George Strait

• Born: May 18, 1952
• Place of Birth: Poteet, Texas

AMERICAN COUNTRY SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND GUITARIST

An uncompromisingly traditional country-music singer, Strait is known for his authentic Texas honky-tonk sound.

MEMBER OF The Ace in the Hole Band

The Life

George Harvey Strait was born in Poteet, Texas, in 1952 and raised in nearby Pearsall. His father, a middle school math teacher, and his mother, a homemaker, divorced when Strait was in fourth grade; his mother left her two sons—George and Buddy—to be raised by their father while taking a daughter with her. Strait and his brother spent a lot of time at the family ranch, located in Big Wells, Texas. While Strait admits that his childhood was not particularly musical, he became interested in country music after hearing a Bob Wills record. After graduating from Pearsall High School, Strait married his high-school sweetheart, Norma. In 1970 Strait began attending Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, only to drop out after three semesters to join the US Army.

While stationed in Hawaii, Strait became serious about making music, and he was the lead singer with the army base’s country band. When his stint in the army was finished, Strait chose country music over a career with the rodeo, roping cattle. With help from the GI Bill, which provided aid to veterans, he went back to college, studying agricultural science at Southwest Texas State University. In 1975 he started singing the lead for the Ace in the Hole Band, and he began performing in local nightclubs. The band focused on traditional honky-tonk as well as dance-hall numbers, and Strait perfected his smooth vocals. Even though by 1979 the country-music scene began imitating the pop sound, Strait was able to land a record deal with MCA.

He began touring and making successful albums, steadfast in respecting the traditional country sound. Although Strait was never interested in fame, after his teenage daughter’s fatal car accident in 1986, he withdrew even more from the public eye. He was, however, still touring and making albums. In 1988 Strait set a record in concert-ticket sales. Even though Strait had a record-breaking decade, he forged into the 1990s with his signature singing style and continued to please his loyal fan base. He also starred in the film Pure Country (1992). Strait never made a musical move to Nashville, Tennessee, remaining faithful to his Texas country roots.

Strait launched one final two-year tour in 2012 and then took up an arena residency in Las Vegas beginning in 2016; he was unable to perform at the Las Vegas venue between March 2020 and August 2021 due to the restrictions put in place during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that had been declared in early 2020. He also operated the Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort until November 2017, when a fire destroyed the property. Producing tequila has also become another business venture.

The Music

Influenced by Merle Haggard, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, and George Jones, Strait was the lead singer in a country band, Ace in the Hole. Even though this band made some records for an independent Dallas-based label, Strait and the band struggled to achieve commercial viability. In 1981, after playing old-style Western swing and honky-tonk in Texas nightclubs for years, Strait finally got his big break. With the support of Erv Woolsey, MCA allowed Strait to record and release one single. His record deal depended on the single’s radio play, sales, and general success. MCA released “Unwound,” and the up-tempo song was an instant favorite. Shortly thereafter, Strait released his first album, Strait Country. With his conservative and traditional country-music sound, he quickly became associated with the new traditionalist movement, and this label has stayed with him throughout his career. While he was never as interested in songwriting, Strait’s smooth, talented vocals, cowboy good looks, and knack for selecting good songs all helped establish his credibility and made and kept him a country-music superstar. For 2009's Twang, Strait's son George Jr., "Bubba," convinced him to return to songwriting and the album features the first original songs by Strait in decades. Still recording and writing in the 2010s, he released Here for a Good Time (2011); Love Is Everything (2013), which went to the top of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in addition to claiming the second spot on the Billboard 200; Cold Beer Conversation (2015), which also reached the number-one position on the Top Country Albums chart; and Honky Tonk Time Machine (2019), which was additionally well received by listeners and critics, securing the number-one position on the country chart and the fourth position on the general album chart.

Strait Country. Recorded at Music City Music Hall in Nashville, Strait’s first album, Strait Country, included “She’s Playing Hell Trying to Get Me to Heaven,” “Blame It on Mexico,” “If You’re Thinking You Want a Stranger (There’s One Coming Home),” and “Her Goodbye Hit Me in the Heart.” Because the album was varied in its song selections (ranging from ballads to up-tempo dance-hall tunes), Strait’s audiences and record executives had a good look at his vocal range and musical ability.

Ocean Front Property. This 1987 album was Strait’s first to debut at number one on the Billboard country albums chart. “Ocean Front Property,” written by Dean Dillon, Hank Cochran, and Royce Porter, sarcastically describes a broken relationship. With its catchy refrain and inventive lyrics, the title track quickly hit number one. This trend continued, as two other singles, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” and “Am I Blue,” both vaulted to number one as well. With these tracks exhibiting the Texas swing and the traditional dance-hall sound, the album unifies the older structures successfully with Strait’s crooning vocals. This was also the first album Strait recorded with his Ace in the Hole Band, which performed on the tracks “Hot Burning Flames” and “You Can’t Buy Your Way Out of the Blues.”

Blue Clear Sky. This 1996 album not only reaffirmed Strait’s success in the music industry but also highlighted his consistency in the country-music business. Again, the title track reached number-one status, and once more, Strait had incorporated traditional country sounds into pop-country tunes. With tracks such as “I Can Still Make Cheyenne,” a slower, country ballad tracing the steps of an on-the-road cowboy, and “Do the Right Thing,” an up-tempo number asking a lover to make a choice, Strait created an album that caters to all aspects of his musical career. He infused these tracks with the immediately recognizable steel guitar, traditional shuffle rhythms, and Texas honky-tonk.

Carrying Your Love with Me. Strait's next album, 1997's Carrying Your Love with Me, peaked at number one on the Billboard charts and sold three million copies within just over a year. Its singles included "One Night at a Time," "Today My World Slipped Away," "Round about Way," and the title track, "Carrying Your Love with Me."

One Step at a Time. Continuing Strait's streak of chart-topping albums, One Step at a Time also sold well, with two million units selling between its release in June 1998 and May 2000. The album featured the singles "I Just Want to Dance with You," "True," and "We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This."

50 #1s. When Strait released this compilation in 2004, it far outstripped his previous platinum greatest-hits collection Latest Greatest Straitest Hits (2000). Fans purchased seven million copies within three years.

Troubadour. Winner of the 2008 Grammy Award for best country album, Troubadour, peaked at number eight. After Troubadour, Strait found that radio stations broadcast his music less and less frequently; nevertheless, he remained a perennial favorite among concert-goers.

Love Is Everything. Garnering Strait further acclaim, 2013's Love Is Everything also charted especially well upon its release during his farewell tour.

Honky Tonk Time Machine. Though released four years after his previous effort, 2019's Honky Tonk Time Machine, noted as his thirtieth studio album, also placed in the top ten of the Billboard 200 and the number-one spot on the Top Country Albums chart.

Musical Legacy

Strait was the Country Music Association's male vocalist of the year five times (1985, 1986, 1996, 1997, and 1998) and entertainer of the year three times (1989, 1990, 2013), as well as a two-time Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year (1989, 2014) and five-time top male vocalist. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and named artist of the decade in 2008. The state of Texas recognized him as its state musician for 2017.

One of the biggest-selling country artists ever, Strait has proven himself to be an industry favorite. He chooses his song material meticulously, and his choices result in solid country hits that incorporate traditional country-music sounds, rhythms, and ideals with the fast-moving and ever-changing country-music industry. In 2024, at a concert at Kyle Field at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, Strait broke the record for most fans at a U.S. concert by a single headlining act. His concert drew a crowd of 110,905 fans. The event was hailed as the largest ticketed concert in U.S. history.

Principal Recordings

ALBUMS: Strait Country, 1981; Strait from the Heart, 1982; Right or Wrong, 1983; Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind?, 1984; Something Special, 1985; Merry Christmas Strait to You, 1986; Number Seven, 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; Merry Christmas Wherever You Are, 1999; George Strait, 2000; The Road Less Traveled, 2001; Honkytonkville, 2003; Somewhere Down in Texas, 2005; It Just Comes Natural, 2006; Troubadour, 2008; Classic Christmas, 2008; Twang 2009; Here for a Good Time, 2011; Love Is Everything, 2013; Cold Beer Conversation, 2015.

Bibliography

Bego, Mark. The Story of Country’s Living Legend: George Strait. New York: Kensington Books, 1997.

Cabal, Ron. A Honky-Tonk Odyssey: My Eight Years with George Strait. Austin, Tex.: M. Cabal, 2003.

Emery, Ralph. Fifty Years Down a Country Road. New York: HarperCollins, 2000.

"George's Biography." George Strait, www.georgestrait.com/meet-george/georges-biography. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Hernandez, Joe. "George Strait Sets a New Record for the Largest Ticketed Concert in U.S. History." NPR, 17 June 2024, www.npr.org/2024/06/17/nx-s1-5008701/george-strait-concert-attendance-record. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kingsbury, Paul. The Grand Ole Opry History of Country Music: Seventy Years of the Songs, the Stars, and the Stories. New York: Villard Press, 1995.

Sanneh, Kelefa. "George Strait’s Long Ride." The New Yorker, 24 July 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/24/george-straits-long-ride. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Sgammato, Jo. Keepin’ It Country: The George Strait Story. New York: Ballantine Books, 1998.

Strait, George. "George Strait on Postponing His 2020 Dates, Sheltering in Place and Why the Pandemic 'Really Sucks.'" Billboard, 19 May 2020, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/9380752/george-strait-interview-postponing-2020-dates-omaze-surgery/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.