George Harvey Strait is an American country singer who is referred to by fans as the "King of Country". In addition to being a singer, he is also an actor and music producer whose talents are recognized by followers and critics alike.
He is known for being true to traditional country music, developing his own unique style of western swing and honky tonk music.
He discovered his interest in rock and roll music while still in high school when he started a garage band.
He attended live country music performances that were often held in Texas cities, and soon his interest shifted to the genre.
He considers Lefty Frizzel, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and George Jones to be his role models.
His musical career began when he served in the US Army.
After the army, he joined the country band Stoney Ridge, which he later renamed "Ace in the Hole" when he became its leader. His band played in several honky-tonks and bars throughout Texas and soon gained a devoted following.
To date, he has sold over 70 million albums in the US and holds the world record for most singles with the most number one hits in music history.
Childhood and early career George Strait
The famous singer George Harvey Strait was born on May 18, 1952 in Potit, Texas.
He is considered one of the most popular contemporary country music artists.
He is known for always being true to the traditional country sound.
The musician grew up on a farm in Pearsall, Texas, where he studied agriculture at Southwest Texas State University.
He later eloped with high school sweetheart (future wife) Norma, but soon ended up in the army. While in Hawaii, he began singing in the army-sponsored band Rambling Country.
Then, when he returned to Texas, he formed his own band, Ace in the Hole, which gained quite an impressive local fan base.
After years of trying to get a record deal, the singer signed a solo deal with MCA Records in 1981.
With the hit single "Unwound", his first album, Strait Country (1981), was influential in increasing demand for country music.
Over the next decade, Strait released a series of No. 1 albums, including "Strait From The Heart" (1982), "Does Fort Worth Ever Think of It" (1984), "Something Special" (1985), "Ocean Property" ( 1987) and "Beyond the Blue Neon" (1989), each certified platinum or multi-platinum.
In 1989, Strait was named "Artist of the Year" by the Country Music Associations, a feat he repeated in 1990.
George Straight: film debut
In 1992, Strait made his feature film debut in Pure Country and scored numerous hits on the soundtrack for I Cross My Heart, Heart, Where The Sidewalk Ends and King of Broken Hearts.
In 1995, the singer released four discs called "Strait Out of the Box", which sold more than five million copies.
To date, "Strait Out of the Box" holds the notable distinction of being the best-selling box set in country music history.
Strait released several noteworthy albums in the late 1990s, including Blue Clear Sky (1996), Carry Your Love With Me (1997) and One Step In Time (1998).
Released in September 2000, the album titled "George Straight" produced hit singles "Go On", "If It Rains" and "She Took The Wind From His Sails".
George Strait: albums
At the start of the new millennium, the Strait remained as popular with country music fans. Two tracks from The Road Less Traveled (2001) - "She Will Leave You With A Smile" and "Live And Live Well" - took first place in the country charts, and the album went platinum.
2003 Hits such as "Tell me something bad about Tulsa" and "Cowboys Like Us." That same year, the singer received the National Medal of Arts from President George W. Bush.
Somewhere Down in Texas (2005) was another major album, driven in part by the success of singles such as "You Will Be There" and "She Let It Go Go".
The track "Good News, Bad News", a duet with Lee Ann Womack, also featured on the album, won the CMA award for Musical Event of the Year in 2005.
The album Just Comes Natural (2006) included the title track "Give It Away". Strait received two CMA awards for this album and was inducted into the CMA Hall of Fame.
Achievements and awards
Straight continues to this day to be popular in country style. In 2008, the singer released his album Troubadour and debuted at the top of the country's album charts.
The record's first single, "I Saw God Today", reached number one on the country's charts.
In September 2008, Strait was awarded two CMA awards. One win was for Album of the Year and the other for Single of the Year.
In 2009, he received a Grammy Award for the album Troubadour and also received the Artist of the Decade Award from the Academy of Country Music. He has also been named "Artist of the Year" at the CMA Awards three times, most recently in 2013.
In 2014, Strait won the Academy of Country Music Artist of the Year nomination.
That same year, Strait embarked on his last tour, The Cowboy Rides Away. He performed his last concert in Dallas, Texas in June 2014.
Over 100 fans gathered for the AT&T Stadium show. Few people know that Strait has five more albums under his contract with MCA Records.
Personal life George Straight
In 1971, he married his high school girlfriend Norma. The couple had two children, a daughter and a son.
Unfortunately, their daughter died. Jennifer died in a car accident in 1986.
In her honor, the family founded the Jennifer Lynn Strait Foundation, which raises money for children's charities.
The singer became a grandfather in 2012. He enjoys various outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, golfing, motorcycling, etc. He and his son are members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
He is also associated with the Wrangler National Patriot Program, an awareness and funding campaign for wounded and dead US military veterans and their families.
