You"
1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Video Entertainer —
1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Male Artist —
1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Entertainer —
1999 Country Weekly / TNN/CMT Music Awards Album of the Year One Step at a Time
2000 Country Weekly / TNN/CMT Music Awards Impact Artist of the Year —
2000 Country Weekly / TNN/CMT Music Awards Single of the Year "Write This Down"
2000 Country Weekly / TNN/CMT Music Awards Male Artist of the Year —
2000 Country Weekly / TNN/CMT Music Awards Entertainer of the Year —
2000 Country Weekly / TNN/CMT Music Awards Album of the Year Always Never The Same
2000 Country Music Association Vocal Event of the Year "Murder on Music Row" (with Alan Jackson) [84]
2001 Country Music Association Song of the Year "Murder On Music Row" (awarded to songwriters) [84]
2002 Country Weekly Favorite Collaborative Song "Designated Drinker" (with Alan Jackson)
2003 CMT 40 Greatest Men of Country Music Ranked No. 9[citation needed] —
2003 Academy of Country Music Special Achievement Award (in recognition of 50 No. 1 Songs) — [83]
2003 Special Award National Medal of Arts —
2004 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame — [85]
2005 Country Music Association Musical Event of the Year "Good News, Bad News" (with Lee Ann Womack) [84]
2006 Honorary Doctoral Degree Texas State University–San Marcos —
2006 Country Music Hall of Fame Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame —
2006 Academy of Country Music Single Record of the Year (artist) "Give It Away" [84]
2006 Academy of Country Music Single Record of the Year (producer) "Give It Away" [84]
2006 Academy of Country Music Song of the Year (artist) "Give It Away" [84]
2007 Country Music Association Song of the Year "Give It Away" (awarded to songwriter Jamey Johnson) [84]
2007 Country Music Association Album of the Year It Just Comes Natural (for artist and producer) [84]
2008 Country Music Association Single of the Year "I Saw God Today" [84]
2008 Country Music Association Album of the Year Troubadour [84]
2009 Grammy Awards Best Country Album Troubadour
2009 Academy of Country Music Artist of the Decade — [83]
2010 Billboard.com Top Country Artist of the Past 25 Years — [86]
2013 Country Radio Broadcasters Inc. Country Radio Broadcasters Career Achievement Award —
2013 ASCAP ASCAP Founders Award —
2013 Billboard Touring Awards Legend of Live Award —
2013 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year — [84]
2014 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year — [83]
2015 Academy of Country Music 50th Anniversary Milestone Award Winner — [83]
2017 Academy of Country Music Cliffie Stone Icon Award — [83]
2020 Billboard Music Awards Top Country Tour
2021 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Western Heritage Awards Lifetime Achievement Award [87]

References Edit

Citations Edit

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Sources Edit

  • Bego, Mark (2001). George Strait: The Story of Country's Living Legend. New York: Citadel Press. ISBN 978-0-8065-2258-6.
  • Dickinson, Chris (2012). Kingsbury, Paul (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-539563-1.

External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Strait.
  • George Strait Online
  • George Strait – biography, discography, lyrics, photos, videos August 10, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  • Official UMG Nashville Artist Page
  • George Strait at IMDb
  • George Strait Team Roping Classic (GSTRC) homepage
  • 1992 interview with George Strait (Part 1 and Part 2) on Texas Archive of the Moving Image

October 24, 2023
george, strait, george, harvey, strait, born, 1952, american, country, music, singer, songwriter, actor, music, producer, strait, credited, pioneering, neotraditional, country, style, 1980s, famed, authentic, cowboy, image, roots, oriented, sound, time, when, . George Harvey Strait Sr born May 18 1952 is an American country music singer songwriter actor and music producer Strait is credited for pioneering the neotraditional country style in the 1980s 2 famed for his authentic cowboy image and roots oriented sound at a time when the Nashville music industry was dominated by country pop crossover acts Given his influence on the genre Strait has been named the King of Country Music by writers and music critics 3 4 5 6 Strait currently holds the record for most number one songs on all charts by an artist in any genre of music 3 7 George StraitStrait performing in 2014Background informationBirth nameGeorge Harvey StraitBorn 1952 05 18 May 18 1952 age 71 Poteet Texas U S OriginPearsall Texas U S 1 GenresNeotraditional country Texas country Western swing honky tonkOccupationsSinger songwriter actor record producer rancherInstrumentsVocals guitarDiscographyAlbums discographySingles discographyYears active1976 presentLabelsMCA MCA Nashville Member ofAce in the Hole BandSpouse s Norma Strait m 1971 wbr Websitewww wbr georgestrait wbr comMilitary careerAllegianceUnited StatesService wbr branchUnited States ArmyYears of service1971 1975RankCorporalUnit25th Infantry Division Schofield Barracks Strait s success began when his first single Unwound was a hit in 1981 helping introduce the neotraditional movement to the mainstream During the 1980s seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts In the 2000s Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989 1990 and 2013 and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014 He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist By 2009 he broke Conway Twitty s previous record for the most number one hits on Billboard s Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty s 40 8 Strait has amassed 60 number one hits 9 Give It All We Got Tonight was number one in 2013 10 breaking a record also previously set by Twitty Strait holds the record for most number one songs on all charts by an artist in any genre of music 3 7 Strait is also known for his touring career when he designed a 360 degree configuration and introduced festival style tours For example the Strait Tours earned 99 million in three years 11 His final concert for The Cowboy Rides Away Tour at AT amp T Stadium in Arlington Texas in June 2014 drew 104 793 people marking a new record for largest indoor concert in North America 12 Strait has sold more than 120 million records worldwide making him one of the best selling music artists of all time 13 He holds the RIAA record for most certified platinum albums by any artist with 33 certified platinum albums Strait also has 13 multi platinum and 38 gold albums His best selling album is Pure Country 1992 which sold 6 million 6 platinum His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box 1995 which sold 2 million copies 8 Platinum due to being a box set with four CDs According to the RIAA Strait is the 12th best selling album recording artist in the United States overall selling over 69 million records across the United States 14 Contents 1 Early life 2 Marriage and military service 3 Higher education 4 Music career 4 1 1970s 4 2 1980s 4 3 1990s 4 4 2000s 4 5 2010s 4 6 The Cowboy Rides Away Tour 5 Musical style 6 Personal life 7 Discography 8 Filmography 9 Honors and awards 10 References 10 1 Citations 10 2 Sources 11 External linksEarly life EditGeorge Harvey Strait Sr was born on May 18 1952 in Poteet Texas 1 to John Byron Strait Sr January 11 1922 June 4 2013 15 and Doris Jean Couser June 26 1930 January 30 2010 He grew up in nearby Pearsall in Frio County 1 where his father was a junior high school mathematics teacher and the owner of a 2 000 acre 810 ha cattle ranch outside of Big Wells Texas 1 The family worked at the ranch on the weekends and in the summers 1 When George was in the fourth grade his father and mother were divorced and his mother moved away with his sister Pency George and his brother John Jr 1950 2009 were raised by their father 16 Strait began his musical career while attending Pearsall High School where he performed in a rock and roll garage band known as the Stoics taking most influence from the Beatles 17 The Beatles were big Strait confirmed I listened to them a lot and that whole bunch of groups that were popular then His musical preference soon turned to country with singers Hank Thompson Lefty Frizzell Merle Haggard George Jones Bob Wills Hank Williams and Frank Sinatra influencing his style Strait did not tune to the country music radio often as a youth usually listening to the news and the farmer s report His introduction to country music came mostly by way of live performances which according to Strait could be heard in every town in Texas 18 Marriage and military service EditHe eloped with his high school sweetheart Norma Voss The couple initially married in Mexico on December 4 1971 That same year he enlisted in the United States Army as an infantryman While stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii as a part of the 25th Infantry Division Strait began performing with an Army sponsored band Rambling Country which also played off base under the name Santee 19 On October 6 1972 while still in Hawaii George and Norma had their first child Jenifer 20 Strait served in the United States Army from 1971 to 1975 and ultimately attained the rank of Corporal 21 Higher education EditAfter Strait was honorably discharged from the Army in 1975 he enrolled at Southwest Texas State University now Texas State University in San Marcos He graduated with a degree in agriculture 22 Strait was also presented an honorary doctoral degree by his alma mater Texas State University in San Marcos in a private ceremony on May 26 2006 22 Strait is a loyal alumnus of Texas State in 1985 he established an endowment fund for the development and operation of the Freeman Ranch for agricultural purposes land and wildlife management and gifts of scholarships 22 Music career EditThis section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources George Strait news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message 1970s Edit nbsp George Strait had his first performance at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos Texas on October 13 1975 23 During his college years Strait joined the country band Stoney Ridge answering a flyer the band posted around campus looking for a new vocalist Strait renamed the group the Ace in the Hole Band and quickly became the lead they began to perform at different honky tonks and bars around south and central Texas traveling as far east as Huntsville and Houston 24 They gained a regional following and opened for national acts such as The Texas Playboys Soon his band was given the opportunity to record several Strait penned singles including That Don t Change The Way I Feel About You and I Can t Go On Dying Like This for the Houston based D label However the songs never achieved wide recognition and Strait continued to manage his family cattle ranch during the day to make some extra cash 24 25 While he continued to play with his band without any real connections to the recording industry Strait became friends with Erv Woolsey who operated one of the bars in which the Ace in the Hole band played and who had previously worked for the major label MCA Records Woolsey convinced some of his Music Row Nashville connections to come to Texas and to listen to Strait and his band play Impressed with the performance but concerned that they could not market the Western Swing sound that the band featured they left without a deal After several unsuccessful trips to Nashville in search of a record deal in which Strait was turned down by every label in town he considered giving up music altogether He was offered a job designing cattle pens and decided to take it He gave the band notice that he was leaving but after a discussion with his wife she convinced him to give music one more year Not long afterward MCA signed Strait to a recording contract in February 1981 The initial deal was for one song If the single did well the label would then consider doing an album 26 The Ace in the Hole band remained with Strait performing as the backup and touring band for the now solo career of Strait 25 1980s Edit In the spring of 1981 Strait released his first single for MCA Records titled Unwound which climbed to number six on the BillboardHot Country Songs chart that year and was included on his debut album Strait Country The record featured two more singles including Down and Out a number 16 hit for Strait and If You re Thinking You Want a Stranger There s One Coming Home 27 nbsp Amarillo by Morning which tells the story of a Texas rodeo cowboy was originally recorded and written by Terry Stafford in 1973 In 1982 Strait recorded the song with a more Western based instrumentation The song has become a signature song associated with Strait and has been referred as one of the greatest country songs of all time 28 29 Strait Country was hailed by critics as a new traditionalist breakthrough that broke the trend of pop influenced country prevalent at the time 27 1982 saw the release of Strait s second album the critically acclaimed Strait from the Heart which featured the first number one single of his career Fool Hearted Memory and the top five Western ballad Amarillo by Morning originally sung and written by Terry Stafford in 1973 that would later become one of Strait s signature songs 30 In 1983 Strait made his first appearance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo when the headlining star Eddie Rabbitt became sick with the flu Performing at that rodeo has since become a mainstay throughout his career He has made more than 20 appearances at the rodeo and played for more than one million fans Strait recorded 17 number ones during the decade including a string of five that lasted from 1983 to 1984 31 from his next two albums Right or Wrong his first number one album and the CMA award winning Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind The next year he won the CMA award for top male vocalist and released his first greatest hits compilation which featured songs from his first three albums Also in 1985 Strait released Something Special the third straight number one album of his career featuring the number one single The Chair 27 In 1986 Strait repeated as the CMA vocalist of the year and released his fourth number one album 7 Strait and his family were struck with tragedy when his 13 year old daughter Jenifer was killed in a one car alcohol unrelated accident in 1986 She was riding in a Ford Mustang driven by Gregory Wilson Allen 18 of Staples Texas Allen was subsequently charged with a class A misdemeanor for vehicular homicide Mike Cox spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin said The responding trooper determined the cause of accident to be excessive speed and that the car did not negotiate the turn properly Jenifer was riding in the front passenger seat and none of the four occupants was wearing seat belts at the time 32 When the vehicle flipped over onto its passenger s side Jenifer was partially ejected killing her on impact 32 33 The incident caused Strait to greatly limit his contact with the media He stopped doing interviews for many years after the accident he and his family did not wish to discuss Jenifer s death 34 His grief did not hinder his performance however or his output as he went on to release 11 straight number one hits starting with Nobody in His Right Mind Would ve Left Her in 1986 and ending with Ace in the Hole in 1989 31 The singles spanned four albums including 7 Ocean Front Property in 1987 If You Ain t Lovin You Ain t Livin in 1988 and 1989 s Beyond the Blue Neon all of which reached the number one spot on country album charts Ocean Front Property was the first country album to ever debut at number one on the charts by any artist The streak included such songs as Ocean Front Property All My Ex s Live in Texas Famous Last Words of a Fool and Baby Blue Strait finished the decade by winning the CMA Entertainer of the Year award in 1989 One year later he won the award again 27 1990s Edit nbsp Strait performing live at the 1st Mariner Arena Baltimore Maryland on April 7 2008Strait began the decade with the release of his 10th studio album Livin It Up which featured two number one hits including Love Without End Amen his first multiweek hit and I ve Come to Expect It From You Both songs remained first for five weeks in 1990 Chill of an Early Fall shortly followed in 1991 and received positive reviews Entertainment Weekly noted that the album marked a shift for Strait from repeating himself in his previous works to producing different material 35 It produced the number one songs If I Know Me and You Know Me Better Than That but ended his streak of 31 straight top 10 hits with the cover of Lovesick Blues which peaked at number 24 The record blocked his run of eight top charting albums with its peak of number four In the spring of 1992 Holding My Own was released It did not produce any number ones but did include two top five songs including So Much Like My Dad Later in 1992 Strait played the main character in the film Pure Country and released the film s soundtrack It was his most successful studio album producing such hits as Heartland I Cross My Heart and When Did You Stop Loving Me and peaked at number one and number six respectively on the Country and Billboard 200 album charts The success continued with his next album Easy Come Easy Go in 1993 which reached the top five on the Billboard 200 and featured the hits I d Like to Have That One Back The Man in Love with You and the number one title track 27 His next four albums including Lead On in 1994 Blue Clear Sky in 1996 Carrying Your Love with Me in 1997 and 1998 s One Step at a Time all charted at number one with Blue Clear Sky claiming the spot on its debut week and Carrying Your Love with Me peaking at number one on theBillboard200 for the first time in Strait s career This series of albums produced eight number one singles for Strait including You Can t Make a Heart Love Somebody Carried Away One Night at a Time and I Just Want to Dance with You 27 During this period Strait also released a four disc box set career retrospective Strait Out of the Box in 1995 which became the second best selling box set ever with shipments of 8 million in the United States He was named as the CMA s Top Male Vocalist in 1997 and 1998 27 Starting in 1997 and continuing until 2001 Strait headlined the George Strait Country Music Festival which included artists such as Tim McGraw Faith Hill Kenny Chesney Alan Jackson and others 27 In an effort to introduce these acts to as many fans as possible the festival promised not to visit any market more than twice It played only a small number of dates usually no more than 20 a year but still managed to be the ninth biggest grossing tour of 1998 36 Strait completed the decade with the album Always Never the Same in 1999 which peaked at number two on country charts and matched the cross over success of Pure Country by reaching number six on the Billboard 200 The record produced the hits What Do You Say to That Meanwhile and the number one Write This Down Reviews of the album s material were generally mixed but Entertainment Weekly observed that at this point in his career Strait could record the most lightweight material and make it soar on the radio with his grace 35 All in all Strait scored 17 number one hits on the Billboard country airplay charts in the decade and carried his successes into the next century 16 2000s Edit nbsp Strait on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour XL Center Hartford Connecticut February 23 2013Strait released a self titled album in 2000 which despite a number one and number seven showing on the country and Billboard200 album charts respectively produced no number one singles and was the first studio album of his career to not be certified platinum The singles Go On and If You Can Do Anything Else were released from the record with both peaking in the top five In May 2001 The Road Less Traveled was released Reviews for the album were mostly positive Rolling Stone described it as sticking to the formula but adds a few twists that make it superior to his last few releases 37 It featured vocal processing and was considered by some critics as an experimental album 25 Three singles were released from it two of which reached number one including She ll Leave You with a Smile his 50th on combined charts and Living and Living Well both of which reached the top 30 of Billboard Hot 100 with the former peaking at number 23 Strait s highest rank on the chart The single Run peaked at number two and reached number 34 on the Billboard 100 Strait released two records in 2003 For the Last Time Live from the Astrodome was a recording of the last Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to take place in the Astrodome The performance itself set the record for paid attendance at the venue with 68 266 people breaking Latin superstar Selena s previous record of about 67 000 in 1995 38 His next album Honkytonkville was described as a fiery set of hard country and was praised for its mixture of the old Strait with his modern superstar self 25 It did not produce any number ones for Strait but included the hits Cowboys Like Us and a cover of Bruce Robison s Desperately His 2004 performance at Reliant Stadium set a new rodeo attendance record with 68 679 spectators That year he issued a greatest hits package billed as 50 Number Ones chronicling the number one hits of his career from all charts starting with Fool Hearted Memory and ending with She ll Leave You With a Smile A new track I Hate Everything was also included and became his 51st overall number one in 2004 The next year Somewhere Down in Texas arrived which produced the hit You ll Be There marking Strait s first appearance on the adult contemporary chart The next year he embarked on a tour that included only 18 performances but grossed over 15 million He attributed this success to the fact that his band and he are musically very tight have a large pool of songs to draw from and perform those songs very similarly to how they sound on their albums 39 nbsp Strait on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour XL Center Hartford Connecticut February 23 2013On October 3 2006 Strait marked his 30th year in the music industry with the release of a new album titled It Just Comes Natural The album was recorded in Key West Florida in Jimmy Buffett s Shrimp Boat Sound Studio said to be a better recording location due to lack of allergy flare ups during recording process which was also the recording location of Troubadour citation needed It featured 15 new songs Strait s long time friend and songwriter Dean Dillon co wrote two of the songs on the album It received generally positive reviews from critics People in their four star review remarked If ever there was a natural in country music it s Strait while USA Today raved that he continues to make such consistent quality look easy The first single from the album Give It Away reached number one making one of its co writers country legend Whispering Bill Anderson the first songwriter to have a number one hit in five different decades The title track It Just Comes Natural became his 42nd Billboard number one citation needed In 2007 Wrapped reached number one on the Mediabase 24 7 country music charts giving Strait his 55th overall number one single From January through April of that year Strait headlined a 23 date arena tour with country music legend Ronnie Milsap and then newcomer Taylor Swift He released a new album titled Troubadour on April 1 2008 The CD contained 12 tracks including a duet with Patty Loveless and another with long time songwriter Dean Dillon The lead single from the album I Saw God Today debuted at number 19 on the Radio and Records and Billboard charts It is the highest debut ever for a single from Strait and the fourth highest debut for a song in country music history Troubadour debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 album charts selling over 160 000 copies in its first week of release River of Love the third single from the album became his 57th number one song in 2009 40 nbsp Strait on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour Prudential Center Newark New Jersey March 1 2014In April 2009 Strait was honored by the Academy of Country Music with the Artist of the Decade Award which was presented to Strait by the previous ACM Artist of the Decade Garth Brooks In June of that year he headlined the first event at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas Strait s single Living for the Night was released on May 28 2009 and was written by Strait his son Bubba and Dean Dillon The song was the lead single from his album Twang released on August 11 2009 Twang was certified gold for selling over 500 000 copies citation needed 2010s Edit In 2010 Billboard ranked Strait number one in the top 25 country artists of the past 25 years 41 On September 6 2011 Strait released the album Here for a Good Time which yielded two number one singles Here for a Good Time and Love s Gonna Make It Alright bringing Strait s number one singles total to 59 The album s third single Drinkin Man was less successful peaking at number 37 In October 2012 Strait released the single Give It All We Got Tonight 42 which was included on his album Love Is Everything released on May 14 2013 The song initiated a 60 for 60 movement by Strait s label to make the song his 60th number one single on all country charts while he was still 60 years old 43 The song reached the top of the Mediabase charts in May 2013 The album s next single I Believe reached number 50 on the U S Country Airplay chart making it Strait s first single to miss the top 40 Strait won the 2013 CMA Entertainer of the Year award In November 2013 Billboard presented Strait with its Legend of Live honor during the 10th annual Billboard Touring Awards ceremony 44 The award honors the concert industry s top artist based on Billboard s Boxscore chart and box office performance 45 Strait is the first country artist to receive Billboard s highest touring accolade 46 On April 19 2015 Strait made a guest appearance at the 2015 ACM Awards he performed All My Ex s Lives in Texas and his new single Let it Go 47 In 2016 Strait was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on Forever Country for a mash up track of Take Me Home Country Roads On the Road Again and I Will Always Love You which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards 48 In 2018 Strait released a single called Codigo after a brand of tequila produced by a company in which he had invested 49 The Cowboy Rides Away Tour Edit Main article The Cowboy Rides Away Tour nbsp Strait on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour XL Center Hartford Connecticut February 23 2013On September 26 2012 Strait announced that he was retiring from touring and that his Cowboy Rides Away Tour would be his last 50 51 52 Tickets for both arenas and stadiums on the Cowboy Rides Away Tour sold out in a matter of hours The tour started on January 18 2013 in Lubbock Texas and was divided into two legs 21 concerts in 2013 and 26 concerts in 2014 The tour ended in Arlington Texas on June 7 2014 Strait was supported on the tour by his longtime 11 member touring group the Ace in the Hole Band For the 2013 leg Martina McBride was the opening performer 50 On January 9 2014 Strait initiated the second leg of the tour which featured the opening performers Jason Aldean Eric Church Martina McBride Miranda Lambert Little Big Town Vince Gill Lee Ann Womack Merle Haggard Chris Young Ronnie Dunn Luke Bryan Tim McGraw Kenny Chesney Alan Jackson and Asleep at the Wheel 53 Many of these performers gathered together for the tour s final concert in Arlington Texas on June 7 before 104 793 fans the largest ticketed attendance ever at a single concert in the United States The concert also set a record for the largest gross at a single show country concert 18 194 374 and broke the 33 year old record as well for largest indoor concert ever easily surpassing the 87 500 fans who attended the December 5 1981 Rolling Stones concert at the New Orleans Superdome opening acts The Neville Brothers followed by George Thorogood and the Destroyers A live album recorded from the final concert in Arlington titled The Cowboy Rides Away Live from AT amp T Stadium was released on September 16 2014 with DVD CDs of the concert being released on November 10 2014 with Walmart exclusively releasing a deluxe edition including two CDs as well This deluxe DVD is the entire over three hour concert and the accompanying two CDs have 28 of the 40 songs sung that night 54 On August 29 2014 the Country Music Television channel broadcast a two hour concert special of the event titled George Strait The Cowboy Rides Away 54 This CMT concert special had 1 1 4 hours of music from the concert and interviews Musical style EditStrait s style of country music has been largely labeled as neotraditional country which relies on traditional instrumentation in country music i e fiddle and pedal steel guitar 55 2 56 His style has also been labeled as Texas country Western swing 57 55 and honky tonk 55 57 Personal life Edit nbsp Strait at the San Antonio Stock Show amp Rodeo in 2005Strait eloped in Mexico with his high school sweetheart Norma in December 1971 58 Their first child Jenifer was born on October 6 1972 Their son George Harvey Strait Jr known as Bubba was born in 1981 59 Jenifer was killed in an automobile accident in San Marcos on June 25 1986 at age 13 The family set up the Jenifer Lynn Strait Foundation which donates money to children s charities in the San Antonio area 60 George Strait Jr who is a graduate of Texas State University competed as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association team roping competitor 61 Strait was able to watch his son compete at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2006 shortly before taking the stage for his own performance 62 On April 10th 2009 John Byron Buddy Strait who was George s older brother passed away at the age of 58 Since 2010 Strait has served as spokesman for the VF Corporation s Wrangler National Patriot program a campaign designed to raise awareness and funds for America s wounded and fallen military veterans and their families 63 Strait says I ve been a part of the Wrangler family for a long time when they came to me with the idea for supporting fallen and wounded American veterans and their families I knew I wanted to get involved 63 He also appeared in commercials for Tractor Supply Company 64 In February 2012 Strait became a grandfather when George Strait Jr and his wife Tamara had their first child a son George Harvey Strait III 65 nbsp Vaqueros del Mar 5 George Strait auctions off his boots for the troops George Strait Tom Cusick David FehertyStrait owns a Gulfstream G450 business jet its tail number is N518GS 66 His personal aircraft is housed at the Landmark Aviation facility in San Antonio He teamed up with Texas Governor Greg Abbott to help with disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey which devastated coastal areas of Texas 67 Strait along with long time friend and business partner Tom Cusick created the Vaqueros Del Mar Cowboys of the Sea Invitational Golf Tournament and Concert held annually at Strait and Cusick s Texas Hill Country resort Tapatio Springs Resort near Boerne Texas The Invitational raises money for David Feherty s Troops First Foundation benefiting wounded servicemen servicewomen and their families Since its beginning in 2012 more than US 5 million have been raised by the events 68 69 70 In January 2018 George Strait was named the 2018 Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference a statewide group of business and political leaders Strait was honored for his fundraising efforts in the wake of the widespread flooding following Hurricane Harvey 71 72 Discography EditMain articles George Strait albums discography and George Strait singles discography In more than 30 years of recording all of which have been spent with MCA Records George Strait has garnered 61 number one songs on all country charts including Mediabase 24 7 the former Radio amp Records chart and the now defunct Gavin Report chart and has more number one hits than any other artist in a single genre His 44 Billboard country number one hits are a record four more than Conway Twitty s total that includes several duets with Loretta Lynn 73 Additionally Strait is also the first artist in the history of Billboard to have at least one single enter the top 10 of a Billboard chart for 30 consecutive years starting in 1981 when his debut single Unwound peaked at number six on the Hot Country Singles chart All of his top 10 singles have been on that chart 74 Strait has sold more than 68 million records in the United States alone 75 and his certifications from the RIAA include 13 multiplatinum 33 platinum and 38 gold albums 76 Strait Country 1981 Strait from the Heart 1982 Right or Wrong 1983 Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind 1984 Something Special 1985 7 1986 Ocean Front Property 1987 If You Ain t Lovin You Ain t Livin 1988 Beyond the Blue Neon 1989 Livin It Up 1990 Chill of an Early Fall 1991 Holding My Own 1992 Pure Country 1992 Easy Come Easy Go 1993 Lead On 1994 Blue Clear Sky 1996 Carrying Your Love with Me 1997 One Step at a Time 1998 Always Never the Same 1999 George Strait 2000 The Road Less Traveled 2001 Honkytonkville 2003 Somewhere Down in Texas 2005 It Just Comes Natural 2006 Troubadour 2008 Twang 2009 Here for a Good Time 2011 Love Is Everything 2013 Cold Beer Conversation 2015 Honky Tonk Time Machine 2019 Filmography EditStrait has acted in several films He had a bit part in The Soldier 1982 and starred in Pure Country 1992 He also appeared as himself in Grand Champion 2002 The film Pure Country featured George Strait in the lead role as Dusty Chandler a famous country singer who strays too far from his country roots and traditional sound It provided the opportunity for Strait to branch out from his own traditional country sound for a more rock and roll approach The film had little success at the box office and took in only 15 million but the soundtrack also called Pure Country produced several hit singles for Strait It has become his best selling album to date Strait had a limited role in the sequel to Pure Country Pure Country 2 The Gift 77 Year Title Role1982 The Soldier Himself1992 Pure Country Wyatt Dusty Chandler2002 Grand Champion Himself2003 King of the Hill Voice of Cornell2010 Pure Country 2 The Gift HimselfHonors and awards Edit nbsp George Strait Country Music Hall of Fame plaqueStrait holds the record for most number one albums and singles gold albums platinum albums and multiplatinum albums in the history of country music and is 11th in the most number one albums in all other genres Strait is third only to Elvis Presley and The Beatles with the most gold and platinum albums in the history of music 78 Strait has been certified as the 12th best selling artist in American history with career record sales of 70 million in the United States 79 Strait has held the world record for most number one hit singles across all charts and genres with 60 number one hits since 2013 3 7 and is the only artist in the history of music of any kind to have a top 10 hit every year for 30 years He is also second all time in top 10 hits in the history of music currently five away from breaking the all time record held by Eddy Arnold who had 92 in his historic career Strait has won 22 CMA Awards including consecutive Entertainer of the Year honors in 1989 and 1990 and also just recently won that same honor in 2013 and is the only artist to win the top honor in three different decades and holds the career record for CMA nominations as a whole and the most consecutively of all time As of 2009 he holds the record for the most CMA awards Strait also holds those same records for wins and nominations for the Academy of Country Music Awards Strait was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006 performing his then latest number one hit Give it Away right before accepting his replica Hall of Fame plaque at the 40th CMA Awards He was only the second artist after Eddy Arnold in 1966 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while still actively recording and producing chart topping hits and albums As of June 8 2010 Strait was named the top country music artist of the past 25 years according to Billboard In October 2008 the Academy of Country Music Awards named Strait their Artist of the Decade for the 2000s He was presented the award by the previous winner Garth Brooks Past winners of the award are Marty Robbins 1960s Loretta Lynn 1970s Alabama 1980s and Garth Brooks 1990s 80 With the win of the entertainer of the year award in 2013 he is the only artist to ever win that award in three different decades and also was the oldest winner The win is currently the longest span between wins for that award as well Strait is also tied with Merle Haggard for the most male vocalist of the year awards On June 1 2013 Strait appeared at the Alamodome in San Antonio Texas before 70 000 fans in the last concert of the first half of his two year farewell tour Governor Rick Perry who was in attendance with First Lady Anita Thigpen Perry announced that May 18 Strait s birthday would be George Strait Day in Texas each year 81 In 2023 Rolling Stone ranked Strait at number 156 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time 82 Year Award Category Work Ref1985 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist 83 1985 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year 84 1985 Country Music Association Album of the Year Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind 84 1986 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist 83 1986 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind 83 1986 Music City News Country Male Artist of the Year 1986 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year 84 1986 Billboard Year End Awards Top Country Artist 1987 Billboard Year End Awards Top Country Artist 1988 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist 83 1989 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year 84 1989 Special Connie B Gay Award 1989 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year 83 1989 Special Presidential American Success Award 1990 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year 84 1990 Radio amp Records Country Performer of the Year 1991 American Music Awards Favorite Country Male Artist 1993 Academy of Country Music Tex Ritter Movie of the Year Pure Country 83 1995 Academy of Country Music Single of the Year Check Yes or No 83 1995 ASCAP Voice Of Music Award 1996 TNN Music City News Video of the Year Check Yes or No 1996 TNN Music City News Single of the Year Check Yes or No 1996 TNN Music City News Album of the Year Lead On1996 Music City News Country Single of the Year Check Yes or No 1996 Country Music Association Single of the Year Check Yes or No 84 1996 Country Music Association Album of the Year Blue Clear Sky 84 1996 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year 84 1996 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist 83 1996 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year Blue Clear Sky 83 1996 Radio amp Records Best Single Check Yes or No 83 1996 Radio amp Records Best Male Vocalist 1996 Radio amp Records Most Valuable Performer 1997 TNN Music City News Album of the Year Blue Clear Sky1997 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year 84 1997 Country Music Association Album of the Year Carrying Your Love With Me 84 1997 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album Blue Clear Sky1997 Academy of Country Music Top Male Vocalist 83 1997 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year Carrying Your Love With Me 83 1997 Radio amp Records Best Album Blue Clear Sky1997 Radio amp Records Best Male Vocalist 1998 Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year 84 1998 American Music Awards Favorite Country Male Artist 1998 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album Carrying Your Love With Me1998 Radio amp Records Best Male Vocalist 1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Song I Just Want to Dance with You 1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Line Dance Song I Just Want to Dance with You 1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Video Entertainer 1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Male Artist 1999 Country Weekly Golden Pick Awards Favorite Entertainer 1999 Country Weekly TNN CMT Music Awards Album of the Year One Step at a Time2000 Country Weekly TNN CMT Music Awards Impact Artist of the Year 2000 Country Weekly TNN CMT Music Awards Single of the Year Write This Down 2000 Country Weekly TNN CMT Music Awards Male Artist of the Year 2000 Country Weekly TNN CMT Music Awards Entertainer of the Year 2000 Country Weekly TNN CMT Music Awards Album of the Year Always Never The Same2000 Country Music Association Vocal Event of the Year Murder on Music Row with Alan Jackson 84 2001 Country Music Association Song of the Year Murder On Music Row awarded to songwriters 84 2002 Country Weekly Favorite Collaborative Song Designated Drinker with Alan Jackson 2003 CMT 40 Greatest Men of Country Music Ranked No 9 citation needed 2003 Academy of Country Music Special Achievement Award in recognition of 50 No 1 Songs 83 2003 Special Award National Medal of Arts 2004 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame 85 2005 Country Music Association Musical Event of the Year Good News Bad News with Lee Ann Womack 84 2006 Honorary Doctoral Degree Texas State University San Marcos 2006 Country Music Hall of Fame Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame 2006 Academy of Country Music Single Record of the Year artist Give It Away 84 2006 Academy of Country Music Single Record of the Year producer Give It Away 84 2006 Academy of Country Music Song of the Year artist Give It Away 84 2007 Country Music Association Song of the Year Give It Away awarded to songwriter Jamey Johnson 84 2007 Country Music Association Album of the Year It Just Comes Natural for artist and producer 84 2008 Country Music Association Single of the Year I Saw God Today 84 2008 Country Music Association Album of the Year Troubadour 84 2009 Grammy Awards Best Country Album Troubadour2009 Academy of Country Music Artist of the Decade 83 2010 Billboard com Top Country Artist of the Past 25 Years 86 2013 Country Radio Broadcasters Inc Country Radio Broadcasters Career Achievement Award 2013 ASCAP ASCAP Founders Award 2013 Billboard Touring Awards Legend of Live Award 2013 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year 84 2014 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year 83 2015 Academy of Country Music 50th Anniversary Milestone Award Winner 83 2017 Academy of Country Music Cliffie Stone Icon Award 83 2020 Billboard Music Awards Top Country Tour2021 National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Western Heritage Awards Lifetime Achievement Award 87 References EditCitations Edit a b c d e Bego 2001 p 7 a b Dicaire David August 18 2008 The New Generation of Country Music Stars McFarland Incorporated ISBN 9780786437870 Retrieved November 11 2022 a b c d George Strait UDiscoverMusic March 8 2020 Retrieved June 12 2022 DeDekker Jeff September 14 2011 George Strait is the king of country music National Post Retrieved June 12 2022 Garcia Ricky May 18 2022 George Strait turns 70 Facts you may not know about the King of Country KXAN TV Retrieved June 12 2022 Villalva Brittney R September 27 2012 George Strait Farewell Tour Announced The Christian Post Archived from the original on October 18 2014 Retrieved October 18 2014 a b c George Strait Earns 60th No 1 Hit Radio com May 21 2013 Archived from the original on December 6 2013 Retrieved June 17 2013 Trust Gary December 29 2009 Best of 2009 by the Numbers Billboard Archived from the original on June 12 2013 Retrieved January 8 2010 Country Aircheck Weekly May 20th 2013 Issue 346 PDF Country Aircheck Weekly May 20 2013 Retrieved May 24 2013 Mansfield Brian May 20 2013 George Strait gets 60th No 1 hit USA Today Retrieved April 29 2021 Waddell Ray 2013 Legend of Live Goes Country Billboard Vol 125 no 44 pp 55 56 Tipping Joy June 8 2014 George Strait Sets a U S Concert Attendance Record The Dallas Morning News Archived from the original on June 11 2014 Retrieved June 8 2014 Live at Texas Stadium georgestrait com Retrieved July 18 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released in 1983 a b George Strait Discography CMT Archived from the original on October 18 2014 Retrieved October 18 2014 a b Speers W June 27 1986 Strait s Daughter 13 Is Killed in a Car Crash Archived from the original on March 25 2016 Retrieved October 18 2014 The Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation Straight Fever Archived from the original on October 15 2014 Retrieved October 18 2014 Remnick David July 28 2017 George Strait on the Record and Lawrence Wright on Texas The New Yorker Retrieved January 28 2021 a b Nash Alanna April 12 1991 Chill of an Early Fall Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on October 22 2014 Retrieved October 18 2014 Top concert tours of North America in 1998 December 28 1998 Retrieved January 28 2021 Dresdale Andrea November 5 2001 George Strait The Road Less Traveled PDF Rolling Stone Archived from the original PDF on September 24 2015 Retrieved October 19 2014 On this day in 2002 George Strait shut down the Astrodome Houston Chronicle March 3 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the Year Rolling Stone Archived from the original on February 2 2018 Retrieved January 10 2018 Stark Phyllis February 26 2006 Being George Strait American Chronicle Archived from the original on May 9 2007 Retrieved March 15 2007 George Strait First to Achieve 30 Consecutive Years of Top 10 Hits CMT News April 14 2010 Archived from the original on April 19 2010 Retrieved May 23 2010 Top Selling Artists only with the albums RIAA Archived from the original on July 1 2007 Retrieved November 20 2012 Top Awarded Artists RIAA Archived from the original on July 11 2013 Retrieved November 20 2012 George Strait Will Have Limited Role in New Film Archived from the original on March 23 2010 Retrieved March 15 2010 Betts Stephen L June 4 2009 George Strait Catching Up to Beatles Elvis The Boot Archived from the original on December 29 2011 Retrieved November 2 2012 George Strait Sets Billboard Record Gather April 14 2010 Archived from the original on January 16 2014 Retrieved November 2 2012 Meet George Strait Awards George Strait Archived from the original on December 28 2012 Retrieved December 19 2012 Saldana Hector June 2 2013 On farewell tour superstar George Strait in harmony with hometown fans My San Antonio Archived from the original on June 12 2013 Retrieved June 5 2013 The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Rolling Stone January 1 2023 Retrieved March 27 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Winners Academy of Country Music Archived from the original on March 22 2016 Retrieved May 5 2016 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Past Winners Country Music Association Archived from the original on June 3 2016 Retrieved May 5 2016 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame Inductees Cheyenne Frontier Days Archived from the original on October 1 2018 Retrieved October 10 2018 George Strait Tops Billboard s List of Top 25 Country Artists of the Past 25 Years Billboard Archived from the original on May 11 2013 Retrieved March 25 2013 George Strait National Cowboy amp Western Heritage Museum Retrieved August 22 2021 Sources Edit Bego Mark 2001 George Strait The Story of Country s Living Legend New York Citadel Press ISBN 978 0 8065 2258 6 Dickinson Chris 2012 Kingsbury Paul ed The Encyclopedia of Country Music New York Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 539563 1 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Strait George Strait Online George Strait biography discography lyrics photos videos Archived August 10 2018 at the Wayback Machine Official UMG Nashville Artist Page George Strait at IMDb Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum George Strait Team Roping Classic GSTRC homepage 1992 interview with George Strait Part 1 and Part 2 on Texas Archive of the Moving Image Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title George Strait amp oldid 1180524439, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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