George Strait

  • Poteet, TX
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  • Country
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  • 1981
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About George Strait

Official Site: http://georgestrait.com/ | @https://twitter.com/GeorgeStrait | facebook.com/georgestrait


Out of all the new country singers to emerge in the early '80s, George Strait stayed the closest to traditional country. Drawing from both the honky tonk and Western swing traditions, Strait didn't refashion the genres; instead, he revitalized them for a new decade. In the process, he became one of the most popular and influential singers of the decade, sparking a wave of neo-traditionalist singers from Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam to Clint Black, Garth Brooks, and Alan Jackson.

Strait was born and raised in Texas, the son of a junior high school teacher who also owned and operated a ranch that had been in the Strait family for nearly 100 years. When George was a child, his mother left the family, taking her daughter but leaving her sons behind with their father. During his childhood, he would spend his weekdays in town and his weekends on the ranch. Strait began playing music as a teenager, joining a rock & roll garage band. After his high school graduation in the late '60s, he enrolled in college but soon dropped out and eloped with his high school sweetheart, Norma. In 1971, Strait enlisted in the Army; two years later, he was stationed in Hawaii. While there, he began playing country music, initially with an Army-sponsored country band called Rambling Country. They played several dates off the base under the name Santee. Strait left the Army in 1975, returning to Texas with the intent of completing his education. He enrolled in Southwest Texas State University at San Marcos, where he studied agriculture. While he was studying, he formed his own country band, Ace in the Hole.

Ace in the Hole made a few records for the independent Dallas-based label D in the late '70s, but they never went anywhere. Toward the end of the decade, Strait attempted to carve out a niche in Nashville, but he failed since he lacked any strong connections. In 1979, he became friends with Erv Woolsey, a Texas club owner who had formerly worked for MCA Records. Woolsey had several MCA executives come down to Texas to hear Strait. His performance convinced the company to sign him in 1980. "Unwound," Strait's first single, was released in the spring of 1981 and climbed into the Top Ten. The follow-up, "Down and Out," stalled at 16, but "If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home)" reached number three in early 1982. The song sparked a remarkable string of Top Ten hits that ran well into the '90s. During that time he had an astonishing 31 number one singles, beginning with 1982's "Fool Hearted Memory."

Throughout the '80s, he dominated the country singles charts, and his albums consistently went platinum or gold. Strait rarely abandoned hardcore honky tonk and Western swing -- toward the beginning of the '90s, his sound became a little slicker, but it was only a relative change. Strait was also one of the few '80s superstars to survive the generational shift of the early '90s that began with the phenomenal success of Garth Brooks. In 1992, he made his first movie, Pure Country, which featured him in the lead role. Strait released a four-disc box set career retrospective, Strait Out of the Box, in 1995. By the spring of 1996, it had become one of the five biggest-selling box sets in popular music history. Blue Clear Sky, his 1996 album, debuted on the country charts at number one and the pop charts at number seven. In 1997, he released Carrying Your Love with Me, following it with One Step at a Time in 1998. Always Never the Same appeared a year later, as did the seasonal effort Merry Christmas Wherever You Are. The simply titled George Strait, featuring the hit single "Go On," hit the shelves in late 2000.

Did Strait slow down? Nah. The following year saw the release of The Road Less Traveled, which qualified as an experimental album of sorts for the veteran performer. While it didn't stray very far from his new traditionalist country sound, Road did include a foray into vocal processing that was about as country as a pair of stiletto-healed cowboy boots. But the experimentation was welcome, for it revealed that Strait was still hungry, even after millions upon millions of records sold. Strait issued two projects in 2003. For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome chronicled his headlining set at the last Houston Livestock and Rodeo ever held in the big Texas dome, while Honkytonkville was a fiery set of hard country, lauded by critics for its mixture of the old Strait with his modern, superstar self. Somewhere Down in Texas arrived in 2005, followed by It Just Comes Natural in 2006, and Troubadour and the holiday album Classic Christmas in 2008. Twang, co-produced by Strait and Tony Brown, appeared in 2009. Strait co-wrote seven of the eleven songs (sharing credits with Dean Dillon, Bobby Boyd, and his son, Bubba Strait) on 2011's Here for a Good Time, his 39th studio album, which was co-produced by Strait and Brown and recorded at Jimmy Buffett's Shrimpboat Sound Studio in Key West, Florida.

Here for a Good Time gave Strait two more Top 10 singles -- "Here for a Good Time" and "Love's Gonna Make It Alright" both missed the top of the charts, peaking at two and three, respectively -- and about a year after its release, Strait announced that he was retiring from touring. He planned one last tour, called The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, beginning in 2013 and ending in 2014. Just before this farewell journey kicked off, Strait released a new album, Love Is Everything, in May of 2013; it was preceded by the single "Give It All We Got Tonight." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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Music

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  • Here For A Good Time (Audio)
    george-strait
    Video
    Here For A Good Time (Audio)
  • If I Know Me
    george-strait
    Video
    If I Know Me
  • The Man In Love With You
    george-strait
    Video
    The Man In Love With You
  • Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye
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    Video
    Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye
  • The Chair
    george-strait
    Video
    The Chair
  • 61721
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    • I Got A Car
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/2/0/7/3/4/991943702.mp3
    • Give It All We Got Tonight
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/1/7/2/3/4/991943271.mp3
    • Blue Melodies
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/8/6/6/3/4/991943668.mp3
    • I Just Can't Go On Dying Like This
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/8/9/2/4/991942985.mp3
    • Give It All We Got Tonight
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/6/7/3/6/1/956516376.mp3
    • I Thought I Heard My Heart Sing
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/7/6/6/3/4/991943667.mp3

Interviews & Exclusives

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  • Hot Dish Extras With Hazel Smith 9.17.09 - George Strait
    george-strait
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    Hot Dish Extras With Hazel Smith 9.17.09 - George Strait
  • Hot Dish Extras With Hazel Smith - 8.13.09 George Strait
    george-strait
    video
    Hot Dish Extras With Hazel Smith - 8.13.09 George Strait
  • CMT Outsider - Houston Rodeo: Biggest Fan
    george-strait
    video
    CMT Outsider - Houston Rodeo: Biggest Fan
  • Greatest George Strait Stories: Sorry Ricky
    george-strait
    video
    Greatest George Strait Stories: Sorry Ricky

Photos

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  • George Strait sings his current hit at the 44th annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas on April 5, 2009.
    George Strait
    George Strait sings his current hit at the 44th annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas on April 5, 2009.
    Kevin Winter/Getty Images
  • George Strait (left) and Garth Brooks collaborate onstage at the 2013 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    George Strait
    George Strait (left) and Garth Brooks collaborate onstage at the 2013 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  • George Strait (left) and Garth Brooks share the stage at the 2013 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    George Strait
    George Strait (left) and Garth Brooks share the stage at the 2013 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  • George Strait performs live during the 2013 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    George Strait
    George Strait performs live during the 2013 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  • George Strait performs "Give It All We Got Tonight" during the 2013 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    George Strait
    George Strait performs "Give It All We Got Tonight" during the 2013 ACM Awards in Las Vegas.
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  • George Strait's cowboy hat has endured through the years.
    George Strait
    George Strait's cowboy hat has endured through the years.
  • Tim McGraw (left) and George Strait backstage at the Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony on Feb. 26, 2013, in Nashville.
    George Strait
    Tim McGraw (left) and George Strait backstage at the Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony on Feb. 26, 2013, in Nashville.
    Randi Radcliff/WireImage
  • George Strait
    George Strait
    George Strait
    Vanessa Gavalya
  • George Strait attends the ASCAP awards in Nashville on Oct. 29, 2012.
    George Strait
    George Strait attends the ASCAP awards in Nashville on Oct. 29, 2012.
    Rick Diamond/Getty Images
  • George Strait
    George Strait
    George Strait
    Vanessa Gavalya

News

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  • George Strait
    Jay-Z Exec Produced 'Great Gatsby' Soundtrack Lands #2 Billboard Debut
    MTV News
    May 15, 2013
    Selena Gomez's 'Come & Get It' makes it onto Billboard Digital Songs chart at #8.
    Read More
  • George Strait
    Jay-Z Exec Produced 'Great Gatsby' Soundtrack Lands #2 Billboard Debut
    MTV News
    May 15, 2013
    Selena Gomez's 'Come & Get It' makes it onto Billboard Digital Songs chart at #8.
    Read More
  • George Strait
    OFFSTAGE: George Strait Calls Tour "Bittersweet"
    CMT News
    May 15, 2013
    (CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.) While George ...
    Read More
  • George Strait
    George Strait's Love Is Everything Leads New Releases
    CMT News
    May 14, 2013
    George Strait released a new album, Love Is Everything, on Tuesday (May 14). The album includes his latest single, "Give It All We Got Tonight." Strai...
    Read More
  • George Strait
    George Strait to headline debut of Cowboys stadium
    music.yahoo.com
    forward to for a long, long time." The opening of this stadium would be a huge deal regardless of the entertainment. Jones' palace, funded mostly with...
    Read More
  • George Strait
    More country artists join salute to George Strait
    music.yahoo.com
    A teen country princess and an R&B crooning actor will join industry veterans to honor George Strait as the Academy of Country Music's artist of the d...
    Read More
  • George Strait
    Miley Cyrus, George Strait Headed For Big Chart Debuts | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    . 9, "Number Ones" sold 98,000 according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Twang" will give Strait his fifth No. 1 album, following 1997's "Carrying Your Love Wi...
    Read More
  • George Strait
    George Strait Set For 'Pure Country' Sequel | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    not involved in the new film. "I went back to Jerry, and he said, 'Good luck with the picture, and God bless you,' " Chris Cain said. "Country Gift" i...
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  • George Strait
    George Strait Tops Billboard's List of Top 25 Country Artists of the Past 25 Years | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    George Strait is No. 1 on Billboard's list of the top 25 country music artists of the past 25 years. Strait tops a list that includes Garth Brooks, Re...
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  • George Strait
    George Strait Tops Billboard's List of Top 25 Country Artists of the Past 25 Years | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    BILLBOARD'S TOP 25 COUNTRY ARTISTS OF THE PAST 25 YEARS Country Music Hall of Famer Strait, who holds several all-time Billboard records, tops the lis...
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  • George Strait
    Carrie Underwood, George Strait to Choose 'Idol' Finale Songs | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    time "American Idol" fans get to hear the single debuts by both of the finalists. The blog, Taste of Country, revealed yesterday that Scotty's single ...
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  • George Strait
    Garth Brooks, George Strait to team up at ACMs
    music.yahoo.com
    Related ContentView Photo FILE - This April 6, 2009 file photo shows musician Garth Brooks, left, presenting ... NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Garth Brooks...
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  • George Strait
    Garth Brooks excited to join George Strait on ACMs
    music.yahoo.com
    Related ContentView Photo FILE - This April 6, 2009 file photo shows musician Garth Brooks, left, presenting ... NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Garth Brooks...
    Read More
  • George Strait
    Review: George Strait still cruisin' in the studio
    music.yahoo.com
    George Strait, "Love Is Everything" (MCA Nashville) George Strait is amid a two-year tour before retiring from the road, but new album "Love Is Everyt...
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Tour Dates

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  • Jun 1 Saturday
    San Antonio, TX, US Alamodome
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Discography

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  • Love Is Everything (2013)
    George Strait
    Love Is Everything (2013)
    MCA Nashville
  • Here for a Good Time (2011)
    George Strait
    Here for a Good Time (2011)
    MCA Nashville
  • Twang (2009)
    George Strait
    Twang (2009)
    MCA Nashville
  • Classic Christmas (2008)
    George Strait
    Classic Christmas (2008)
    MCA Nashville
  • Troubadour (2008)
    George Strait
    Troubadour (2008)
    MCA Nashville
  • It Just Comes Natural (2006)
    George Strait
    It Just Comes Natural (2006)
    MCA Nashville
  • Somewhere Down in Texas (2005)
    George Strait
    Somewhere Down in Texas (2005)
    MCA Nashville
  • Honkytonkville (2003)
    George Strait
    Honkytonkville (2003)
    MCA Nashville
  • For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome (2003)
    George Strait
    For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome (2003)
    MCA Nashville
  • The Road Less Traveled (2001)
    George Strait
    The Road Less Traveled (2001)
    MCA Nashville
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